With the advent of the market economy coupled with information technology, and the emergence of e-commerce, business as we know it is changing right before our eyes. There are female models wearing traditional Ao Naga men’s shawl – tsüngkotepsü- on e-commerce websites. That is how things are changing and our control over our own culture is slowly slipping out of our hands. Unless some drastic actions are taken, the day is not far away when we will lose whatever little is left of our weaving and handloom heritage. As far as tsüngkotepsü is concerned, if we seriously want to preserve it, the only way to do so would be by imposing a total ban on selling it and regulating its production. As in the olden days, it has to be earned and not bought or sold. That alone is the way to protect it. As long as it is permissible to sell it, not only will its value diminish but its significance will also be compromised. That is what commercialization normally does.
The language we use to describe our traditional shawl is another aspect we should be careful about. We have to clearly define the difference between traditional wear and ethnic wear. When we market our ethnic products as traditional products, it is only natural that buyers from other communities will want to buy our traditional products without knowing its significance. For example, we sell waistcoats designed with traditional motifs as “traditional waistcoats” without realizing that our forefathers never wore waistcoats and that there is no such thing as a “traditional waistcoat.” So is the case with “traditional neckties” or “traditional t-shirts.” For the others, they think traditional shawls are ethnic shawls – just another shawl with traditional motifs. For them, it is just an exotic design.
Applying the wrong word or language to describe our traditional items is doing much damage to our identity. Tomorrow, someone could design a handkerchief or a scarf or an undergarment with traditional motifs and we will start calling them traditional this or traditional that. We should never underestimate the power of words or language. It shapes the perception of the observer and, therefore, when we sell our ethnic products as traditional products, others will believe that our traditional products are ethnic products.
Further, there is also an urgent need to sensitize our sellers who sell indigenous clothes and items. The business is still largely unorganized and the economic law of demand and supply does not seem to apply. There are a number of outlets selling these items in Mokokchung. Interestingly, almost all of them sell the same and identical products at different price rates. While it might seem to be a problem, which it is, it also offers an opportunity for a prospective entrepreneur to solve the problem and reap the benefits.