Nagaland’s master weaver Neihunuo Sorhie, who has been chosen for the Padma Shri award, has lamented that the art is “slowly fading,” and she is on a mission to teach the next generation the skills she learned as a young girl.
Sorhie and Moa Subong, both from Nagaland, have been chosen for the Padma Shri award in the field of art.
“Traditional weaving is gradually fading… As a result, I strive to pass on the legacy of traditional crafts and preserve traditional Naga designs to anyone who is interested,” she explained.
About Sorhie
Sorhie, who lives in Kohima district and is from the Angami community, was born in 1963 and learned the art of weaving from her mother at the age of four. By the age of six, she could weave clothes, which was a significant achievement because weaving was considered a major occupation of Naga women at the time.
Due to financial constraints, Sorhie was forced to drop out of school and turned to weaving, which quickly became her passion, she explained.
Sorhie helping women to become financially independent
Sorhie is now a master craftsperson who has taught loin loom weaving, knitting, and beadwork to over 300 local Naga women, including school dropouts, widows, children, and students, in order to help them become self-sufficient and earn a living.
Representing India through her art skills
She has represented India in over 120 exhibitions, trade fairs, and melas across India and other countries.
She recently represented India at a “Naga Weaving Works” exhibition in Paris, where she demonstrated the art of loin-loom weaving. The weaver, 60, has also received several awards, including the National Handloom Award in 2007, the Sant Kabir Award in 2018, the Balipara Foundation Naturenomics Assam Award in 2014, and the State
Awards to Mastercraftsmen from the Government of Nagaland in 2001.
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