Rayagada (Odisha): By making an effort to support their income amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dongria Kondh tribals in Odisha's Rayagada district have started producing handwoven cotton masks.
Odisha's age-old tie and dye weaving art are known as "Bandha Kala" and traditional family business of Dongria Kondh tribals in Niyamgiri hills in the districts of Kalahandi and Rayagada in the south-west of Odisha.
The handicrafts were gradually becoming extinct, but now the present war against coronavirus has again opened up a chance for the revival of their tradition and trade. The Dongria tribal community have turned out to be messengers of an awareness campaign by preparing masks, which are the most effective weapon against a pandemic like Corona.
The struggle of this tribal community, as well as glimpses of their art and culture, are shining on these hand-woven masks which are laced with embroidery. Red, yellow, green, and brown threads are used to embroider traditional designs.
The masks with traditional Dongria Kondh tribal motifs have the scope to be marketed as style statements for the urbanites.
About 200 families of villages like Khambesi, Hundijhali and Khajuri under Kurli Panchayat of Bisam-Cuttack block are now busy in weaving masks.
They get a price of Rs 50 for each mask as their remuneration. However, during this lockdown period when they are not getting any employment, this effort by the government to encourage them to go in for masks preparation has enabled them to earn some income.
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The Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation (TDCC) Corporation of Odisha Ltd. has already placed an order with the Dongria Kondh Development Agency (DKDA) at Chatikona in Rayagada district for 500 handcrafted masks. These masks are to be sold through TDCC outlets in Bhubaneswar and other urban centres of the State.
"The masks made by our tribal community are replete with our traditional tie and dye weaving art which are famous at both national international level. Those dye and tie have now become very attractive materials. In this crucial situation, we were not able to get any work but finally, with the use of our tradition and culture, now we are getting work to do and the masks are made up of hand-woven base cloth," said, Rambha Wadaka, a tribal girl.
"The Dongria Kondh WSHGs are procuring the handwoven cotton base cloth from traditional weaver families of their area. DKDA is to procure 10 handloom units, which will be used by Dongria Kondh males to prepare the base cloth. With this, both men and women of the tribal families will be able to take part in the production. Making the Dongria Kondh masks take extra time and effort for production. A Dongria Kondh family is able to produce around 10 masks in a day," said Suresh Chandra Adhikary, Special Officer, DKDA.
