Abstract:
Bamboo, one of the precious plant resources of the earth, plays a cardinal role in
influencing civilised life patterns in Southern and Eastern Asian countries, where they are
found in abundance. It has a long history in people's lives as cultural material. India is
the second richest country in the generic bamboo resources after China. In India, bamboo
is one of the most important forest species and has a wide distribution throughout the
country and contributes to the rural economy. The North-Eastern region of India has a
rich diversity of bamboo. It is integral to the life and culture of the ethnic communities of
this region. In this area, the usage of bamboo made it an indispensable commodity for the
rural people. The Karbi tribe of the Assam State of India has a rich cultural heritage of
arts and crafts. They are masters in the skilful tradition of bamboo craft. Bamboo is an
indispensable part of their livelihood mostly in food, shelter, household items, basketry,
fishing gear, musical instrument, medicine, furniture and other various ethno-religious
purposes. Various bamboo craft traditions of the community get the most creative
expression through skill and the traditional knowledge of craftsmanship. This knowledge
is essentially community-specific and restricted to the community and is accumulated
through long interaction with the environment. Nowadays, this craft tradition is on the
verge of extinction due to many reasons. Therefore, it is a timely requirement to document
this craft tradition associated with the traditional knowledge system and wisdom. The
present study has been designed in this context. During the study, standard
anthropological methods have been applied. The present paper is based on the authors'
empirical findings, and it probes into the cultural heritage of bamboo crafts of the Karbi
community, which is governed by traditional knowledge and skills through empiricism.
The paper also focuses on the importance and cultural significance of bamboo within the
said community. The study also highlights this craft tradition's present scenario and
provides recommendations to revive this heritage tradition.
