Süvepfü (Sumi term for the male warrior shawl)
The Süvepfü is the warrior's prestige shawl of the Sumi Naga people of Zunheboto district, Nagaland. The Sumi weaving tradition is visually among the boldest in Nagaland — the Süvepfü uses the widest color stripes of any Naga shawl, producing a dramatic, graphic quality that has made it one of the most photographed Naga textiles in ethnographic documentation. The stripe architecture — typically three to five broad bands in red, black, and white, with minimal supplementary patterning — places emphasis on color proportion and weave quality rather than complex pick-up work. This makes the Sumi tradition technically more accessible than Konyak or Angami work but no less culturally complex: the proportions of the color bands are socially prescribed and immediately readable as status indicators by the Sumi community. The Sumi are also noted for their Tuluni festival (July), one of the most vibrant in Nagaland, which generates significant demand for traditional dress.
Risk level: Endangered · Not inscribed
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