Fashion, Designs & Cultural Appropriation

A screenshot of a shirt from the FabNu: Folkadelic collection for sale on the Fab India website. Besides this, other clothing materials bearing printed Naga motifs were also on sale. (Photo Courtesy: www.fabindia.com)

A screenshot of a shirt from the FabNu: Folkadelic collection for sale on the Fab India website. Besides this, other clothing materials bearing printed Naga motifs were also on sale. (Photo Courtesy: www.fabindia.com)

Fab India’s use of Naga cultural motifs and materials draws flak

Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 13

Cultural appropriation of Naga cultural materials has been going for a long time. An example is the 1972 Bollywood movie ‘Ye Gulistan Hamara’ depicting a tribal community living along the border with China where the actress was seen wearing a Sumi Naga shawl. The movie was banned from being screened in Nagaland as the Ao community took exception to the song ‘Mera Naam Aao,’ and even the Naga Students’ Federation held a huge protest against it. Another example is of actor Mithun Chakraborty who was seen sporting a Naga women’s shawl in one of his movies.

The Oxford dictionary defines cultural appropriation as “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.”

Outside Bollywood, the Naga society has also witnessed an increase in incidences of cultural appropriation in the fashion industry.

The ‘FabNU’ collection by the Fab India clothing brand has come under criticism. On Friday, the Board of Directors of the Nagaland Handloom & Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited (NHHDC Ltd) issued a statement, pointing out that Fab India’s new collection comprised of a ‘Folkdelic’ category which has Naga prints and Naga inspired prints “without any permission, collaboration with local artisans or any kind of credit given to any Naga tribe or organization.”

Taking strong exception, the board noted that the collection not only uses Naga prints without permission but also depicts male warriors on clothing meant for women.

“Naga prints and motifs have evolved over centuries and are gender and tribe specific and passed down from one generation to the next and for an outside entity to misappropriate these patterns and prints without permission and without involving the Naga Community for their profit is unacceptable and should be stopped immediately,” the board asserted.

It said that major fashion magazines in India like Elle and Vogue have carried articles on this new collection but no mention has been made of Nagaland or the Nagas, the obvious source of inspiration in this collection.

In this regard, Managing Director of NHHDC Ltd Zakabo V Rotokha said the Board would pursue the matter with the appropriate authority so that instances like this do not recur. The Board further urged Tribal Hohos and Women Hohos and stakeholders to exercise extreme caution whenever collaborating, partnering with individual and business entities on similar matters. It said that permission when granted should only be for a specific event or time period, and not perpetually.

At the time of filing this report, Fab India did not respond to messages from this newspaper seeking the company’s response.

‘Not the first time’
The NHHDC Ltd noted that it was not the first time where Naga traditional attires, ornaments and motifs were misused and appropriated by non- Nagas. It said that the Government of Nagaland had in the past, written to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs apprising the Ministry that Naga cultural attires are gender specific and sacrosanct to the Naga society and “any display or usage in any form can create serious repercussions in the society,” unless written permission is obtained from the native source.

Researcher Talilula opined that “When a supposedly ‘woke’ brand like Fab India uses unmistakably Naga indigenous motifs in their clothing but still chooses to ignorantly label them as ‘dobby print skirt’ and ‘flax print dress’ in their website, it is a straight up case of cultural mis/appropriation.” This not only disassociates the symbolic designs from its source community but also erases their cultural identity, she asserted.

Respect and understand indigenous designs
Commenting on the issue of plagiarizing indigenous designs, Sharon Longchari viewed that “Designers need to respect and understand the importance of cultural and indigenous designs as intellectual property. They are not just pretty patterns of motifs - they usually carry deeper symbolism and stories.”

Longchari also pointed out that a brand called Bamboo Tree Jewelry on the Myntra shopping site was selling a line of jewelry which are exact replicas of necklaces worn by the Konyak Nagas. Furniture wholesalers in Rajasthan and other parts of India are cashing in on the growing popularity of indigenous tribal furniture and have learned to replicate and mass produce them to export them as antique furniture from Nagaland, she added.

Way forward
Ngutoli Y Swu, an Assistant Professor in the Department of History, Zunheboto Government College, noted with relief that the Naga society is “talking and angered by the cultural appropriation that is happening and have started to fight for what is ours.” 

She underscored that cultural appropriation has a long term effect on the people and their cultural heritage. “We need to look at ways in which we can avoid such incidents from happening in the future,” she asserted.

Swu suggested that tribal bodies should take steps to properly document Naga textiles as well as ornaments, bring out handbooks about their right usage, and opt for Geographical Indication tags as far as possible. 

The Government can encourage Naga researchers by financing them to document the cultural heritage of their respective tribes and the researchers in turn, can educate knowledge keepers about proper ways of disseminating information to those outside the community, she added. 

Taking example of a practice started by the Lazami Cultural Society, of Lazami village in Zunheboto district, Swu said that Village councils should maintain records of people visiting their villages, along with the purpose of their visit and what they plan to do with the information, if gathered. 

Every village can emulate this practise and can even go to the extent of signing bonds on not misusing or misinterpreting the information gathered and the state government can support this kind of practise by providing financial aids to such villages. This is one way in which cultural appropriation can be checked to a certain extent, she suggested.

‘Naga cultural attires are sacrosanct to Naga society’

Dimapur, August 13 (MExN): The Nagaland Handloom & Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited (NHHDC Ltd) on Friday issued a statement expressing serious concern on the clash of interest between Chakhesang Women Welfare Society (CWWS) and Indian designer Ritika Mittal with regard to the ‘violation of agreement’ and using Chakhesang textile without consent and correct accreditation.

Citing news reports on the matter, the NHHDC Ltd Board of Directors noted that, “it was not the first time where Naga traditional attires, ornaments and motifs were misused and appropriated by outsiders, i.e. non-Nagas.” In the light of such instances, the board stated that the Government of Nagaland had earlier written to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, declaring that “Naga cultural attires are gender specific and sacrosanct to the Naga society.”

“The same further elucidated that unless written permission is obtained from the native source, any display or usage in any form can create serious repercussions in the society. Subsequently, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs was requested to refrain from any illegitimate practices anywhere in relation to Naga traditional attires, etc.,” the statement read.

In the present imbroglio, the board said that the CWWS has, in particular, all the legal rights and protection against external intrusion and as such, firmly denounced the designer’s “unwarranted action and at the same time called for ensuring against exploitation and misuse of Naga traditional attires, ornaments and motifs.”

Further, the Board of Directors appreciated the CWWS for GI tagging its traditional shawls and weaves in the year 2017 and expressed hope that the rest of the Nagas would also take similar initiatives at the earliest.