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30 Dec 2021 Apatani textile: Arunachal Pradesh

Posted at 10:01h in Daily current-affairs by khyati khare 0 Comments

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Recently a firm has applied for demand of Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Apatani textile product in Arunachal Pradesh.

Apatani weavers belong to the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh who live in the Ziro Valley, the headquarters of Lower Subansiri district.
Apatani communities weave their own clothes for various occasions including rituals and cultural festivals.
The fabric woven by the people of this tribe is also known for its geometric and zigzag patterns and angular designs.
This tribe mainly weaves shawls known as zig zeros and jilans or jackets called supuntari.
The people here use resources like various leaves and plants to mold the cotton yarn into organic form by their traditional methods.
Only women are engaged in this traditional weaving work.
The traditional handloom of this tribe is a type of loom called Chichin and it is similar to the traditional handloom of the Nishi tribe.
It is portable, easy to set up and operated by a single weaver exclusively female members of the community.

The Apatani are a tribal group of people living in the Ziro Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.
They speak a local language called Tani and worship the Sun and the Moon.
They follow a sustainable social forestry system.
They celebrate the major festival Dree with a bountiful harvest and prayer for the prosperity of all mankind and Myoko to celebrate friendship.
The Apatani practice aquaculture along with rice cultivation on their plots.
Rice-fish culture in the valley is a unique practice in the state, where two rice crops (mipya and imoh) and fish crop (nagihi) are grown together.
It is a Scheduled Tribe in Arunachal Pradesh.

The tribes of Arunachal Pradesh include: Abor, Ursa, Dafla, Galong, Khampati, Khowa, Mishmi, Monpa, Momba, Any Naga tribe, Sherdukpen, Singpho.

Geographical Indication is used for such products which have a specific geographical origin area. The distinctive feature and prestige of these products is also due to this core area. A tag given to a product that acts as a GI serves as an identification of the place of origin of that product.
It is used for agriculture, natural and manufactured goods.

Internationally, GI is included as a component of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property. The Hindu Analysis.
The Paris Convention, adopted in 1883, applies to industrial property in the broadest sense, including patents, trademarks, industrial designs, utility models, service marks, trade names, geographical indications and the elimination of unfair competition.
In addition, GI is regulated internationally under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) of Intellectual Property Rights.

India as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, which came into effect from the year 2003.
The Act provides for the registration and protection of GI goods in India.
The Act is administered by the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, who is also the Registrar of Geographical Indications.
Geographical Indication Registry for India is located in Chennai.
The registration of Geographical Indication is valid for a period of 10 years. It can be renewed from time to time for an additional period of 10 years.
Some examples of Geographical Indicators in India include Basmati rice, Darjeeling tea, Kanchipuram silk saree, Nagpur orange and Kolhapurichappal.

It provides legal protection to Geographical Indication in India.
Prevents unauthorized use of any registered Geographical Indication by others.
It provides legal protection to the Indian Geographical Indication, which in turn encourages exports.
It promotes economic prosperity of the producers of the goods produced in the respective geographical area.