HMARAM – G.I. No. 588 of 6.8.2019
Hmaram is a popular traditional cloth of the Mizo people. It is a small skirt, only worn by ladies and girls. The cloth is wrapped around the waist by tucking in at the waist to fasten it, covering the lower part of the body. It is commonly worn during festive dances and traditional ceremonies.
The oldest patterned textile of the Mizo (Lusei) tribe, Hmaram is a single loom width fabric made from handspun indigo-dyed and natural white cotton. It is worn as a short skirt wrapped around the waist, tucked in on one side. Compared to other Mizo puan, Hmaram is smaller in size and covers only up to the knee.
A very complex and intricate motif called Kawkzialpui is incorporated in Hmaram that is believed to be the oldest motif of the Mizo. It was inspired by the curled new shoot of an edible fern Kawkpui (Diplazium maximum)
Hmaram also has Lenbuangthuam motifs, again also believed to be one of the oldest motifs of the Lusei tribe. Lenbuang is the name of a tree with acacia-like leaves and thuam means a junction with two or more paths. This motif is characterized by indigo-dyed blue/black extra weft triangular designs which are positioned in such a manner that the broad bases are twisted and not against each other; these triangular designs are separated by intervening line or lines (usually one or two) giving the overall appearance like that of the paths with many branches.
Another motif seen in Hmaram is Disul. The word Di refers to a species of grass (Imperata cylindrical) and sul is a term used for grass brushed against by passer-by which bends to the direction in which they have been brushed against. Quite similar to the Lenbuangthuam, the triangular designs in Disul are placed in such a manner that the broad bases of the isosceles triangles appear to stand against each other resembling a pattern of well-placed rectangles and triangles with narrow path-like strips running through the diagonals of the triangles against the end of the triangles
