Tapmohkhlieh

Shillong is often called the Scotland of the East, because it reminded European settlers of Scotland with the rolling hills.Tartan checks were initially used as shawls called the “tapmohkhlieh”, literally meaning “head cover”, and worn from the top of the head, tied behind the neck in a knot and then loosely hanging over the upper body. This was the way both men and women wore them. Now it is mostly people from the villages who wear the “tapmohkhlieh”. As much of the Khasi tradition has been passed down through oral history, it is not clear where the Tartan came from. However many Scottish, European and even people from Lancashire passed through the Khasi Hills. As it is wet and often cold in the hills the warmth was welcomed from the Northern sheep in Great Britain. Khasi Women being Enterprising as they are, developed their own weaving based on this tartan and it is has become recognised as Khasi traditional dress.