The Shan Tribe, primarily residing in Arunachal Pradesh, is noted for its rare artistic skills, especially its textile weaving. Among their distinctive garments is the cotton headdress: a narrow strip of black cotton cloth with brightly multicolored stripes and metal threads—mostly gold, green, blue, and yellow—stitched into each end.This headgear embodies the culture but is also very useful in its design, acting as protection and a reminder of the community's heritage.
The symbolic designs combined with the metal threads on this headdress communicate status, tribal membership, or its spiritual significance. Such headdresses are worn on special occasions, in rituals, and during social gatherings, lending themselves to the visual manner by which the tribe expresses its traditions and honor. Handcrafted, each headdress celebrates the textile artistry and traditional wisdom that have been passed down over the ages in the Shan community. The artifact conserved in the Indian Museum, Kolkata, is an eye-opener to the ethnographic wealth of Arunachal Pradesh, showcasing the Shan Tribe being India's indigenous heritage into focus.