Handmade in India

An Adi bamboo and cane suspension bridge in Siang district.
Crafts of ALONG
Cane haversacks
Coiled cane hats
Subclusters of
ALONG
West Siang District:
Along
RESOURCES
Craft Raw Materials Sources
Haversacks Cane splits Siang district
Coiled cane hats Cane - whole, split Siang district
Tabasara village inhabited by the Gallong tribe of West Siang district.
ALONG, the headquarters of West Siang district, is home to the Adi
tribe - the largest of the 16 major tribes of the state - and subgroups
Adi Gallong and Adi Minyong. Their houses are built on hilltops
along the edge of the slopes, selected according to the availability of
water and land for practicing shifting cultivation. The houses and
granaries are built on bamboo stilts. Wooden planks lashed together
with cane splits with a single pitched sloping roof cover the large
living room as well as the semi open verandah on all sides. The
fireplace occupies and important space above which is suspended a
hanging shelf for smoking raw meat and bamboo baskets. The Adis
build cane suspension bridges over the torrential Siang River and
have a distinctive repertoire of bamboo and cane haversacks, open
hexagonal weave baskets, dao cases, caps and whole bamboo
containers. The Minyong women weave beautiful cotton wraps on
body tension of loin looms, a common weaving equipment also used
by several tribes and communities in Indonesia, Myanmar, and
Philippines. The loom is simple, portable and made entirely from
locally available bamboo and wood. The importance of weaving in
their culture is reflected in the proportionately large vocabulary of
words that are related to weaving.
ACCESS
Along can be reached by road from Pasighat in East Siang district
which is connected by a ferry to Dibrugarh in Assam. Dibrugarh is
well connected by road, rail and air with Guwahati. Lilabari airport
on the north bank of Brahmaputra is the nearest airport.
A dao or knife case made from cane splits.