National Handloom Day: Inside the Bonda tribe’s enduring Ringa weaving tradition
The Bonda tribe of Odisha continues to preserve their unique cultural identity and traditional Ringa weaving practices despite increasing modernization. Women in this matriarchal society play a central role in maintaining these customs, which have been passed down through generations.
Why it matters
It highlights the struggle of indigenous communities to maintain cultural heritage and traditional craftsmanship in the face of globalization.
“Every Ringa we weave carries our family’s story,” says Muduli, gently running her hand over the striped cloth she has just taken off the loom in Gokharipada village of Odisha’s Malkangiri district.
The Ringa is the traditional handwoven garment worn by Bonda women as a wraparound skirt. Woven with striking horizontal stripes with bands of red, maroon, black, white and blue, it has long been an emblem of the Bonda tribe, one of India’s Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
Living in the Bonda Hills of Malkangiri district, the community has safeguarded its language, customs and weaving tradition over generations. In this matriarchal society, women carry forward much of that cultural memory, preserving the art of weaving even as the modern world steadily reaches their remote villages.
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