Handmade in India

Subclusters of
AIZWAL
Aizawl district:
Aizawl
Serchhip district:
Thenzawl
Crafts of AIZAWL
Bamboo basketry
Cane stools
Gourd craft
Mizo puan weaving
1. A craftsman
weaving a
bamboo basket
on his open
porch, the floor
is made of whole
bamboo.
2. Mizos made
containers from
gourds. A
craftsman
encasing a gourd
with dyed split
cane.
RESOURCES
Craft Raw Materials Sources
Bamboo
basketry
Bamboo - Rawnal, Rawthing,
Phulrua
Aizawl
Street market in Aizawl. Besides meat, green leaft vegetables, bamboo shoots and a
variety of plants form the Mizo diet. Vegetables, flowers and fruits are cultivated around
Aizawl and sold in the town`s main market.
Aizawl, the centre of all political, cultural and commercial
activities of Mizoram, is situated on a ridge in the middle of
the state and overlooks the valleys of the Tlawng and Tuirial
rivers. To the south of Aizawl is Thenzawl, a picturesque
village located in a valley surrounded by lush green hills, that
serves as a well known weaving cluster with over 200
households engaged in weaving. Weaving is integral to Mizo
culture and though girls used to learn to weave from their
mothers, in the present newer generations, only few acquire
the skill. However, the penchant for dressing well, has helped
sustain handloom weaving skills. The main shopping centre
has traditional Mizo shawls and local handicrafts such as the
finely crafted Mizo caps for sale. Since bamboo covers a
majority of th vegetated area in Mizoram, cane and bamboo
basketry skills are abundant in the villages.Several Mizo
entrepreneurs have set up weaving workshops in the capital
and efforts are being made to introduce sericulture and
develop pineapple fibre. The tropical climate is conducive to
horticulture and the government has initiated programmes in
tissue culture, introducing the cultivation of avocado, flowers
for export and mushrooms. In the traditional Mozo house, the
top floor is in level with the motorable road and other floors
are below hugging the steep hill slopes. Mizos cultivate a
variety of vegetables and fruits on their land and in their
kitchen gardens and sell their produce in the local street
markets of Aizawl. The state has a very high literacy rate
which is engouraging to entrepreneurship and devleopment.
ACCESS
Aizawl has air connections with Guwahati, Silchar and
Kolkata which are connected to major cities in India. National
Highway 54 links it with the rest of the country via Silchar.
The nearest railhead is in Silchar, 180 km from Aizawl.
Guwahati, 397 km from Silchar, is the most convenient
railhead.
The loin loom is rarely seen to be used. Textiles produced for
sale are woven on treadle looms.
A paikawang, bamboo basket, full of locally grown cotton. Handspinning and weaving
were widely practiced by women earlier. Thenzawl and Aizawl have a concentration of
professional weavers.