RAYAGADA: Even as Rayagada administration is taking steps to seek geographical indication (GI) tag for Kapdaganda, the prestigious handwoven shawl of Dongria Kondh tribe, efforts are being made by unscrupulous traders and private organisations to create its cheap replicas.
One such incident came to the fore recently when an NGO, Mauna Dhwani, organised a workshop on weaving of Kapdaganda for some women of Mayurbhanj district without permission of the local administration. The training camp was organised at the Tribal Interpretation Centre at Chatikona under Bissamcutack block. When the district administration received information about the training camp, they directed the NGO members to vacate the centre immediately.
The Dongrias are a particularly vulnerable tribal group who live in the Niyamgiri hills of Rayagada and Kalahandi districts and the shawl is a part of their rich heritage of cultural and ethnic identity. Dongria Kondh art and craft reflect the importance of the mountains for the community. The triangular shape of mountains recur in the designs painted on the walls of the village shrine as well as in the colourful Kapdaganda that they wear.
Sources said as the shawl is in huge demand among domestic and international tourists, some traders are attempting to make cheap replicas of Kapdaganda. To curb the practice and preserve the unique identity of the shawl, the district administration, Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) and Dongria Kondh Development Agency (DKDA) have submitted a detailed project report about the shawl to the Handloom and Science and Technology departments for application of GI tag.
Rayagada Collector Guha Poonm Tapas Kumar said the NGO had not sought any permission from administration for the training camp. She said the administration is planning to augment production and sale of the shawl by training the local Dongria women in weaving the shawl. Moreover, efforts are on to popularise the Kapdaganda patterns by replicating the embroidery designs on bags, mobile phone covers and conference pads. The State Government has recently constituted a Special Development Council to support traditional craftspersons of the district including Kapdaganda weavers.
Woven with excellent craftsmanship, Kapdaganda is prepared by spinsters of the community who gift it to their beloved ones as a token of love. It is also presented by them to their brother and father as a symbol of affection. The off-white coarse cloth used as raw material for Kapdaganda is procured from the Domb, a local schedule caste community by bartering harvested crops.
The designs are embroidered on the cloth by a needle using threads. Dongrias believe that red, green and yellow are the most auspicious colours. Red signifies blood, sacrifices and revenge while green symbolises their fertile mountain ecology. Yellow symbolises the origin of the Kondh. It also represents prosperity and turmeric cultivation.