Rayagada: The Rayagada district administration has taken steps to seek geographical indication (GI) tag for Kapdaganda shawls, the prestigious hand-woven fabric made by the Dongria Kondh tribals. This is being done to revive the centuries-old art form, sources said. However, lack of support from the state government is pushing this traditional art form towards extinction, they added. Efforts have been launched for its revival for which the Dongria Kondh Development Agency (DKDA) here and Action Aid, a non-government outfit, have joined hands. The two agencies are promoting the Kapdaganda shawls both at the national and international levels. The aim is to provide means of livelihood to the Dongria tribals and make them self-reliant.
As part of this programme, the agencies have launched an initiative to train the Dongria youths in weaving shawls with the help of loom and spinning wheels. Thread and coloured fabrics are also being provided to the tribal people. The youths are being trained by Ram Hial and they are being taught to operate spinning wheels, loom and stitch fabric with the help of needle and threads. The move has come as huge source of hope and happiness for the youths. During Covid-19 restrictions, masks of various designs made by Dongria women earned appreciation from many quarters. Sources said that the shawl is in high demand in Odisha and also at national and international markets.
Earlier, tourists used to throng Niyamgiri to buy the shawls, but their numbers have declined in recent times as supplies have dwindled. Except for a few experienced weavers, the present generations of Dongria youths are not interested to keep the art form alive. It should be stated here that the Dongrias live at the foothills of Niyamgiri spread over Rayagada and Kalahandi districts. The shawl is a part of their rich heritage of cultural and ethnic identity. The shawls woven with excellent craftsmanship are prepared by spinsters of the community who gift it to their beloved ones as a token of love. They use it in marriage functions and during various other festivals.
It is the traditional cloth which is used daily by the tribal people. They also present these shawls to their brother and father as a symbol of affection. The off-white coarse cloth used as raw material for Kapdaganda is procured from ‘Domb’, a local schedule caste (SC) community, by bartering harvested crops.
However, due to lack of this particular type of fabric, it has become difficult to keep this art form alive. The thread designs are embroidered on the cloth by a using a needle. Dongrias believe that red, green and yellow are the most auspicious colours. As per their belief, red signifies blood, sacrifices and revenge, green symbolises their fertile mountain ecology while yellow describes their origin. It also represents prosperity and successful turmeric cultivation