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These wooden pestles belong to the Chang Naga tribe from Nagaland, India. Exhibit of the most brilliant way that utility and symbolism are combined in traditional tribal craftsmanship. These are grinding pestles for grains or herbs. Each piece has been carved from hardwood, according to shape and dryness, just to serve for long durability and to convey cultural expression. The most special feature of these pestles includes the intricately carved hornbill motifs on their upper parts. This is a very special bird for many Naga tribes; it bears the symbols of strength, bravery, and wisdom of ancestors. For the Chang Naga community, adding the hornbill on its daily objects is a reflection of how they attach really great spiritual and symbolic associations with nature and wildlife.
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These wooden pestles belong to the Chang Naga tribe from Nagaland, India. Exhibit of the most brilliant way that utility and symbolism are combined in traditional tribal craftsmanship. These are grinding pestles for grains or herbs. Each piece has been carved from hardwood, according to shape and dryness, just to serve for long durability and to convey cultural expression. The most special feature of these pestles includes the intricately carved hornbill motifs on their upper parts. This is a very special bird for many Naga tribes; it bears the symbols of strength, bravery, and wisdom of ancestors. For the Chang Naga community, adding the hornbill on its daily objects is a reflection of how they attach really great spiritual and symbolic associations with nature and wildlife.
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The middle part of each pestle is completely smooth, and cylindrical, meant for easy grip during the time of its use. Thus the form and function of the pestles have been made quite useful in the traditional kitchen, where it finds common application in pounding rice, millet, or medicinal roots. Such tools are skills passed through generations within the Chang Naga, where craftsmanship constitutes both a practical requirement as well as a cultural narrating tool. Each object contains elements of identity and artistry of its maker and the community. These are the very pestles meant to stand as daily artifacts in tribal heritage by displaying how utilitarian objects could also serve as carriers of tradition and identity.
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