DIMAPUR — The Chakhesang Attire Regulatory Board (CARB) has warned against the misuse and cultural appropriation of the attire and ornaments of the Chakhesang Nagas.
In a press release, the CARB said that of late, there have been an increase in the misuse of Chakhesang 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 clothing, and the regulatory board shall seriously take note of those who misuse and misinterpret our culture without respecting the norms of each article,” the CARB said.
The regulatory board urged artistes to promote the 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,” it stated.
Further, the CARB encouraged people who want to promote the 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.