The Pnar weavers of Jaintia Hills: matriliny and the economics of a craft

In the Jaintia Hills, where the youngest daughter inherits the family home and the khadduh (youngest) tradition shapes everything, weaving is a woman’s craft passed mother to daughter.

The region’s handlooms — the distinctive pynjai and thoh-ryndia — are now being woven for wider markets, with cooperatives handling design and logistics.

Weavers say the matrilineal tradition gives the craft its resilience: ‘The loom stays in the family because the family stays in the home.’