Bamboo/ Cane/ Jute/ Fibre/ Leaf/ Grass

Munj is a wildly grown pale colored grass. Crafts men involved in this craft design multipurpose articles like baskets for storing clothes, dry food items, chapattis etc. The articles made are durable and last long because of toughness of the munj grass. Today the crafts men design fancy baskets keeping the taste of buyers in mind.

Barkas in Hyderabad has lot of artisans working on the date palm leaf craft. These artists make beautiful bags and baskets and many more items. The same craft is also practiced at Nidadavolu in West Godavari district.

Ornaments and necklaces made of fine strips of cane and grass are popular with the hill tribes in the area. The indigenous jewellery made from forest-based products involves very intricate work and is exceptionally beautiful. The Akas make bamboo bangles and ear ornaments which they decorate with intricate burnt-poker work designs. Besides making ear ornaments from glass beads, wild seeds, cane, bamboo, and reed the Wanchos make beautiful necklaces out of grass.

Tamil Nadu is known for its cane weaving and palm leaf products, including trays, flower baskets, shopping bags, folding fans etc. Toys and dolls are also produced from grass, bamboo and cane. Tamil Nadu's artistically created basketry and fiber products is in demand both in India and abroad. While palm has become a major source of raw material for basketry and related products, bamboo, cane, grasses, reeds and fibres are also used in making baskets, ropes, mats and many other items. The main centers of these crafts are to be found in Dharampuri, Salem, Coimbatore, South Arcot and Tiruchirapalli districts.

Cane & Bamboo occupy a distinctive place in the life of Tripura. From cradle to grave, there is hardly any occasion, complete without the use of cane & bamboo.

Cane/ Bamboo handicrafts of Tripura are acknowledged to be among the best in the country, due to their beauty, elegance and exquisite designs. A vast range of items are produced, including Furniture, Panels and Partitions, Table Mats & other Mat products , Lamp Shades etc. Tripura handicrafts are also being exported to various countries.

Basketry is a longstanding handicraft followed in most parts of Punjab. Mostly, the womenfolk in villages are oriented towards basketry as a means of employment. Initially, these baskets were predominantly used for household purposes. However, with the passage of time, they came to be adorned as a work of art and were used in homes as showpieces and decorative items.

Naga storage and carry baskets women from fine strips of cane and bamboo are well known and sought after for their utility as well as aesthetic value. The cane baskets of Khonoma village are particularly well know for their intricate weaves. The cane baskets and containers woven by the Khiamngan weavers in the Tuensang District are also known for their fineness and delicacy of work that gives it a lace-like appearance. Headgears and mats are also woven from fine bamboo and cane strips.

The traditional craft of the Mizos is the bamboo and the crane craft. The dexterity of the Mizos is best defined in the wickerwork and basketery. They have been put to multifarious uses from furniture items to commercial crafts. The canes are also used to make fine hats and beautiful baskets. A typical Mizo basket is broad at the rim a narrows at bottom. There are various baskets for various purposes like baskets for carrying firewood, water, paddy, rice and vegetables. Some forms of baskets made in Mizoram are dawrawn, empai, emping, tlamen, paikawng, hnam, paiem, fawng, thul, etc.

Basketry is another household craft, much in vogue, still now. “There are different kinds of basket (ki khoh), as well as of different sizes and shapes. But generally they all conform to the conical shape, broad and round at the top, narrowing gradually to a point at the bottom”.
Besides, sleeping mats (shylliah or tlieng), winnowing fans (prah), sieve (pdung,) for sifting husked rice, rain shields (ka knup) manufactured out of painted bamboo and cane are still found in the rural areas. Rain shields with tortoise-shells-like design evidence the artistry and unique sense of beauty of Khasis, not yet fully appreciated by many.