Session 41 summary
Michri comes from a matrilineal society and coming from such a society really empowered her as a woman and a daughter. A few years ago a bizarre bill came out to protect the pure blood A’Chiks, which means that both the parents had to be from the Garo Hills (the bill has not passed yet as the fight for it is still going on). This was a rude shock to the Garo community and in general to the women themselves as the bill dishonored the right of a mother to pass on her name and culture to her child, especially if she married to a Non-Garo man, which in Michri’s case resonated with her as her father is a non-Garo and half Naga. For 24 years she had lived thinking that she is a proud Garo child and grew up as such. But as this bill came about it made her realize who she is and really made her question whether or not she belongs to the surname passed down by her mother. She is now being told that she doesn’t have the privilege to identify herself as a Garo individual, and for someone who grew up in a small town it was very disheartening. All these questions formed and the situation forced her to think about where she was heading to and who she was.
Pursuing her higher studies in Delhi she lost touch with her roots. She made friends who would compliment her on her traditional attire but these attires come out only once or twice a year and then put back in the wardrobe neatly packed. They are not really used in an everyday sense. So the attire became a party trick to fit in and a conversation starter but these were not educative. For years she had been hiding behind the clothing which allowed an easy exotification of her tribe by the people with whom she spend time there.
All these changed in 2019 when her father reiterated what he always said, to always believe in her family. It left a great impact on her as her father was gravely ill and before that she had been so adamant on running away from who she is and where she comes from. While trying to fit in she completely forgot that, that is the very thing that will help her stand out. During the pandemic she decided, with the help of her family to recreate a loss of sense of pride using her ancestral clothes, jewelry and ornaments and stitching them into the present day fashion, because that was the only way she knew how to bridge the gap between the past and present.
‘Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow’ is the name of Michri’s series which is the re-imagination of the A’chik heritage through a new lens. It is not a completely new idea as a lot of people have done it who have been trying to revive the old ways of dressing up, do photoshoots and spread awareness. With her background, Michri wanted to make her series more mystical and intriguing because not a lot of people know about the Garo Culture. When looking at Red Indians and their culture, they are portrayed in a certain way and she wanted to grab the attention of people with the help of references from the Red Indians’ portrayal. The series is a story of matriarchs. Garo tribe is a matrilineal society not a matriarch society, the difference being that the lineage follows the mother’s family. The men in the family still control most of the business and most of the decision making is done by them. But the property is passed down from daughter to daughter, especially from the mother to the youngest daughter. The men come to live with the bride’s family but they become the sole head of the bride’s property. The head of the village or clan is known as the Nokma, Nok-house and Ma-mother, hence the mother of the house. Unfortunately these days the term Nokma is taken over by the husband of the Nokma. There are steps being taken in the Garo hills to rectify this and take back the name for the women.
Michri wanted to depict the matriarchs, so she used her family as models. She wanted to show that, even for men the mothers of the family are a strong figure. The reason why she wanted to use real people in this series was because; firstly it was the pandemic time so restrictions had to be followed and secondly she really wanted to focus on the tribal basic realness and the older generation.
The A.king Nokma is the owner of the A.king land which is a specific land of a clan. She is wearing a wraparound skirt and turban which is generally worn by the male Nokma, the turban is made of silk and passed down through generations. The portrayal depicts how strong women were. In this series, Michri wanted to use a lot of earthy tones and highlight them. The reds signifyblood that stain the floors of the forest and the farm sacrifices that were made to gods they once worshipped. The greens and browns signify growth and harvest. She also wanted to depict that they were once headhunters, very fierce and known to be impenetrable. Throughout her images family is a recurring theme. She has also used traditional symbolism of rice which is a staple back at Garo hills, so it had to make an appearance. She also powdered down the rice to Wanti, which is powdered rice with water and used it to decorate the bodies of the models. Wanti is used in traditional households to create symbols and designs inside the house to ward off evil. Men wore Gando when they were a part of the village, it was their only piece of attire. Michri also made use of cane mat which is an important piece of item in the Garo households. It is malleable and can be used for drying rice, used under the mattress or used as a covering before the dead are taken for the burial. The Garo women usually wear wraparound skirts with a stole (scarves) on top. The ankle length skirt is a main stay in a women’s wardrobe. The lower part has embroidery along it and the design is usually traditional concentric diamond motifs known as makrons (eye) and a lot of geometric patterns are used. Before the dawn of missionaries, the women sported a more daring attire comprised of a mini wraparound skirt called E.king. These are few inches of lion cloth and the bottom of the skirt had a bead detailing which was present in every e.king to keep the skirt in place. Ivory beads were used earlier because they were heavy but cannot be used now. Seng. ki was worn above the skirt which was sort of a belt which the women adorned. The ornaments worn are interchangeable as they are passed down from generation to generation.
About the Speaker
Michri Sangma
fashion stylist
Delhi / Meghalaya
Michri Sangma is a production designer and stylist who is passionate about her root’s inspiration and Garo heritage. She is also passionate about the power of clothing and reimagines the fabrics of her indigenous heritage by reawakening her ancestral roots and its concept and building them with a modern perspective. She has a Master’s Degree in Aesthetics and Art from Jawaharlal Nehru University and she worked with Humor Me as an art director and producer.
