The Rice Stirring Implement, customarily used by the Toda tribe from Tamil Nadu, is a rare domestic instrument carved from one solid piece of timber. Two flat circular heads are at both ends of this utensil, and it has a long squarish middle section. Thus, the implement serves well for stirring rice while cooking.
The Toda tribe, the major inhabitants of the Nilgiri Hills, are known for their woodcrafts and sustainable style of life. Dairy farming and agriculture constitute their everyday life, and the major wood stirring implement takes on great significance in their traditional cooking ways. Rice is a staple food, mostly cooked in big vessels, and thus requires strong stirring appliances like this one.
The handmade wooden stirrer reflects the craft of the Toda people and their ability to develop natural material into basic household products. Ergonomic design provides ease for using it, while durable finishing is another trait of the tribe that desires tools made for longevity from eco-friendly sources. The rice stirrer is one of many traditional tools through which the Toda community preserves its cultural heritage, and in doing so, it establishes its link to the natural world.