Hajong tribe (Pathin) skirt worn by the women

                       Sources: m.facebook.com/Hajonggirlspage

Culture & Tradition: Pathin is a wrap-around skirt worn by the women of the Hajong tribe of the Indian subcontinent in Northeast India and Bangladesh. It covers the upper and lower part of the body from the bust till the calf of the leg. Women in the upper class wore a long pathin which would fall down to the floor while women in the lower class wore a shorter pathin which length reaches to the ankle.

            Picture by Tanmay Hg  

The pathin is a horizontally striped, colourful, rectangular piece of cloth with alternate layers of different colours between red stripes and thick horizontal borders called chapa. The stripes of the Pathin are similar to skirts of other Himalayan tribes like Bodos, Tamangs and Bhutanese. The Pathin may be the primitive form of the Tibetan Pangden. Many scholars consider Hajongs to be primitive kacharies, who inhabited Hajo in ancient times. Pathins are woven in traditional looms known as 'Sipni Bana' and 'Sal Bana'. It is operated with hands and does not require the use of feet.

An Argon (also called Agon, Agrun or Parsa) is a traditional shawl-like garment worn by Hajong women in the Indian subcontinent, in modern-day India and Bangladesh. It was a form of festive wear, worn on special occasions. Argons are shuttle-woven and characterized by large-scale, symmetrical patterns, featuring geometrical shapes and stylized leaves and flowers in colored silks and with or without gold and silver threads. Traditionally argons used to be very large in size and would have birds like herons, ducks and peacocks; and trees like kadamba tree brocaded on it. It can be worn by men during weddings or when attending religious ceremonies.

Words by Tanmay Hg

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