This paper addresses the traditional craft practices, including textiles, of the North-East of India in their functional, aesthetic, and semantic aspects. These aspects are studied in the historical and cultural contexts of the diverse communities. This entails an encounter with the inevitable forces of urbanisation and modernisation and the changes consequent upon the encounter. Besides these, the inter-ethnic co-mingling has effected changes where the meanings are. These meanings are yet not separate from their traditional symbology but still burgeoning urban awarenesses make them an 'open' class and they accommodate significant other realities which inform their practices. This is facilitated by the co existence of the folk and the modern in the area where folk traditions are still vitally alive. The intent is to explore possibilities for fresh insights for modern technology- aided practices, which will be exploited to reinvigorate the traditional ones.

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