Place and People

Design Resource

Bamboo Craft - Wayanad

Bamboo Crafts of Kerala

Prof. Bibhudutta Baral, Aruna Kumari Y. andAnushree Kumar

Place and People

Place:
Wayanad considered to be one of the most beautiful places is located in the north-eastern part of Kerala surrounded by Kozhikode and Kannur districts. The etymology of the word Wayanad is Vayal - paddy and Naad - land which means the Land of Paddy Fields. It is also the land of many indigenous tribes of this area. The district has a mixed population of Hindu, Muslims, Christians and tribal people. Few of the major tribal communities are Paniyas, Adiyas, Kattunayakans, Kurichiyans, Kurumas, Ooralis, Uraali Kurumas etc. Bamboo is an integral part of the rural economy of Kerala. Bamboo being an integral part of the rural economy of Kerala is used in different applications like construction, fencing, food and fodder, and also as raw material for agricultural implements, baskets and other utility items. Bamboo craft is also increasingly important as it is providing part-time employment to many cultivators in the lean season, and also generating livelihood for a large amount of artisans. Various government agencies have come up with several policies to upgrade bamboo craft and plantation in the area.

Bamboo can be found in abundance in various parts of the country. The main bamboo-rich areas are, North Eastern States, the Western Ghats, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Andaman Nicobar Islands. Kerala is one of the major states producing bamboo out of which Wayanad is the hub of bamboo plantation. Easy availability of bamboo in the district initiates several crafts and other bamboo related activities in the villages. These bamboos are either found in forest or grown commercially in the nurseries for the self-help groups, communities, micro-scale entrepreneurs and social forestry sectors.

People:
In Wayanad, a large number of artisans are dependent on bamboo craft for their livelihood. These artisans come from different cultural backgrounds and work on the same platform irrespective of their cast and creed. These mix groups of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled artisans help each other to understand the process and get involved at various levels to help the craft flourish as a whole. India is one of the largest bamboo producing country in the world.
Since ages, people in India have been involved in making bamboo products for storage and other domestic use. Men and Women from different culture and caste can be seen making bamboo products in their leisure time. Across the country a large number of population is dependent on bamboo craft for their livelihood. Traditionally tribal communities, fisher communities, and scheduled castes mainly practiced natural fiber crafts.

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Bamboo Craft - Wayanad