The members of the
Angami tribe of
Nagaland wear similar clothes irrespective of his or her social status. Only the priest wears a distinctive cloth called phichu-pfe. Of the many patterns used in the clothing, the dominant ones are the Loramhoushu, with red and black bands drawn on a white background, and the lohe which has red and yellow bands drawn on a black background. The members of this tribe wear a black shawl called ratapfe, while performing the daily chores.
The men wear a kilt of plain black color. It is embroidered with 3 or 4 lines of cowries. In the olden days, the number of lines differentiated the person. A warrior wore a kilt containing 3 lines of cowries, while 4 lines showed that the wearer was a famous personality.
The women generally wear a plain blue cloth along with a white cloth with black bands on its borders. The basic costume of the women comprises a petticoat called neikhro, a sleeve less bodice called vatchi and a white skirt called pfemhou. They also occasionally wear men’s cloth.
