India · Basketry / Structural Craft
रिंगाल (Ringal)
Ringal (Himalayan dwarf bamboo, Drepanostachyum falcatum and Thamnocalamus spathiflorus) is the primary material for the traditional basketry and tool-making tradition of the hill communities of Uttarakhand. Unlike the large-culm bamboo of Northeast India, Ringal grows at 1,500–3,500 meter elevations in dense, fine-stemmed clumps — its culms are thin (1–2 cm diameter), flexible, and extremely strong for their weight. The Uttarakhand Ringal tradition produces baskets (tokri, kilta), agricultural tools, carrying frames (doko), water vessels, musical instruments (bansuri flutes), and household items — all from the same species processed differently. The craft is practiced by both men and women across all hill communities and is functionally essential to Uttarakhand's agricultural economy.
Risk level: Endangered · Not inscribed
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