The Chakhesang Attire Regulatory Board (CARB) has strictly warned against the misuse and cultural appropriation of the attire and ornaments of the Chakhesang Nagas.

“Of late, there have been an increase in the misuse of our ancestral heritage, especially by self styled cultural ambassadors, who are misinterpreting our culture in the name of culture promotion. We wish to inform that stringent action shall be taken against those disrespecting our tangible identity in the name of modernity and fashion. Traditionally, our attire and ornaments were our autobiography, where one could read a person’s life journey through his/her clothings, and the regulatory board shall seriously take note of those who misuse and misinterpret our culture without respecting the norms of each article,” stated a press release by the Board.

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It urges artists to promote traditional heritage with respect, and designers to make their own designs instead of copy pasting the motifs, the patterns of which were passed down through a carefully preserved culture of hands-on learning from mother to daughter.

“We wish to remind that we are mere guardians of our traditions, and misinterpreting them or stealing them to make it their own in the name of promoting our culture is a disrespect of our culture at the highest level. We encourage people who wants to promote our tangible culture, to take time to go back to their own roots, and conduct their own research about the specific attire they wish to promote, before blindly wearing or designing them in the name of promotion,” added the Board.

It may be noted that the Chakhesang weaves are now protected by the Geographical Indication (GI-542). Therefore, the Board cautioned that it will not hesitate to take legal action against those who misuse its attire, including those from their own community, should the need arise.