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    झारखण्ड की एक और युवा आदिवासी लेखिका ने साहित्य जगत में लहराया परचम

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Home » India » Chhattisgarh » Bastar’s Famed Tuma Craft On Verge Of Extinction

Bastar’s Famed Tuma Craft On Verge Of Extinction

Chhattisgarh’s age-old craft as part of which beautiful lamps and sustainable water containers are created from dried bottle gourd shells is witnessing a slow death, discovers Deepanwita Gita Niyogi

January 1, 2024
Tuma Craft

A Tuma lamp hangs from the ceiling of the Bastar art café in Jagdalpur

Bastar

Artisan Jagat Ram Dewangan, who owns a shop in Bastar district near the famous Chitrakote waterfall, has been working on Tuma for years.

But due to the influx of plastic water bottles even in tribal villages, the use of the Tuma to carry water has suffered a major setback. Dewangan considers this a sign of modernity as a result of which old lifestyle practices are ending.

“There is so much promotion of bottled water in plastic containers that people have started buying them in rural areas too. The new generation fears that Tuma containers will break and thus they are not deemed safe for carrying water anymore.

“Another reason is the use of bikes in villages. Plastic bottles are easy to carry while riding bikes. In such a situation, only a handful of people are trying to save the Tuma art and its usage,” Dewangan told The Indian Tribal.

The artisan makes lamps which take time and patience and are appreciated by customers due to its house décor value. But he has not forgotten the utility value of Tuma and also makes bottles out of them.

Tuma Craft
An artisan at work in Kondagaon district. Holes are drilled on the surface of the gourd shell and then bulb is fitted inside

Dewangan’s lamps are priced at Rs 500 to Rs 3500 and bottles cost somewhere around Rs 400-Rs 500.

“In the olden days, Tuma water containers were used by people when plastic bottles were not available. People also used Tuma containers to carry millet pej, a type of liquid porridge,” he pointed out.

Dewangan said Tuma containers are tough on the exterior and soft on the inside which helps keeping water cool in the harsh summers. It also ensures that water does not leak.

A report, ‘Global Bottled Water Industry: A Review of Impacts and Trends published by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health in 2023’, says that the current global bottled water sales are estimated at almost 270 billion US$ and 350 billion litres.

It goes on to say that in the Global South, bottled water is used primarily due to the lack of reliable public water supply.

Tuma Craft
Fresh bottle gourds on sale at a rural haat in Bastar

As per the practice, after gourds come to fruition around September, some of them are not plucked for consumption and left just like that till February. This ensures that the gourd skin becomes thick and tough, ready for usage as water containers after the interior has been cleaned of contents.

Gourds used to make lamps need not be as tough as those used to make containers. Some people also keep dried gourds on the roofs of their houses so that they can make containers whenever they need.

Baliram Nag, who belongs to the Dhurwa Adivasi community in Bastar, said many people do not grow desi or indigenous varieties of bottle gourd anymore used mostly for making water containers. These were found in jungle areas but now many people use hybrid seeds instead. Though the usage of Tuma has reduced now compared to earlier days, still in some areas people use them. These are also used especially during rituals.

Tuma Craft
Baliram Nag makes a Tuma water container at a village in Bastar

“As people have more money in their hands now, they often buy food and water bottles from shops during their journey. This was not the practice before when people set out from their homes after consuming pej and carried water in Tuma bottles,” said Nag.

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Update

Van Dhan Kendra set up for Andaman’s Onge tribe

In a bid to make the Onge tribe self-sustainable through coconut-based products, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration has set up a Van Dhan Vikas Kendra for them at Dugong Creek, in Little Andaman, under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyay Maha Abhiyan. Initially, 56 members of the Onge tribe will be part of VDVK and focus on producing value-added coconut-based products, including high-quality copra and cold-pressed coconut oil. The PVTG Onge VDVK members have been trained in copra processing, coconut oil extraction, and the use of specialised machinery that has been set up. Dugong Creek, which is about 93 km from Port Blair, is a reserved area for the Onge tribe and is currently home to only 140 people, including 74 males and 66 females.
The Indian Tribal
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June 23, 2025

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Bastar’s Famed Tuma Craft On Verge Of Extinction 7 Tribal-linked Odisha Products Get GI Tag Traditional Attire Of Pawara Tribeswomen Losing Its Charm Tuma Art Going Extinct