Weaving is an age old practice and it is probably the oldest and one of the most universally practised crafts. Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Clothes is usually woven on a loom, a device that holds the warp threads in place while filling threads are woven through them. A fabric band which meets this definition of cloth (warp thread with a weft thread winding between) can also be made using other methods, including tablet weaving, back strap or other techniques without looms. The way the warp and filling threads interlace with each other is called weave. The majority of woven products are created with one of these basic weaves: the plain weave, satin weave or twill. Weaving form a part of the ancient heritage of India and amplify the richness and the diversity of our culture and the traditional artistry of our weavers. In all known human history humans have developed the techniques of weaving cloth from one source or the other and have used that piece of cloth to cover its body in order to get warm. However, what is interesting in the instant paper is that each Naga tribe has its own unique identity shawls and each of the shawls carries volumes of sociological meaning to the wearer. Indeed, the shawls speak one’s social identity, the social stratification and social position in the society he lives.

This paper therefore attempts to understand how weaving of shawls among the tribal Nagas have originated, and how such shawls were attested the sociological significance. Since for a tribal Naga a shawl is beyond a rectangular piece of cloth to keep the body warm.

KEY WORDS: weaving, shawl, sociological meaning, wearer.