CANE AND BAMBOO CRAFTS : Cane and bamboo have remained insperiable parts of life in Assam.They happen to be the most commonly used items in daily life,ranging from the household implements to construction of dwelling houses to weaving accessories to musical instruments. The JAAPI,the traditional sun-shed continues to be the most prestigious of bamboo items of the state.Cane and bamboo furnitures on the other hand have been a hit both in domestic as well as export market. A whole range of fishing implements, JAKOI, KHALOI, JULUKI,POLO and so on, are also made of bamboo and cane,while their replicas found place in the modern-day drawing room.
japi
JEWELLERIES OF ASSAM :Gold has always constituted most-used metal for jewellery in Assam,while the use of silver and other metals too have been there for centuries. gaam-kharu Gold was locally available, flowing down several Himalayan rivers, of which Subansiri is the most important.In fact,a particular tribe of people,the SONOWAL KACHARIs were engaged only for gold-washing in these rivers. Jorhat in upper Assam is one place where the traditional Assamese form of manufacture of jewellery is still in vouge, and people flock to Jorhat sonaris(goldsmith) to get the exquisite Assamese jewellery.Assamese jewellery includes the DOOG-DOOGI, LOKA-PARO, THURIA, GAAM-KHARU, GAL-PATA, JON-BIRI,DHOL-BIRI and KERU, all of which have encouraged the modern jewellery to produce similar designs mechanically.
Muga
Bana
MASKS OF ASSAM :With the tribal art and folk elements forming the base of Assamese culture,mask has found an important place in the cultural activities of the people.Masks have been widely used in folk theatres and BHAONAS, with the materials ranging from terracotta to pith to metal,bamboo and wood. In the BHAONAs, masks are a must,especially for those playing the parts of mythological characters like HANUMAN,RAVANA,RARUDA,JATAYU etc, and these are made from different materials varying from place to place. Similarly among the tribals too, the use of masks is varied and widespread, especially in their colourful dances which again revolve chiefly around their typical tribal myths folklore.
Duruli
Wooden Musk
TERRACOTTA OF ASSAM: Terracotta as a medium has dominated the handicraft scene of Assam since time immemorial.While the famous Ambari excavation in the heart of Guwahati threw light on the rich tradition of terracotta in ancient Assam, the tradition itself has been handed down from generation to generation without break. Today we have the descendents of such families engaged in improvised terracotta versions of various common figures from gods and goddesses to mythological characters,while toys, vases etc. have also found a new life.The KUMAR and HIRA communities as already mentioned elsewhere, have also improved their skills to compete with the modern competitors, in process adding new vigour to their traditional wares.
Pot
toy(terracotta)
(i) Clay toys.
(ii) Pith.
(iii)Wooden and bamboo toys.
(iv)Cloth and mud toys.
While the human figure,especially dolls,brides and grooms, is the most common theme of all kinds of toys,a variety of animal forms have also dominated the clay-toy scheme of Assam. Clay toys, traditionaly made by the KUMAR and HIRA communities, have often depicted different animals too,while Gods, Goddesses and other mythological figures also find importance in the work of the traditional artist. Pith or Indian cork has also been used for toy-making since centuries in Assam. Such toys are chiefly made in Goalpara region and they include figures of Gods, animals and birds, the last of which again dominate over-all output. Toys of cloth as also with a mixture of cloth and mud too have constituted part of the rich Assamese toy-making tradition. While the art of making cloth toys have been traditionaly handed down from mother to daugghter in every household, the cloth and mud tots are generally used for puppet theatres.
Traditional Painting
WOOD CRAFT OF ASSAM :Assam has always remined one of the most forest-covered states of the country,and the variety of the wood and timber available here have formed part of the people's culture and economy. White decorative panels in the royal Ahom palaces of the past and the 600-year old satras or vasishnavite monasteries are intricately carved on wood, a special class of people who excelled in wood-carving came to be known as KHANIKAR, a surname proudly passed down from genration to genration. The various articles in a SATRA and NAAM-GHAR(place of worship) are still cut on wood, depcting the GURU ASANA(pedestal of iords), apart from various kinds of birds and animals figuring in mythology.
TRADITIONAL PAINTINGS OF ASSAM :
The tradition of painting in Assam can be traced back to several centuries in the past. The gifts presented to Hiuen Tsang and Harshavardhana by Kumar Bhaskara, the king of Kamrupa, included a number of paintings and painted objects, some done on exclusive Assam silk. Assamese liturature of the medieval period abound in refenences to CHITRAKARs and PATUAS who were expert painters who use various locally-available materials like HENGOOL and HAITA. A large number of manuscripts of most famous being Hastividyarnava(a treatise on elephants), CHITRA-BHAGAVATA and GITA-GOVINDA. Ahom palaces and satars and NAAM-GHARs etc still abound in brightly-coloured paintings depicting various stories and events from history and mythology.
