Tulika : Hambreelmai ka Kargha-Hindi

Hambreelmai is the first weaver, happy at her loom. One day, Sheipung the porcupine sees her exquisite cloth and wants it… What happens next is the story of how the Mishmi people of Arunachal Pradesh learnt to weave.

Tak tak sum, tak tak sum… Hambreelmai sits by the Kamblang river, happy at her loom, copying patterns from the clouds, the birds, the ripples in the water. She is the first weaver, taught by the goddess Matai herself. One day, Sheipung the porcupine sees her exquisite cloth and wants it… What happens next is the story of how the Mishmi people learnt to weave such beautiful textiles. A well known folktale from the northeastern hills of Arunachal Pradesh, with stunning visuals that follow the colours of Mishmi cloth.

Hambreelmai’s Loom has also been translated into Mishmi, the first ever book to be published in that language. Hambreel in Mishmi is a species of little fish with patterns, which still swim in the rivers there.