Mekho as the Angami tribe calls it, the baskets made from bamboo and cane are one of the first things that we see in any Naga village. The baskets are found in variety of shape and sizes. They are used by womenfolk in fetching water from the community wells, carrying firewood, rice and vegetables from paddy fields and gardens as well as for ceremonial purposes. It is also used by the men folk for similar uses but it is more predominantly used by the womenfolk. The basket is carried on the back by means of a strap worn around the persons head. The body is inclined forward following the gradient of the hill.


The basket making process- raw materials being smoked for seasoning.

The construction, material, design and size of the baskets vary with the purpose for which it is made. The designs further vary from tribe to tribe as we move across the state. The conical baskets used by the various hill tribes are based on one common geometric principle: a transition from a small square base to a wide circular mouth. This transition is achieved through different curves on the sides. These curves are a logical outcome of the difference in size between the square and circle, the function for which it is intended and the method for producing it.

Basket making is a craft generally done by men. The main raw materials used for the making of these baskets are Bamboo and cane. The most widely used tool to split a bamboo is dao. Dao is a knife with a long flat blade. The circumference of the bamboo is divided into several equal parts and these are cut vertically. The thickness at the nodes is scraped off. First the waxy top layer is removed. The strip now reveals the inner layer of the bamboo which is fibrous and rougher than the outer layer. The strip is then thinned down to the required thickness and width.

These splits are interlaced in a manner similar to threads interlaced in weaving. First the base is made in the form of a square. Bamboo strips are interlaced regularly as in plain weave or interlaced diagonally to weave a surface. The woven square is made in the centre, in a way that the vertical strips called warp, interlace with one another. Once the base is made the warp strips are turned up and a continuous weft strip is woven into the warp strips arising from the base. In the conical basket the mouth of the basket is generally much wider than the base. Accordingly, additional warp strips are introduced. This ensures that the relative distance between two adjacent warp elements is uniform. The weft is not continuous and is overlapping added when the length of the strip is woven. In most baskets the rim of the mouth is reinforced by attaching additional rings on the inside and outside. This is bound by cane strips which, besides securing the bamboo strips, also provide a neat finish. Sometimes, the cane is bound very close almost covering the bamboo ring. The binding also gives a subtle decoration to the basket. The sides of the basket are sometimes reinforced with vertical strips of bamboo attached to the corners of the square. These form the feet and enable the basket to stand upright on the floor.


Details of varios baskets used by the Angami Naga tribe.