Traditional bamboo uses by the tribes of Gujarat

Abstract

The Tribal population in Gujarat is mainly concentrated in the eight districts along the eastern border of the state. 96% live in The Dangs, Valsad, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Panchmahals, Sabarkantha and Banaskantha. The tribal region extends from Sabarkantha district through Panchmahals down to Surat, Valsad and The Dangs. About 92% of the scheduled tribes are from the rural areas.<br> The Kotwalias tribe of South Gujarat is generally landless people who primarily depend on bamboo basket making for their livelihood. Their products include split bamboo mats <i>(Palas), </i>threshing trays <i>(Topla) </i>and baskets <i>(Supra). </i>Some Kotwalia communities still reside within forest areas while others have shifted to agricultural villages but maintain their traditional cottage industry. In the past, Kotwalia communities received low prices from contractors and middle men for their products. Efforts have been made to break this exploitative relationship by harvesting and supplying bamboo quotas to basket making communities and guaranteeing a market by buying back their products. The paper describes the traditional uses of bamboo by the Kotwalias tribe.