Sustainable Craft Practices
Tangmang Village is located nearly 75 km from Shillong in South Meghalaya. It constitutes the Khasi hills, which are the foothills of the Himalayas in South Meghalaya. The drive to Tangmang took us nearly 3 hours interrupted from to time for a stopover to take in the scenic sights of the mountain ranges and at least four majestic waterfalls appearing milky white against a green covering of forests in the background. The inhabitants of this village belong to the Khasi tribe. The population of the village is 1600. The region experiences heavy rainfall of nearly 8000 mm per annum with temperatures varying between 15-30 deg. centigrade.
Mr. Pariat Mendon of Shillong was kind enough to take us to Tangmang and help us interact with the local community in Tangmang. The village appeared well organized and had a well-established NGO, which is operated under the Pynurrsla Community Development Block. Bamboo mat making and basket making were household activities in every home in the village. It was predominantly an activity pursued by women of the village. The headman was the President of the NGO. They had a community room where all the craftswomen met. They had also organized Dinner for the team cooked in the kitchen of their community room. The Khasi food is comprised typically of sausages, rice, chicken and some freshly plucked greens popularly used by the locals. Onions, green chillies and sesame seeds ground together in a coarse mix added spice to the hot meal.
