Tribal jewellery & ornaments

Jewellery made with coins

An old tribal lady wearing necklace made out of beeds

Many primitive tribes dwell in India. Spreading over the Nilgiris of South to Mandhyapradesh, Bihar, Orissa, to Madhya Pradesh, Bihar,Orissa, Chatisgarh and West Bengal. They represent their distinct identity through their dress wearing style also through different ornaments. Tribes of Kerala in Attapadi region have their own way of bedecking themselves to make them attractive. They use brass, aluminium and coins the tribe of NEFA(North East Frontier Agency) make their Ornaments colourful with red and black seeds, wollen cessels , bamboo feathers etc.

The tribe inhabitants of central India were ornate or heavy jewellery which may be either low priced or expencive. It is remarkable that many Indian Tribes use nose ornaments.

Jewellery in the pre-historic periodic

The evidence of iron, copper, bronze and gold was widely prevalent in the Harappa and Mohanjo-Daro civilization. There was a combination of gold beads like those of the lapidarian variety were of many beautiful shapes & varing sizes. The archaic jewellery of Indian can be compared with the relies of Mesopotamia & Egypt.

The ancient cultures & abound in amulets with beautiful designs of bird & animal motif. These birds have some connection with diseases or other evils. The second view is that they were designed merely to please the children rather that for any magical qualities.

Jewellry in India

Indian Jewellery reflects the basic psyche of Indian people. Unlike the concept of the people of western countries jewellery and personal adornment of india not only fulfill the sense of aesthetic satisfaction, but represent the very way of life. As a matter of fact, the jewellry and ornaments serve four basic purposes for the Indian mind: personal adornment invested for provision for future need in the hour of financial distress, preserving the aesthetic brilliance as a momento from generations to generations and lastly propitiating the recalcitrant heavenly bodies by astrological prescriptions. The last purpose weighs more heavily on the Indian fatalists mind than other considerations.

Origin & Growth

Gems and jewellery ivory and gold and other precious material have been the pride of the East from the time immemorial pride of the East from the time immemorial specially the name of India conjures up a land of colour, beauty and sparkle, with its verdant country-side and the dazzling jewellery that adorns its inhabitants particulary the women-folk. Even till today the amount of jewellery and ornaments adoring a bride baffles a foreigner by their sheer weight and the inconvenience caused by them to the wearer.

Religeous and moral significance are attributed to this jewellery. A woman bereft of any jewellery supposed to be a symbol of misfortune a widow.

Naturally a question will arise ‘why woman use more jewellery as self decoration than men when desire for self-adornment. Is common? The answer is Man in the Indian society has always been the symbol of physical strength and courage. Women were an emblem of delicate charm and modesty. The decorative symbols of man were his weapons and his physical power. Man has to show his precious wealth through the women by decorating her with valuable jewels.

According to Hindu rites, there are some ceremonies from a man’s birth to death. For example Namakarana (giving a name), vidhyarambha (commencement of education), vevaha( marriage) are some of them. On the 12^th day of the baby’s birth his ears will bore with a blacksmith and curls into a ring. Then his waist decorates with a similar cord with pendant or something. In the case of women all her gifts were added together and her father give it to her at the time of marriage. Now, almost all religious in India follow the rites and rituals similar to it.

The history of jewels from earliest time to our own, we come across a series of evidence to prove that it has continued to exercise a fascinating effect on the mind of the people. Despite the variation of its forms and materials used for it, some names and designs that were in vogue in ancient times are still very much in existence.