Ngotekherh - G.I-587

NGOTEKHERH – G.I. No. 587 of 6.8.2019

Ngotekherh is a popular traditional cloth of the Mizo people. It is a delicately sewn cloth or fabric which is woven out of a loin-loom. The original Ngotekherh was plain white, rectangular in shape with only two black stripes of 3 of 4 inches each running in traverse direction at a distance of about 1/3rd of the whole length from both edge of the puan. 

This particular type of puan (cloth) is woven with a white background and black stripes on it. This stripping was originally called Thaihruih, and along the perimeter was embedded a small black and white stripes called kuthruih also known as kherh. The early modifications of a broader black strippings were called Tlangtial Ngotekherh. 

Two deep black borders about four to five inches broad run along two edges lengthwise. Adjoining these borders, thin black stripes are sometimes woven numbering about two to six according to individual liking. These are so spaced that the intervening white portions look like stripes of the same breadth. These make up a number of small perfect squares specifically called as Mangpuantial. Besides these, quite a few other black stripes of similar breadth are woven throughout the surface lengthwise between the two broad borders. But these are spread differently from those adjoining the black borders. 

The distinctive feature of the Ngotekherh is that the white weft is almost completely hidden by the black warp in which it intersects. Weaving of the Ngotekherh requires great expertise since the quality of one is assessed mostly on the basis of the absence of white streaks on the black Hruih, black borders and black stripes, and also the smoothness and fineness of the Hruih.

NGOTEKHERH

Ngotekherh hi Mizo puante zinga lar tak mai a ni a. He puan hi kawngvawn hmangin thembu ah tah thin a ni. A tir takah chuan Ngotekherh hi puan var plain, a khel pahnih a inches 3/4 vela thaihruih a ni thin a ni. 

He puan hi background var hlang hlak ah a dum a tial a ni a. Ngotekherh a tial hi Thaihruih tih a ni a. Puan hmawr zelah hian a dum leh var tial te tak te, kherh an tih chu dah a ni thin bawk. Siam danglam a nih tirh a a sira tial hlai deuh and dah thin chu  Tlangtial Ngotekherh tih a ni a. 

Ngotekherh ah chuan a sir tawn tawn ah a dum tial, inches 4/5 vela hlai  dah a ni a. A bulah hian a khat mawi tawkin tial sin zawk, a dum tho dah thin a ni bawk a. Heng tial sin te hi Mangpuantial tih an ni. Chhuk zawng leh phei zawng in a khat tawka puan var ah a dum a a tial  avangin heng tialte hi kil li nei (square), a dung leh vang inchen an lo ni ta a ni. 

Ngotekherh danglam bik na em em chu a la var, a zai phei hi la dum, a zai tung tialtu chuan a hliah vek mai a ni. Ngotekherh tah hi a hautak in puantah thiam tak nih a ngai a. A chhan chu a tah that leh that lo chu a hruih dum ah te, a tlang dumah te leh a tial dum ah te chuan la var a lan leh lan loh ah te teh a nih thin vang a ni. Heng bakah hian a hruih sin leh mam dan te en thin a ni bawk a ni.