Weaving is done exclusively by women in the NE region of India.  Various kinds of looms are used, some of which are the throw shuttle loom, fly shuttle loom, Waist loom or the Back strap loom. The latter is popularly used amongst the ethnic communities of Assam (Karbi, Mishing), and hill states like Nagaland. They resemble the back strap looms of Peru, Guatemala and Indonesia. 

Due to the nature of the loom, the width of a fabric is normally woven at one time and do not exceed more than 18 to 20 inches. Larger pieces of fabrics are made by stitching number of strips together.

Women’s Livelihood Programme - Chizami, Nagaland

In the year 2008, NEN initiated a back-strap weaving programme – ‘Chizami Weaves’ for women in few villages of Phek district in Nagaland.  NEN has invested on the existing skills of  women and tried to blend it with the needs of the modern market. Nagaland women are  cultivators first and weaving is done after that, for their own gear. But subsistence living has been the mainstay and we felt that it was time to widen the professional choices for women and improve their socio-economic status.

The weaving centre at Chizami, Nagaland

It all started with a young man Rajiv Gautam, a great designer,  who visited us and showed the way of diversifying the weaves into a range of home furnishings and accessories, which have earned visibility. Chizami Weaves, while preserving the traditional designs has ambitious plans not only for  marketing widely but also bring in new perceptions of gender justice to women. Our weavers, while supporting their families through their weaving, are now articulating their voices around issues of health, livelihood, food security, environment, and making their presence felt within their homes and community’s public spaces.

At present, Chizami Weaves has a strong network of more than 300 women in Chizami and 6 other neighbouring villages.

Women’s Livelihood Programme - Andhrejuli, Assam 

Women who have been trained in herbal production and processing have made earning out of their efforts in Assam. NEN sent some of the women to fairs and melas to exhibit their products. Three of them even set up a kiosk near their village, next to Accoland, a children's entertainment centre at Andhrejuli, 20km away from Guwahati.

In the meanwhile, HSBC, in November, invited NEN to participate in its fortnight event called the Helping Hands Mela. NEN promptly requested the women of Andhrejuli, Puronigodam as well as of Chizami, Nagaland to set up a stall full of weaves, and herbal products along with vegetables like papaya, lemon, banana, arum, dry fish powder, coconut laddoos, pitha’s, fragrant herbs. It was a great success indeed and items were sold off every day during the mela days.

Processing ou tenga (elephant apple) in Andhrejuli	HSBC Helping Hands Mela