Handicrafts of Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh is a land of beautiful handicrafts comprising of wide range in variety. All the people have a tradition of artistic craftsmanship.

Handicrafts are mostly defined as “Items made by hand, often with the use of simple tools, and are generally artistic and/or traditional in nature. They are also objects of utility and objects of decoration.” Handicrafts can be broadly classified in three categories ·

Consumer goods. Artisan prepare such utilitarian goods for self consumption or for exchange such baskets for keeping domestic articles, smoking pipes, footwear, hunting arrows, combs, storing, wooden and stone plates for use ,textile items like shawls, coats, jackets,

Processing industries such as minor forest products for self consumption and for exchange at weekly hatt on barter age system or sell them for money to purchase other items for self consumption ·

Decorative items include jewellery, and ornaments, earrings, anlklebells, necklaces, head gears, head dresses, In addition other decorative items such as wall paintings, deities either wood or stone, artifacets. These handicrafts for decoration are for self use or sell /exchange them in the weekly market for money

The tribal economy is equally distinctive since it is closed and undifferentiated characterized by adoption of primitive technology in economic pursuits. The tribal people earn in their livelihood by undertaking many occupations such as forestry and food gathering, shifting cultivation, settled agriculture, and industrial labour, animal husbandry, fishing, traditional commerce of which household industry including handicrafts is of prime importance Tribal have been producing different handicrafts both utilitarian and decorative over centuries. Tribal economy in the earlier days was a barter system through mutual help. Lending, if any, between different members of the community is also governed by customs and interest has not been applied. Thus self sufficient economy of the tribal does not have substantial surpluses to warrant establishment of regular markets nor knew their potentialities for their handicrafts. Slowly market economies began to appear around religious festivals and demands for new items started increasing. This leads to weekly markets. Traders or middle men came on the scene and slowly these tribal artisans who display their skill, acquired through tradition, used to sell their products to these traders or middleman, unfortunately these artisans are being exploited and are paid paltry amounts. Even this system is getting eroded due to poor marketing facilities and is unable to with stand competition from manufacturing industries.

Artisians & Handicraft of Arunachal Pradesh

The people of Arunachal Pradesh are artistically minded and gifted with deft hands and skilled fingers. Various arts and crafts are in their blood. Handloom and Handicraft for instance, offer wide scope to produce a variety of artistically blended and beautifully designed clothing. Handicraft is a very common craft in Arunachal Pradesh. The main handicraft items made in the state are masks, carpets, painted wooden vessels and silver articles. Cane and Bamboo play an important role in the rural economy of Arunachal Pradesh. World-wide, bamboo is slowly but steadily gaining importance as material for sustainable development.

The commercial aspect of the bamboo resource is also very high and it is fast emerging as the most viable wood alternative in the world over and can be effectively used to revive the closed down plywood units of the state. Arunachal Pradesh has a rich tradition of Bamboo and Cane Handicrafts. The products reflect the rich and varied culture of the tribes inhabiting this enchanting State and the products featured are representative of the wide range of Handicrafts produced in the State. Almost all the major tribes in Arunachal Pradesh use to practice, to some extent, handicrafts, the widespread house-hold industry. Everywhere it is the exclusive business of the tribe.

Arunachal Pradesh is proud of her traditional and fantastic indigenous handicrafts and most colourful handloom products. In the past years, the role conceived for the Industries Department in Arunachal Pradesh was one of the revival and revitalization of the traditional handloom and handicrafts. The notable activities have been the establishment of craft centres, production centres in the broard areas, extension of sericulture programme and setting up of small scale industrial units.

The people of this state are artistically minded and gifted with deft hands and skilled fingers. Various arts and crafts are in their blood. Handloom and Handicraft for instance, offer wide scope to produce a variety of artistically blended and beautifully designed clothing. Weaving is a very common craft in Arunachal Pradesh. Magnificent carpets are woven in West Kameng, Tawang and in northern Siang; while beautiful rugs are woven in the Galo area. The Galos are excellent in the production of useful eye-catching handicrafts products and textile bear ample testimony to the rich heritage. Their nimble fingers weave excellent designs on the textiles and carpets. They also cultivate cotton in their jhum fields alongwith other produces. Vivid colours and exquisite patterns, sometime abstract and at other floral; are the hallmark of the weaving wool, cotton and silk throughout the territory.

Traditional Handicrafts of Arunachal Pradesh