Old rattan carrying basket #2 - Naga

Such baskets were used in daily work in picking and transporting the harvest, but also for transporting, for example, wood.  The basket was carried on the back with the strap ( tumpline) around the forehead to support weight of the basket.  Because all household goods - including the baskets - were hung from the ceiling in smoky huts, they acquired a typical dark color.

The making of baskets is an age-old craft of leisure which was practised by the male elders of the family in the traditional rural economy of Nagaland. It was never a profession in the old context, and hence the dwindling of this skill in present times.