Handicraft

The North Eastern region of India enjoys a pride of place in the country with its rich heritage of artistic craftsmanship. The crafts of this region are almost entirely oriented to locally available raw materials. The principal handicrafts of this region include basketwork, cane furniture, mats, woodcarvings, terra cotta, artistic textiles, bell metal artwork, brass metal craft, dolls and toys, embroidery etc.

The best known places in Assam for basketwork and mats are Kamrup, Sibsagar and Nagaon. The Cachar district is known for very special sital pattimats. Apart from making baskets, Cachar is also known for its cane and bamboo furniture of high quality. The Sholapith, a herbaceous wild plant, is also used for designing and making artistic and decorative pieces. In bell metal wares, Sarthebari, Titabor and Roha in Assam are famous and in brass metal, Hajo in Kamrup district of Assam is well known.

Multi-coloured masks, fire wood crafts, cane & bamboo and fiber works bear eloquent testimony to the fine artistic temperament and imagination of the traditional craftsmen of Arunachal Pradesh. The Mizos are found to be specialized in cane and bamboo works such as hats and rice carrying baskets. The handicrafts of the Manipur are no less famous than the well-known Manipuri dance. The range of handicraft products of Manipur is really wide. It varies from flower basket/paper basket to 'khamba' dolls and leather works to bell metal items besides bamboo and cane items. Nagaland, on the other hand, is well known for wood-cane works and spear making. Meghalaya has good craftsmen for various kinds of handicrafts such as baskets, cane straps, mats, nets, besides blacksmithy works for local use. The jewelers of Meghalaya are well known for their special designs in 24 carat gold. Tripura is also known for its traditional skills in bamboo and cane works, pottery and jewellery. Many articles like trays, toys, tribal jewellery and ivory works in Tripura have found their appreciation for their originality and rich designs. The diversity of topography, language and culture has yielded a fine heritage of exquisite craftsmanship and vibrant colours.

To have an estimate of the volume of this very peculiar fineness please have a look at Statewise data. The detailed analysis of handicraft in the NER is given in the following tables:-

State-wise Handicrafts Artisans in the North Eastern States (As on 2004-05):

Source: Economic Survey Manipur 2007-08

State-wise Status of Handicrafts of North Eastern States:

Source: Census Survey of Handicrafts Sector (State-wise report), NCAER,1999

State-wise Major Craft Group of Northeastern states:

Source: Census Survey of Handicrafts Sector (State-wise report), NCAER,1999

State-wise Status of number of artisans employed in Handicraft sector:

Source: As per census of Handicrafts conducted by NCAER during 1995-96

Share of Handloom and Handicraft in the Income of The Artisans:

Source: Survey data.

Distribution of Artisan Households According to their Dependence on Handloom and Handicraft as Source of Livelihood In Northeast:

Source: Survey data.