Traditions & Practices
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Haat Bazaars of Chattisgarh
The haat bazaars of Chhattisgarh are more than just the business centers. These happen once a week. The tribal people gather in the market to trade their products and to buy their food supplies for the week. The primitive system of exchange of goods or the barter system is prevalent in the markets and most of the dealings are conducted in the traditional fashion.
Handlooms Weaving In Tripura
Handloom weaving is an important craft in Tripura. Tripuri women in the rural households prefer to weave their own risa and rinai which are part of their traditional dress. Other handloom products which are woven include lungi, sari, chaddar, and scarves. The motifs are different and one can identify whether it is woven by the Chakma, Kuki, Lussai or Reang tribes. The main feature of Tripuri handlooms is vertical and horizontal stripes with scattered embroidery in different colours. The artistic handloom industry is concentrated in a number of places in the rural areas, in the sub-divisions of Sadar, Sonamura, Khowai, Kailasahar and Belonia.
Hingan - Votive terracotta painted plaque
Hingan- or the votive terracotta painted plaques of Molela, Rajasthan, India are craft works of Asawala sub castes of the Kumhar caste in Rajasthan. Votive terracotta painted plaques produced by the terracotta artisans of Molela are actually hand modelled hollow relief of Hindu deities, especially of the neo-Vaishnava deity, Dev Narayan. Made from clay, mixed with rice husk and donkey dung in required proportion, the plaque is sun dried and baked in an indigenous kiln before it is painted with mineral colours and eventually coated with a local made lacquer, called 'jala'. Several tribes in Gujarat and Rajasthan travel for more than 200 km once in a year to buy these plaques from Molela and bring them to their villages. These deities are installed and worshipped for 3 to 5 years in the shrines located in their villages till they are replaced by the new ones. Terracotta artisans from Molela are the only community entitled to meet this requirement of the tribes. This system has provided sustenance to the traditional craftsmanship for several generations.
Source IGNCA Inventory of ICH, Janapada Sampada Division, IGNCA
Contributed by Aditya, CEE Ahmedabad
Hozagiri Dance
This is a dance of the Reang community of Tripura, performed by women which has a strong element of acrobatics mixed in it. The dancers are accompanied on a drum called kham, chempreng – a stringed instrument – and the flute. The movements of the hands and the upper part of the body are restricted, but the movements from the waist down to the feet create a wonderful wave. The dance has complex steps and movements where the dancers are required to stand on an earthen pot while simultaneously carrying a bottle on the head which has a lighted lamp placed over it. The skill and dexterity is seen in the rhythmic movements that follow after this. Dressed elegantly in a black pachra and rea and jewellery which look like a set of coins the dancers are a feast for the eyes.
Source- Personal conversation with INTACH, Tripura chapter
Contributed by: Prarthana, CEE Ahmedabad
Horn Works
Creating objects of decoration from horns of animals is a craft of Orissa practiced for many years by the tribes of Santhals, Oraons and Marijas. The craftsmen of Cuttack and Paralakhemundi in Orissa skillfully fashion horns into various objects that are functional and representational of natural objects - birds arrested in flight, animals of prey caught prowling, fighting bulls, fish-guzzling cranes, deer nuzzling their young, elephant rolling logs, combs, pen stands, pipes, lamp shades and others.
Hornbill Festival
The Hornbill festival is the one of the favourite festival of Nagaland. The Hornbill festival is celebrated in the first week of December every year in Kohima, the capital city of Nagaland. This festival is held at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama which is about 12 km from Kohima. The State Directorate of Tourism has been organising this festival since 2000.
Hudo Dance
Hudo is a one of the well known of folk dance of Gujarat. It is the folk dance form of Bharwad Tribe, the shepherd community of Gujarat. The idea of the dance originated from sheep fights. The movements of two sheep ramming their heads are duplicated in this dance form. The dancers clap their hands in a forceful and rhythmic manner. Both men and women participate in Hudo Dance. There is also a tradition of selecting their life partners at the end of the dance. In this dance both the men and women of the village participate. The men wear colorful dhotis with embroidered borders, Koti, Traditional cap with colorful frill and they wear silver ornaments like Kadu, Tavij, Kadi and Colorful mala. The women, on the other hand, wear Dark colored Jimy, Kapdu, Odhani and they wear silver jewellery like Long necklace, Sort necklace, Earrings, Chudla, Kadu and Damani.