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.Â
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.