Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 9
On Monday, as the world observed the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples to celebrate the unique cultures, traditions, languages, and knowledge systems that define the world’s indigenous peoples, apex frontal organisations of the Chakhesang community voiced out to condemn the launch of a clothing collection by Indian designer Ritika Mittal.
The organisations issued a press release in this regard, claiming that the designer had used Chakhesang textiles in her Mora Collection, “without consent and correct accreditation,” despite being served notices. As per the release, Mittal “refused to comply with the Terms & Conditions offered by the Chakhesang apex frontal organisations, and instead challenged the community and invited them to visit her in Punjab. She has even gone to the extent of stating on social media that her project created the spelling of our indigenous word ‘Thebvo.’” She has also used several of our other indigenous words to give identity to her clothing with no permission from the community, it added.
Speaking to The Morung Express over the phone, Executive Director of the Chakhesang Women Welfare Society (CWWS) Nezelu Nyekha said that the Chakhesang community had taken exception to the use of Thebvo—a textile made out of the stinging nettle plant, which is a registered Geographical Indications (GI) under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. Nyekha also said that Mittal had modified patterns from the GI registered Dzupamenie and Sesomenie and fused it into a design she created, without consent of the CWWS, the registered proprietor of the GI.
Mention may be made that the proprietorship gives CWWS the exclusive right to use Chakhesang shawls as per the Act. The GI specification for Chakhesang shawls emphasises on the social and cultural significance of these shawls. Each Naga tribe has a specific attire and the shawls “…are symbolic of various characteristics of its people such as beauty, prosperity, happiness, contentment, etc.”
Another point of contention was a statement put out by the designer on her blog and social media posts which reads: “Sentiment of 2021: My belief in this concept is even more resilient than before and have in the last 6 years been projected in the extensions of work I have carried out. Mora or I don’t believe in ‘exclusivity’ clause, copyrights, GI tagging, anything for my own self or for Mora. I do not believe in the burden of ownership, possessiveness and protection...”
The CWWS alleged that Mittal delivered a talk on WICCI platform on August 8, 2021 condemning indigenous communities protection around their indigenous knowledge, fear, GI tag and “went so far as to recommend how the Chakhesang community should open itself to collaboration rather than being possessive.”
“On this World Indigenous Day, we would like to make a claim that Ritika Mittal has no right to re-define our societal and traditional operations according to her self- interests. Nor does she have the right to represent our Chakhesang community in any local, national or international platform,” the CWWS asserted.
The frontal organisations further cautioned Mittal to immediately stop using any of the community’s textiles, traditional designs and motifs, failing which appropriate measures would be taken.
Mittal refutes
However, Ritika Mittal, in a series of texts with The Morung Express, refuted the allegations and said that her statements have been misinterpreted. She said that the CWSS has not provided any proof of what she has done wrong.
With regard to the ‘Sentiment for 2021’ statement, she underscored that “the keywords are ‘anything for my own self or for Mora.’” Others can practice exclusivity if they want, but I will not, she asserted.
“It is heart breaking to see this notice as well as press release after giving 12 years of life standing up for Nagaland as an individual working at grassroots, believing and striving towards the ideals of compensation, credit, consent and collaboration,” she said, referring to the Thebvo Project— a research, art and documentation based livelihood, up-skilling and Indigenous culture retention project that she cofounded with the North East Network in 2014. The project is also solely funded by Mora Collective.
Mittal maintained that she has been working with Nagas for over a decade and share a good relationship with the NEN as well as the village community, and expressed shock that the ‘Chakhesang community’ under the aegis of CWWS is taking such a strong stance towards her without showing proof.
