Role of Crafts in life of Tribals and Women

Tribal Crafts

8% of the population in India contains tribal communities. Tribal communities are spread out  in various parts of the countries; they have carried out ancient cultural practises which are generally interconnected to their specific ways of life.

• Jammu and Kashmir: Gujjars and Bakarwals are mountain tribes
• They spend their lives crossing over from one side of the mountains to the other in search of grass for their cattle
• The jewellery, embroidered caps, blankets and  saddlebags, tunics and sundry animal accessories are unlike the memento of the people of Central Asia, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. Western India: Tribal are found in Saurashtra and desert regions of Kutch (Gujarat) and Rajasthan.
• The heavily ornamented women folk and tough manner of the tribal people is reflected
• The utilization of mica from the desert sands is used to make embroidery stems for mirror work
• The identity of the tribal people and the marital status of a woman, are instilled in the style is the embroidery and the cut and colour of the upper bodice worn by its women 
• To recognize their tribe and profession, mere glimpse is sufficient
• North-east India: The various tribes live among the rich bamboo forests where the finest quality of skill in the weaving of bamboo, cane and other wild grasses can be seen
• This group joins itself socially to individuals of Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and even Japan and China, where mat-weaving and basketry are of the greatest quality. A typical expertise of this clan is Handloom weaving
• Apart from weaving shawls and lungis, in almost all families , headscarves , small scarves and waist belts for ritual salutations are woven.
• These clothes establish the identity of the tribe or the status of the wearer.
• They pay tribute to the achievements of a chieftain, and also serve as ‘welcome’ scarves to address a visitor.
• They proceed to spread their skills from generation to generation by their womenfolk.
• Central and South India: The tribes spread across the states of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, and to some extent, in Kerala.
• The making of craft items is a daily practice, a ritual, and a celebration of creativity in everyday life.
• In each region, they have different cultural practises and urbanisation has affected the way they make or use handcrafted objects.
• Their deep and inner connection with nature and forest has permitted them to hold on to a well-defined style of making bamboo items such as arrows, musical instruments, baskets and bows
• Their metal work incorporates the world of trees, animals, and human beings
• They paint their earthen vessels and toys with deep black colour along with white stripes
• Winnows for grain enlist wondrous shades with stripes of bamboo coloured in splendid yellows and magenta pinks
• Palm leaf brooms are sportively embellished decorative handles, and baskets for the bride to carry her cloths to her new home are capped with plumped birds made of bright coloured strips of bamboo
• The tribals of Central India have their own definite identity on textiles
• They spin and weave thick cream coloured yarn with madder red borders and end pieces reflecting images from their lives
• These clothes are also decorated with birds, deer, flowers or even an aeroplane.
• In Orissa, ceremonial clothes worn by the priest or priestess are of a certain colour. 
• Each colour on the dresses has a favourable meaning, and their similarity of dress and embellishment indicates the unity of communities.

Formation of Social Groups

• The tasks that were assigned to the upper caste were not easily accessed by those people who worked their hands in artisanal skills
• Even today, caste grouping is done for the artisans such as Prajapati or kumhar(Potter), bunkar or vankar(weaver), ashari(carpenter) whether they practice their skill or not
• Ramayana also mentions the trade guilds of artisans such as jewellers, potters, goldsmiths, weavers, carpenters, armourers, blacksmiths, glassmakers, etc
• In present day India, wide groupings for professionals of craft can be put together such as potters, weavers, woodcarvers, cane and bamboo weavers and stone carves
• Apart from these larger skills, there are many other crafts from shola pith work, papiermâché, innumerable styles of mural, miniature and floor painting, paper crafts, glass work, and carpet and duree weaving
• In the area of textiles, India has the largest range of skills in the world. Textile crafts may be grouped based on the events:
• Pre-loom processes: Plain weaving, patterned weaving
• Post-loom processes: Embroidery, beadwork, block printing and tie-and dye techniques, and zari (metallic thread) work

Empowerment of Women Artisans

• In Uttar Pradesh, hundreds of women took up carpet weaving since young boys went to school after the anti-child-labour campaign
• Women weave baskets with local moonj grass. With some minor modifications, the women can end up getting higher prices for their products
• They had control of the raw material, production, creativity, and sales also
• Design workshops and the produce exhibition help the women to sell more than six lakh rupees worth of baskets in one year
• This is the closest example of empowerment actually and transforming abstract jargon into reality

Conclusion

Apart from its visual brilliance, tribal/folk art and cultural forms have played an important role in maintaining national integrity, crystallizing social solidarity, fortifying community peace, deepening value systems, and developing humanistic aspects.