NOTES

HISTORY
CHAPTER 6
CLOTHES AND CULTURE

Q1. Explain the sumptuary laws prevalent in Medieval Europe.

Ans: The rule and regulation of wearing of dress and costume imposed by the Government
in Europe were called Sumptuary Laws. Those laws defined the use of food, dress and
costume. Sumptuary laws controlled the behaviour of the men of lower classes by
preventing them from wearing certain clothes, food, beverage and hunting. The items of
clothing which could be purchased by a person were regulated not by his income or wealth
but by his birth and social status. Even the materials to be used for the manufacture of
clothes were regulated by law. Only the royal family or the nobility could wear the materials
like ermine, common fur or silk, velvet and brocade. But other classes were prevented from
wearing these items.

Q2. Define the ideals of the women of England relating to clothes during the reign of Queen
Victoria.
Ans: The ideals of the women of England relating to clothes during the reign of Queen
Victoria: (i) During the reign of Queen Victoria, England had developed social values.
developed a high morality towards social values.
(ii) Women in Victorian England were groomed to be docile, dutiful, submissive and
obedient.
(iii) While men were expected to be serious, strong and aggressive, women were
seen as frivolous, delicate, passive and docile. The Victorian dresses of women
reflected these ideas.
(iv) The girls were tightly laced up and dressed in stays. They wore corsets.
(v) Small waist women were admired as attractive, elegant and graceful.

Q3. Trace the history of Swadeshi Movement and the Khadi Movement in colonial India.
Ans: (i) Swadeshi means indigenous and use of traditional Indian cloths instead of mill made
British clothes. The Swadeshi Movement came up as an Indian reaction against the
partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon in 1905.
(ii) In the movement, people were urged to boycott British goods and start their own
indigenous industries and use of traditional Indian clothes. Thus, the Swadeshi
Movement was started.
(iii) The use of khadi, a rough spun cotton clothes was also glorified by the
freedom fighters as a patriotic duty. Women of higher class threw away their costly
silk clothes and glass bangles.
(iv) But, many could not wear the khadi as it was costly and even prominent leaders
and government officers did not accept it for popular use.
(v) Gandhiji used the khadi as a symbolic weapon against British rule. It was both a
symbol of defiance and resistance against the British.
Q4. List the important dresses worn by Meiteis.
Ans: i) Khamenchatpa: Silk pheijom (dhoti) stamped with the purple pattern, supposed to
represent the skin of the serpent god, Lord Pakhangba.
ii) Phirangji Phida Angangba: A red woollen cloth.
iii) Phirangji Phida Asangba: Green woollen cloth.
iv) Lan-phi: The red or green embroidered war cloth.
v) PhigeNapu: An orange coloured pheijom.
vi) Jugi Mari: A red silk pheijom to be worn by the members of the
Court of Cheirap and royal favourites.
vii) Gulap Machu: A rose coloured silk pheijom.
viii) Kokyet: Turban of silk pattern to be worn by the descendants or relatives of the
king.
ix) Inna phi: A white sheet worn by a woman over her phanek.
x) Pheijom: A long dhoti worn by male Meitei.
xi) Phanek: A piece of cloth made of cotton or silk for covering the body of a woman.

Q5. List the important dresses worn by the Rongmeis and the Tangkhuls.
Ans: Male dress of Rongmeis:-
(i) Walking child - Sineiphei
(ii) Cattle herding boys - Themphei
(iii) Youth - Mareipan
(iv) Senior Married Youth - Pheingao
(v) Elder - Masin pheipong
(vi) Old man - Kharamphei

Female Dress of Rongmeis:-

(i) Walking girl child - Lengli pheisoi
(ii) Adolescent - Pheisoi and Nai
(iii) Married woman - Pheisoi and Nai of different patterns
(iv) Elder women - Pheisoi with the pattern of Bunting chapi

Dresses worn by Tangkhul male:-

(i) Haora - Cloth of red and white colour Tangkhul shawl
(ii) Luirim - Cloth of white and black
(iii) Thangkang - Cloth of black and red
(iv) Morao - Loin cloth worn by Tangkhul warriors.
(v) Paasi - Head dress worn by Tangkhul males

Dresses worn by Tangkhul female:-

(i) Kashan - Body covering cloth of eight kinds
(ii) Changkhom - shawl worn by Tangkhul women.
(iii) Sasaa kind of blouse(usually black in colour) worn by Tangkhul girls and married
women

Q6. List the important dresses worn by the Koms and the Thadou-Kukis.
Ans: Male dress of the Kom:-
(i) Three kinds of shawls - Pungchai, Saipikhup and Thangnangpon
(ii) They put on the Pheijom at the waist down.
 (iii) The Lukop, a turban type head dress.

Female dress of the Kom:-

(i) The body covering dress - Pumkok Hoi in strips of pink, black and yellow
(ii) They put on undergarment and a green velvet blouse.

Male dress of the Thadou - Kuki:-

(i) The Kuki male puts on a shawl called Saipikhup and Thangnam Pon
(ii) The Pheijom to cover die waist downward
(iii) The Lukop, a turban type head dress
(iv) A jacket made of Thangnam Pon

Female dress of the Thadou - Kuki:-

(i) Pon bamsaung - shawl in white
(ii) Khamtang - a black colour body cover cloth
(iii) They now wear blouse.

Q7. Why does man put on clothes?

Ans: Man put on cloths to protect and cover the human body from the rigours of nature. The
clothing gives dignity and respectability to the body. Every society has rules of clothing. The
quality and style of clothing reflects the sense of beauty, ideas of conduct and modesty.

Q8. Estimate the Victorian ideals about dress.

Ans: The dresses women in Victorian England were fashioned according to the moral values
of the time. They were groomed from childhood to be docile and dutiful, submissive and
obedient. Norms of clothing reflected these ideas. The girls were tightly laced up and
dressed in stays. Small waisted women were admired as attractive, elegant and graceful.

Q9. Why did the English women give up their traditional clothes during the first world war?
Ans: During the first world war, thousands of English women were employed in many
industries particularly in ammunition factories. It was inconvenient for women to work with
gowns and long shirts. So, they put on a uniform of trousers, blouse and shoes. It made
them comfortable. Skirts became shorter and trousers became a vital part of women's
clothing in western world.

Q10. Why was there a conflict between the Nairs and the Shanars of Travancore state
during 1822-1859?
Ans: In 1822, the women of a low caste community known as Shanars of Travancore state
started wearing blouse to cover the upper part of their body. But, the wearing of blouse by
the Shanar Caste was opposed by the Nairs Caste. The Nair attacked the Shanar and there
were quarrels and riots between them. The case went to the state government in 1829 and
ruled that Shanar women should not wear blouse. In 1859, riots broke out in which the Nairs
attacked the Shanars and the government was compelled to intervene and finally, Shanars
were allowed to wear the blouse.

Q11. Name the dresses worn by the Meitei Pangans.

Ans: A Meitei Pangal male wears a cap, a shirt, a pyjama, a lungi with a coat, shoes and a
woollen shawl. The Maulavis wear the Arabi kokyet or tupi. The wrestlers wear the khudei, a
short loin cloth. The female wears a Burka covering from head to feet, churidar, Panjabi
shirts and blouse, Phanek and a khudeiinna - phi.

Q12. What ideas were reflected in the Dress Codes of medieval Europe?
Ans: The ideas of beauty or ugly, proper or improper, decent or vulgar are reflected in the
dress code of Medieval Europe.

Q13. Who introduced the wearing of hats in India?

Ans: By the colonial officials and the English citizens in the early 19th century.

Q14. What is swadeshi?

Ans: Swadeshi means indigenous and use of traditional Indian clothes instead of mill made
British clothes.

Q15. What is Khadi?

Ans: Khadi is a rough spun cotton cloth or yarn.

Q16. What is Phenta?

Ans: Phenta is a hat which was a part of the parsi western dress.

Q17. What is a Burka(Burkha)?

Ans: A Burka (Burkha) is a gown which covers from head to feet of a Pangal female.

Q18 Who wears a Khamenchatpa?

Ans: By the Nobles and Notables in Manipur.

Q19. Who wears Sineiphei?

Ans: Walking children wear Sineiphei.

Q20. What is a Haora?

Ans: A Haora is the most popular male cloth (of red and white) of the Tangkhuls.

Q21. What is a Sai-pi-khup?

Ans: Sai-pi-khup is a shawl worn by Kuki Chin.

Q22. What is a Pumkok Hoi?

Ans: A Pumkok Hoi is the body covering dress of a Kom woman.

Q23. What is a ThangnamPon?

Ans: A ThangnamPon is another shawl worn by the Kuki male.

Q24. Why do all societies have dress codes?

Ans: (i) These norms establish the identity of the people.
(ii) They also provide the notion of grace and beauty and the ideas of modesty and
shame.
Q25. How did the French Revolution influence the dress code?
Ans: The French Revolution abolished all the distinctions in respect of clothing and dress.
Both men and women began wearing clothes which were loose and comfortable.

Q26. Name the two Governor Generals who insisted on shoe respect rule.
Ans: Lord Dalhousie and Lord Amherst.

Q27. Why did Gandhi's idea of wearing khadi appeal only to some sections of Indians?
Ans: Gandhi's idea of wearing khadi appealed only to some sections of Indians because
khadi was costly and many could not afford to wear it. Even prominent leaders and
government leaders did not accept it for popular use.

Q28. How were clothes used by Gandhi during the Indian freedom struggle?
Ans: Gandhiji made spinning on the charkha and the daily use of khadi was not only the
symbol of self-reliance but also of resistance to the use of British Mill made cloth.

Q29. Why were European dress codes adapted in the colonies in America, Asia and Africa?
Ans: Because of the expansion of colonial empires and establishment of democratic
government.

Q30. Who were Suffragists?

Ans: Those who campaigned for voting rights of women were known as Suffragists.

Q31. Give one factor responsible for changes in the clothing styles of India during the
colonial period.
Ans: Changes in the clothing styles of India during the colonial period was mainly due to
western influence and missionary activities.

Q32. Which was the first Indian community to adopt the western dress?
Ans: Parsis of Western India.

Q33. Why did the Indians continue to wear the turban?

Ans: The Indians continued to wear the turban because it was a symbol of their dignity and
respectability.

Q34. Define sumptuary law?

Ans: Sumptuary Law is defined as the rules and regulations of wearing of dress and
costume imposed by the Government in Europe.

Q35. What is a corset?

Ans: Corset is a closely fitting and stiff bodice worn by women to give shape and support to
the figure.

Q36. Who are known as Phingang shetpa?

Ans: The favourite colour of the Tangkhuls is red, their clothings is varied and rich. As they
are the wearers of the red clothes, they are popularly known as Phingang shetpa.

Q37. What are the names of great weaving villages of Western Tangkhul?
Ans: Somdal, Tolloi, Phadang and Tuinem.

Q38. What are the favourite colours of the Rongmeis

Ans: Red, White and Black.

Q39. What is the name of the Dance Custom worn by the male and female of Rongmeis?
Ans: Langhu Pheisoi.

Q40. What are the names of the most popular male cloth of Rongmei
Ans: Mareipan and Pheingao.

Q41. How is the dresses of Rongmei categorised on the basis of gender and age graduation
Ans: Child, Youth, married and elder, girl child, unmarried girl, married women and elder
woman.

Q42. How many tribal communities does Manipur have?

Ans: Manipur has thirty four recognised tribal communities. They are grouped into the Nagas
and the Kuki Chins.

Q43. Describe the dress codes of France.

Ans: The colour of France blue, white and red became popular. The Red cap of Liberty, long
trousers and revolutionary cockade were widely used as revolutionary dress.

Q44. What is the European male dress that became the universal dress of men all over the
world?
Ans: The trousers, the shirt, coat, hat and shoe.

Q45. Explain how the poor could not wear the same clothes as the rich?
Ans: Despite the declaration of equality of man and abolition of the aristocratic privileges, the
difference in social strata, based on wealth remained. The poor could not dress like the rich
nor eat the same food. Only the law did not bar these people from wearing the clothes they
wished to dress. The difference in income, rather than sumptuary laws defined the rich and
the poor.

Q46. Write briefly about how the restriction of women's clothes was discarded.
Ans: Women who believed in the equality of men and women campaigned for reforms in the
dresses of women. They published that the tight fitting dress consisting of stays and corset
caused sickness and physical deformity in them. The reformers were ridiculed and they
failed to achieve their objectives. But time brought changes, by the end of the 19th century
the ideals of beauty and styles of clothing were transformed. People began accepting the
ideas of reforms which they had earlier rejected. The restriction of women's clothes was
discarded gradually.

Q47. How were Indian clothes banned in Colonial India?

Ans: When the East India company conquered India, the British officials were liberal about
the clothings. They put on both western and traditional Indian clothes as they had been
dealing with the Indian rulers. But when the empire was firmly established, the British
officials banned the use of the Indian dress. In the 19th century, the English citizens put on
hats and the Indians put on traditional dress with turban. The hat wearers and the turban
wearers represented respectively the ruler and the ruled. The colonial authorities
encouraged the use of western dress to the Indian employees.

Q48. What were the three issues of the weights and controversies over clothes in the early
colonial period?
Ans: i) Wearing of blouses by low caste women.
ii) Wedding of turban by the Indians.
iii) Removal of shoes by Indians while attending the government offices and the court.

Q49. Explain the conflict of culture over the head dress between the British and Indians.
Ans: In colonial India, the British introduced the wearing of hats. The Indians wore turban as
a part of their traditional clothing. The British removed their hats whenever they met their
social superiors. The Indians did not remove their turban when they met the British officials.
The British demanded that the Indians should remove their turban while meeting the white
officials. The Indians continued to wear the turban because it was a symbol of their dignity
and respectability. Therefore, the Indians insisted that they could not remove the turban as
dictated by the British.

Q50. What is “Shoe Respect”? Explain.

Ans: Lord Dalhousie, governor general made the so-called “ Shoe Respect ”. The Indians
were made to take off their shoes while entering the government offices. Only those Indians
wearing the western dress were exempted from the removal of their shoes.

Q51. What did poet Rabindranath Tagore suggest about the dress codes of India.
Ans: Poet Rabindranath Tagore suggested that instead of combining the Indian and
European dress, India's National dress should combine the identity of the Hindu and Muslim
dress. A long button coat known as Chapkan was proposed by poet Tagore.

Q52. What did Jnanadanandini Devi suggest about the dress for women?
Ans: A model dress for women was suggested by Jnanadanandini Devi, wife of
Satyendranath Tagore, the first Indian to be an officer of the Indian civil service. She adopted
the Parsi style of wearing the Sari. The Sari was supposed to be pinned to the left shoulder
with a brooch, with a blouse and shoes.

Q53. What is the western dress adopted by the wealthy Parsis?

Ans: Baggy trousers, phenta (cap), long clothed coat, boots and walking sticks.

What is the dress worn by the Meitei Polo players?

Ans: Khamenchatpa, turban, jacket, tight pheijom and leggings.