The silks of Assam
The silks of Assam, woven at the weaving town and on the home loom alike, among them a golden fibre found almost nowhere else on earth.
The bell-metal foundries
The work of the metal town, where hereditary smiths have shaped bell-metal and brass into emblems of hospitality and devotion.
Bell-Metal and Brass of Sarthebari
The bell-metal and brass craft of Sarthebari, producing the xorai, bota, and the ritual and household vessels of Assam.
The mukha of the sattras
The monastic craft of the mask, worn in devotional theatre and carried for centuries on the river island, now drawing wider renown as art.
Mukha: the Masks of Majuli
The mukha mask-making tradition of the Majuli sattras, the bamboo-and-clay masks worn in the bhaona devotional theatre.
Cloth in every home
Weaving is a household art across the communities, which keep its most distinctive forms.
Tribal Textiles and Dress
The weaves and dress of Assam's communities, from the Bodo dokhona and aronai to the eri of the hills.
The gamosa, the japi, and the potter's clay
Some crafts became emblems of the land itself, alongside the older work of the potter's clay.
The Gamosa
The red-bordered white cloth that is towel, gift, garment, prayer-cloth and the de-facto flag of Assamese identity.
The Japi
The conical hat of bamboo and tokou-palm leaf, the plain field hat of the cultivator and the gilded phulam japi of welcome and ceremony.
Terracotta and the Potter's Clay
The figurative terracotta and pottery of Assam, worked in the western valley's hiramati clay, with the hatima putul of Asharikandi its signature.