Glimpses of traditional costumes & ornaments of indigenous communities of Himachal Pradesh

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GLIMPSES OF TRADITIONAL COSTUMES & ORNAMENTS OF INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES OF HIMACHAL PRADESH

Vijay Kumar Sharma, Associate Professor, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Himachal Pradesh University (Shimla, India).

Manoj Kumar Sharma, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Aiyabhatta Government Degree College (Sandhol, India).

Abstract

The saga of costumes and ornaments is as old as human civilization and its uniqueness lies in the fact that each region has its own peculiarity. During the course of evolution, early man's desire to adorn himself has given rise to the art of designing costumes and ornaments. Geophysical and ecological conditions in which different communities have been living, have been an important factor in designing of costumes and ornaments, not only in context of suitable raw material but in the course of designing and use. In the tropical region, where the climate remains hot and humid, communities prefer costumes made of light material, for instance, cotton and silk, which are loosely woven and are suitable for the climate. Likewise, the ornaments in such regions are hollow, generally with perforations. Woolen and heavy costumes of cotton and animal skins are preferred in the arid and alpine environment. The ornaments of thin bits of silver are traditionally in trend in such topographies. This paper is based on the survey carried out in the tribal pockets of Himachal to document the traditional costumes and ornaments of indigenous communities.

Keywords: Costumes, ornaments, tribal, indigenous communities, urbanization, modernization.

Аннотация

ЗАМЕТКИ О ТРАДИЦИОННЫХ КОСТЮМАХ И ОРНАМЕНТАХ КОРЕННЫХ СООБЩЕСТВ ХИМАЧАЛ-ПРАДЕШ.

Виджай Кумар Шарма, доцент кафедры междисциплинарных исследований, Университет Химачал-Прадеш (г. Шимла, Индия).

Манодж Кумар Шарма, доцент кафедры социологии, государственный колледж Арьябхатта (г. Сандхол, Индия).

Сказания о костюмах и украшениях так же стары, как и человеческая цивилизация, их уникальность заключается в том, что каждый регион имеет свои особенности. В ходе эволюции желание человека украсить себя породило искусство создания костюмов и украшений. Геофизические и экологические условия, в которых жили различные общины, были важным фактором при разработке костюмов и украшений не только в контексте подходящего материала, но и в процессе проектирования и использования. В тропическом регионе, где климат остается жарким и влажным, общины предпочитают костюмы из легких материалов, например, хлопка и шелка, которые свободно сплетены и подходят для климата. Также в данных областях распространены орнаменты с пустотами, как правило, с просечками. Шерстяные и тяжелые костюмы из хлопка и шкур животных предпочитают в засушливых и альпийских условиях. В таких ландшафтах традиционно присутствуют орнаменты из тонких кусочков серебра.

Эта статья основана на опросе, проведенном в отдаленных уголках племенной жизни территории Химачала с целью документирования традиционных костюмов и украшений коренных общин.

Ключевые слова: костюмы, украшения, племя, коренные общины, урбанизация, модернизация.

Introduction

The use of precious stones, flowers, fruits, seeds, leaves, bones and teeth of animals and ivory must have been the earliest raw material used for gratification of human desire. However, the discovery of metals has changed the entire story. The excavations of Indus Valley civilization and narratives of Vedic literature clearly explain the types of jewellery worn by the people in different ages. There is a variety of costumes and ornaments in India and each body part has particular ornament designed by the skilled craftsmen, who have inherited the art of crafting jewels from their forefathers. The ornaments of Himachal, mainly the silver jewellery is one of the finest examples of the metal craft that has evolved in the state and is still known for its excellence. The silversmiths and goldsmiths of Himachal are known for crafting the large, delicate and intricate designs with motifs suitable for the natural settings. The idols of Lakshna Devi, Shakti Devi and Nandi of 7th century AD from Bharmour, Chamba find mention as 'Dinar mala', in the Vedic literature. Moreover, the sculptures, paintings and carvings portraying figures wearing diverse jewellery, exemplify the ethnic culture of primitive eras. With the passage of time, the costumes and ornaments have refined in terms of their design and style. Paula Muni (2000) wrote that indigenous communities differ from other communities in physical appearance, language and socio-cultural patterns, but under the influence of urbanization and industrialization are finding their traditional way of life at stake and the indigenous communities of Himachal have also witnessed the same in the recent years. This paper is based on the study carried out to document the traditional costumes and ornaments of indigenous communities of Himachal Pradesh.

Methodology.

The Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti districts and Pangi and Bharmour sub-divisions of Chamba district constitute the Scheduled areas of Himachal Pradesh, fulfilling the minimum criterion of 50 percent Scheduled Tribe population concentration. These are situated in the north and north-east of state and are among the isolated areas in the state. Snow glaciers, high altitudes and rugged terrain with gushing rivers and their tributaries are the atypical features of tribal areas (Parmar, 1992). The paper is based on detailed interview, and survey carried out in tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh, viz. Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Pangi & Bharmour subdivisions of Chamba. The relevant data for study was collected from indigenous communities inhabiting the study area. The women folk of respective areas were interviewed, besides carrying out visual documentation.

Results and discussion

The variety of costumes and ornaments in the Western Himalayan region is all the more vibrant and fascinating for the reason that there is variation in the geo-climatic and ecological conditions from the Shivaliks to the Trans-Himalayan highlands. In the arid and arctic conditions of Lahaul-Spiti and upper Kinnaur, there is abundant use of wool and skin in making the garments. Likewise, the geo- occupational status also affects the types and forms of ornaments symbolic to the communities, for instance, in the Shivalik region, where the living conditions are relatively comfortable, the women wear a variety of gold and silver ornaments, however, among the traditional Gujjar and Gaddi women, the choice of ornaments is somewhat limited, mostly the silver ornaments for ears, nose, neck and wrists, because Gujjar women have to carry huge loads and work hard in the harsh geophysical settings with nomadic life. In order to keep the body-frame strong and erect even under physical stress, the hill people regularly use gachi, a waist-band. Besides geo-climatic factors, the other reasons responsible for the evolutionary styles in design and use of costumes and ornaments, are ethno-racial, religious, cultural, political and economic.

The socio-cultural fabric of Himachal is woven with the warp of geo-climatic expediency and the weft of ethno-cultural traditions of the people. The sociocultural mosaic of Himachal is different from rest of the Western Himalayan region. Most of the primitive and medieval races, who settled the mainland, and the evidence of their culture have lost their identity in the whirlpool of sociocultural interfusion in the mainland or have vanished due to various natural and human factors. Hence, the sight of the costumes and ornaments can only be seen the sculptures, miniatures and wall paintings. The same exemplifying feature may also be noticed in the traditional jewelry and ornaments of the region, on which the nature has left its ineradicable marks through floral and formal ornamental devices. With uninterrupted immigration to this region all through the history, innovative concepts in the use and design of costumes and ornaments have remained in trend among the people, adding vitality to the traditional customs. Consequently, there has been a constant process of elusive conceptualization going on in the mind of traditional craftsmen to cater the popular demand for innovation. This process has been strong around the Shivalik foothills, with a multi-occupational, semi-urban and agrarian culture. This has resulted in the development of hybrid trends in costumes and ornaments. Still, adherence to the longstanding tastes and taboos may also be seen among the traditional communities, which have remained segregated in the isolated localities. The process of syncretism has, however, remained delicate in the mid-Himalayan Valleys, where the distinct and typical varieties of costumes and ornaments are used by the people, for instance, the costumes and ornaments of Pangwals, Gaddis, Lahulas and Gujjars. On the other hand, there is a trace of consistency in the costumes and ornaments of the people living in enthno-cultural distinct Khash region in the mid-Himalayan belt. There are, evidently, local variants in the costumes and ornaments used by the people living in different valleys. In this belt, multifaceted agro-pastoral living pattern has developed in which, the agrarian elements of the Shivalik foothills and the pastoral elements of the highlanders have intermixed together. In the upper Kinnaur, and Spiti, the Tibeto-Mongolian features are found in the costumes and ornaments of the indigenous societies, as revealed by the extensive use of wool, animal skin, semiprecious stones and beads. These characteristics may find much identity with the costumes and ornaments of Central Asian nomads and of the Tibetan highlanders. However, in many areas, there are remnants of primitive form of jewelry, which can be revealed as flower, leaves, bones, nail or tooth of tiger, etc. Likewise, the primitive communities decorate their caps with curls of flower. Earlier, the traditional ornaments were made of silver but with the passage of time and improved socio-economic status, the silver has been replaced with gold. The ornaments of ear, nose and arms symbolize married felicity. The ornaments are not only worn for beautification but for their intrinsic religious significance. Some ornaments are given at the time of marriage. Jantar or the amulets of gold or silver holding a piece of paper with hymns written on it are worn in the neck or arm to ward-off the effect of evil-eye or magic. Rings with studded stones are worn to minimise the planetary effects. Suniyaar, a community of local goldsmiths make the fine jewellery using the traditional techniques. They are skilled in designing, enamelling, engraving, moulding, and polishing of the ornaments. Owing to its pliability, gold in its pure form is rarely used. Its alloys with copper, silver and zinc are used, though the proportion of each varies. The traditional tools used by the goldsmiths are:

• Crucible (small clay dish)

• Angithi (furnace)

• Nal (blowing pipe)

• Sansi (a pair of tongs)

• Hathori (hammer)

• Zambur (small claw)

• Cheni (chisels)

• Retti (filler or scraper)

• Thappa (design embossing block)

Costumes: Traditionally, the goldsmiths use tamarind and dried mango powder for cleaning and imparting shine to the ornaments.

As stated earlier, the costumes vary according to the geo-climatic conditions. Cold climatic conditions of Kinnaur make people wear woolen garments throughout the year. In general, the people wear customary costumes along with present day dresses. Earlier, the costumes and ornaments of people were glamorous and flamboyant. The ornaments are of wide range, mostly made of silver and worn during the festivals and marriages. Men costume consists of chhuba, a long woolen coat; suthan, a loose trouser with floral pattern at the lower end; sadari, a sleeveless woolen jacket; kameej, cotton or woolen shirt; thepang, a woolen cap with green velvet strip in the front. Thepang is a common headwear for men and women. People tug flowers in their caps during the marriage and festive occasions. Gachhing, a long strip of woolen cloth is draped around the waist both by men and women. Woman's dress includes choli (blouse), dhoru (sari), pattu (shawl), salwar (lower garment) and kurta (upper garment). Dhoru is traditional woolen sari with floral pattern. Pattu is used as a shawl by women and its two ends are held together with help of a silver hook. Phony or Takose-chukh, the traditional shoes made of goat hair have been replaced by present day shoes. Gunspona is locally made footwear of wool and goat hair, with sole of goat skin. These are embroidered in multicolor and are called tapru-se baldanuspona.

The dress of people in Lahaul region consists of loose, dark and thick trousers and a woolen coat like a long robe. The coat is tied at the waist with a band. Occasionally, a jacket is also worn over the coat. In olden days, people used to wear Gilgit type cap. Pula or straw shoes and locally knitted socks with eye-catching designs are used. In Lahaul, ladies' costume is the tight-fitted pajama and a dugpo or a big gown. A shirt is worn as an under cloth beneath the gown. A band is tied around the waist over the robe. The dugpo hangs below the knees and it has an embroidered lining along the margins. Bhoti women don't use cap but Swangla, Shipi and Lohar women wear round caps. In winters, the ladies wear thick woolen shawl. The costume of Spiti differs from that of Lahaul and Kinnaur. Men, women, and Lamas have different attires. In Spiti, the regular dress of men comprises of a small cap, a long, thick, woolen coat, a band tied around waist, and a pair of boots with leather soles. The man wears a loose necklace of turquoise, amber, and other stones mixed with coral beads. A bright iron pipe and a knife in a sheath arc are fixed in the belt, from which hang `Chakmak' a metal spoon, and a bunch of keys. The monks wear a rosary of beads and their coat is red or yellow.

Gaddi community inhabiting Chamba and parts of Kangra are identified with their dress and it includes cholu, dor, topi for men and luanchari, dora and long dupatta for women. Gaddis are mostly nomads and live in extreme weather conditions; hence, their costumes are made of patti, a woven woolen cloth. A roughly stitched hand-woven coat generally called, chola is worn by the men up to knees. The chola is tightened around the waist with dora, the long black rope of sheep wool. The men wearpatti pajamas or unaalisuthan. Men wear topi, a cap with a peak-like projection that flaps around the margin. The flaps are used to cover the ears during the cold weather. The front of the cap is ornamented with dried flowers, a bunch of feathers or a string of beads. Mocharu, the leather shoes are worn by man. During marriage, the bridegroom wears an attractive dress, consisting of kadd or luancha, a long red or maroon colored cotton frock decorated with different types of mirrors, frills and piping. It is tied on the wrist with white and yellow cotton cloth, called patka. A red or maroon coloured shawl is also worn. Female wear luanchari, a gown decorated with different types of frills and pippins. It is tied around wrist with a black colored Dora, or woolen rope. A square piece of cloth decorated with glitters and frills is placed on the head over dupatta. There is variation in dress across Chamba district. In the Churah tehsil, the men wear a short coat and instead of dora, a fabric waistband is common. A round cap or pagri, a turban is worn on head. They wear pajamas, loose at top and tight at legs and ankles. The women wore choli and joji, a small cloth cap with a long tail hanging down the back. In Pangi tehsil, men wore a pattu coat reaching the knees with a colored wristband of cloth.

A small cotton cap is worn on the head and pullan or the grass shoes on the feet. The dress of women consists of one blanket, which is wrapped around the body in an unusual manner. One end is brought over the left shoulder and the blanket is then passed behind the back under the right arm across the chest where it was fixed to the end hanging over the left shoulder by a large brass pin. On the head, a small colored cap similar to that of the men is worn. In Bhatiyat area, the dress of both men and women is nearly the same as that of Kangra. Men wore woolen coat, cotton shirt and pajama. They wear white coloured saffa or turban or round cotton cap. community traditional costume himachal

The Gujjars of Chamba, with typical beard and whiskers, wear a saffa, a cotton turban, with one end of it, hanging over the shoulder. Males wear kurti or kameez, a long dark coloured shirt, basket, a sleeveless collared velvet half-coat. Sometimes, they wrap tehmath, dark coloured cotton cloth around the waist or tamba, a cotton salwaar. The Gujjar women wear traditional head-gear, a saucer-shaped black cap embroidered with needle-work of coloured threads. They wear kurti, a dark shade or of the black coloured cotton loose shirt with side pockets. The Gujjar women wear suthan, atight trouser or salwar.

Ornaments: Ornaments and jewels are the most cherished wealth of a woman. Most women in Himachal wear ornaments ranging from lightweight to heavy-weight up to four kilograms. These are either of gold or silver metals and worn at the time of marriage and festive occasions. In Kinnaur, men do not wear ornaments except for laksap that is a silver or gold ring. The old men used to wear murki, a small ear-ring. There is a wide range of women ornaments in Kinnaur, with distinct design and use. Primarily, made of thin silver foils, most of them are augmented with floral designs. These are hand-crafted with simple chisel and hammer. The head ornament consists of- tonal or tonaang, a silver chain with fringes, worn across the forehead; taakpan-shan-glang, a silver chain intertwined with hair, chaak is a saucer-shaped hollow ornament; fiaezaa, a silver band worn on the forehead; zutti, a heavy hair hanging made of thin silver beads, leaves and semi-precious stones. The ear ornaments, include use khul-kante, kante, garbeet, zumku, mulamenthu and shedu-shankali. Khul-kante is like kan-balis, but the size is much larger and is heavier. Six to eight kante are worn on each earlobe. Kante are the large- size ear-rings. Zumku is a silver flower worn in the ear like a pendant. Shedu-shankali is an ear ornament with a long chain. Nose ornaments consists of kundo or kundoch, baalu, baaluk and laung. Khundoo or khundoch is worn on nostril. Other nose ornaments are baalu, a gold ring; baaluk, an oblong nose pendant, worn in the septum; laung, a gold stud with red and blue stones. For neck, the women have shaulig-chu, kanthi, bizlee or shokpotokh, dorolee, koshmaal, poshaal, mulugawooy Chandra-malang, kaachong, kantha-malang, and tri-mani. Shulig-chu is a necklace of coral beads. The wrist ornaments are: dagloos, a heavy bracelet worn in pairs and kagnu or laksap, a silver or gold finger ring with a coral or turquoise stone fitted. Boringushangling, a silver chain is worn around the waist and pollree is a flat silver toe ring. Besides this, there are digra, a decorated brooch used to fix the ends of dohru; digra-chhu, a chain knitted up from the silver wires; tamuch or pechu, a brooch are among the accessory ornaments.

In Lahaul Valley, men usually wear gold rings, ear-rings called murki and kanti or the neck ring. Women of Lahaul wear kirkisti, an ornament made of gold and silver on the head. Poshal, a forehead ornament is worn by women. Dung ketsi is tied around the waist. Along, anear-ring is worn in the ears. Necklaces of different types made of turquoise, coral and pearl are also used. Besides this, there are: phuli, a gold nose ornament; nyagthang, a chained silver ornament studded with precious and semi-precious stones tied around the chest, etc. In Spiti, the women wear yubzur or beran, a cobra shaped cloth piece embossed and decorated with bits of turquoise, and sometimes coral and golden charm boxes. Usually, beran is used by the married women. They also wear fur caps and necklaces made of turquoise and coral. The Spitian wear or keep srungwa (amulets) to ward- off evil-spirits. The Gaddi women of Chamba are fond of jewelry. The most common are chiri, jhumka, toke, gojru, chandrahar, etc. Silver is thought to be sacred among Gaddi community; hence, their traditional jewelry is made of silver with mina work over it. In mina work, design on jewelry is filled with colour. Ornaments have atypical motifs and designs. Ornaments are worn on both the sides of nose, namely baalu on one side and fulli on other side.

Customarily, the Gaddi jewelry was very heavy but now the weight has been reduced. A few ornaments of Gaddi community are- Chiri worn on the forehead and considered an important ornament for a married lady; clips connected with silver connections, which fall over the plait; jhumka or the earrings of varied shapes and sizes; pari orpayal worn on ankles; chanderahar, a big-sized silver necklace with mina work over it is worn during marriages and festive occasions; chaak or chonk, a conical shape ornament of head, usually supported by two small round structures, called chakdi; singi, a lightweight small-sized necklace, with golden string and silver; gojru, the bracelets worn in pair; toke, the flat bracelets worn in pair; beenichack, a round-shaped ornament with one loop and two strings, fixed over the plait; phullu, ornament of toes of different shapes and designs worn by married women; dur, the gold ear rings worn by men, mainly during the marriage ceremony; fulli, a big-sized round gold nose pin and baalu, a big-sized gold nose worn by the married women.

Gujjars men normally wear a tabeez, an amulet around their neck. The Gujjar women usually don't wear head and feet ornaments, due to transhumant lifestyle and strenuous daily work. They wear chettar, rustic leather foot wear. The main ornaments of Gujjars are baliyan, the large size silver ear rings, with a bunch of tiny metallic flowers; dood, a hollow silver ornament; jhumkay, a silver ear pendant, baalu, a big silver nose ring embossed with stones; laung, a gold studded nose pin, murki, a small silver nose-septum pendant; dood-mala, a necklace of thin tubular beads; haar, a heavy silver necklace; mankey, a silver and glass beads necklace; naliya, a silver ornament tied round the neck; and tabeez, a tiny amulet. The women wear kangan, a set of bangles and gold or silver anguthis or finger-rings.

The foregoing discussion reveals that the topographical, seasonal, socio-economic, cultural and racial elements play critical role in shaping the choice of food items, herbs, farming techniques, costumes, ornaments and jewelry items. The shapes, designs and ornamental features of costumes and ornaments show strong racio-cultural influences, which have been undergoing change and accustoming under the `micro' geo-climatic settings of diverse hilly terrains. What is distinctive about the ethnicities of the region is their customary, localized and indigenous character, including twin qualities of (a) harmonious with the nearby surroundings, and (b) conveying the aesthetic receptiveness and the emotional state of inner ecstasy.

Most of these traditions have gradually come into vogue because of a longstanding evolutionary process, in which countless racio-cultural and geo- climatic factors have supplemented considerably. But during the post-independence period, the time flowed fast for the sociocultural traditions, culinary art and metal crafts to keep pace with it. The influx of outsiders brought about radical change in the sociocultural, economic, demographic and occupational structure of the region. An intangible change in the living traditions has been taking place since then, which has further been speeded-up by the sociocultural interfusion with the communities of diverse states, who have travelled to the region for different reasons, and decided to settle in the region forever. All these factors have replaced the traditional localized, traditionalist and inflexible thinking with the materialistic, balanced and far- reaching philosophy. This transformation may seem to be imprecisely pleasing, but actually it may not be so. Indeed, it has sternly eroded the foundation of time-honored cultural inheritance, and caused irreparable loss of indigenous farming, healthcare, culinary and dressing traditions of the people. The traditional artists and craftsmen are gradually finding it difficult to compete with the machine-made products. With the development of modern means of communication and social network, a kind of multiethnic culture is silently rooting the far-flung places of Himachal, and the people are accepting new manners in their costumes and ornaments. In last few decades ethnic cultures have witnessed rapid transformation. Attire is an important adjunct of one's personality and costume is an excellent embodiment of community's sense of beauty. Costume is essential aspect of cultural heritage, a mirror of the time, and the people of particular community, but the penetration of westernized culture has disrupted the same. With the dawn of modernization, outlook of tribal people has changed entirely and dressing manners is no exception to this. The changing attire reveals the demands of time, society and leading example of aesthetics. Costume, ornamentation and decoration play an essential role in both material and spiritual facets of life. Even Ogburn (1947), in his article, `How Technology Changes Society' wrote, «Technology changes by changing our environment to which we, in turn, adapt. This change is usually in the material environment, and the adjustment we make to the changes often modifies customs and social institutions». Ogburn (1922) has examined technological changes in detail. Even this study also revealed that tribal people have not only responded to these changes, but have adapted to these. Thus, technological advancements and modernization have influenced the attitudes, beliefs and traditions of tribal people, which govern almost all aspects of tribal life and culture, including social customs.

Costumes of Himachal Pradesh

Literature

1. Ogbum W. F. Social Change with Respect to Culture and Original Nature. - New York: B. W. Huebsch, 1922.

2. Ogburn W. F. How Technology Changes Society // Sociology and Social Research. - 1947. - Vol. 249 (1). - P. 81-88.

3. Parmar H. S. Tribal Development in Himachal Pradesh: Policy, Programmes, and Performance. - New Delhi: Mittal Publications, 1992.

4. Paula Muni. Tribal India Communities Customs and Culture. - New Delhi: Dominant Publishers and Distributers, 2000.

5. Виджай Кумар Шарма. Богатейшие традиции и удивительные культурные практики Киннаура // Вестн. Кемеров. гос. ун-та культуры и искусств . - 2017. - № 41/2. - С. 13-18.

References

1. Ogbum W.F. Social Change with Respect to Culture and Original Nature. New York, B.W. Huebsch Publ., 1922. (In Engl.).

2. Ogburn W.F. How Technology Changes Society. Sociology and Social Research, 1947, vol. 249 (1), pp. 81-88. (In Engl.).

3. Parmar H.S. Tribal Development in Himachal Pradesh: Policy, Programmes, and Performance. New Delhi, Mittal Publ., 1992. (In Engl.).

4. Paula Muni. Tribal India Communities Customs and Culture. New Delhi, Dominant Publ. and Distributers, 2000. (In Engl.).

5. Vijay Kumar Sharma. Bogateyshie traditsii i udivitel'nye kul'turnye praktiki Kinnaura [Incredible traditions and amazing cultural practices of Kinnauras]. Vestnik Kemerovskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta kul 'tury i iskusstv [Bulletin of Kemerovo State University of Culture andArts], 2017, no. 41/2, pp. 13-18. (In Engl.).

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