“For every person who dresses from head to toe in traditional tribal attire, five animals are killed.”
As Arunachal Pradesh’s Nabam Bapu (29) relays this to me, his sadness at this harsh reality is evident. Throughout his growing-up years, the civil engineer was proud of his rich cultural traditions, which included the festive attire donned by his Nyishi tribe — one of the 26 major tribes in Arunachal Pradesh.
But as he grew older, he understood how animal parts constituted a major chunk of the attire. The irony of animals being poached even as their numbers are on a constant decline was unsettling for Nabam. Innocent animals were being slaughtered for aesthetic reasons, he deduced.
Further probing of his tribe’s motivations led him to understand that he was wrong. The parts held cultural significance. But, to Nabam, the end did not justify the means.
And so, in an attempt to ensure that traditions continue without disrupting the ecosystem, Nabam started Arunachal Ivory and Ornaments in 2022 along with his wife Likha Nana (29), a post-graduate in history.
Nabam Bapu and his wife Likha Nana were troubled by how innocent animals were harmed in order to continue tribal traditions, Picture source: Nabam
Leading a revolution in the Northeast
“We (Likha and I) were always keen on entrepreneurship,” says Nabam.
In 2022, the duo decided to follow this calling. Their startup is a beacon of hope for the wildlife of the Northeast as it attempts to challenge prejudices surrounding 3D-printed animal parts. “Innocent animals shouldn’t be harmed in the name of culture,” they emphasise.
To understand why these parts are so integral to the attire, it is important to dive into the designs.
The attire of many tribes in Arunachal Pradesh is comprised of accessories made using animal hide and teeth, Picture source: Nabam
A glance at the traditional Par Eij and Pomo attire donned by members of the Nyishi community will reveal that it is beautiful. But a closer look will reveal the things that make up its beauty — a bundle of animal parts interspersed with coloured fabrics and accessories.
Let’s start at the top. An eagle-clawed hairstyle is one of the most striking features of the Nyishi tribe’s dress. “Real eagle claws are used,” Nabam points out. You will also observe the headgear, Byopa, consisting of a cane helmet adorned with the beak of the Great Indian Hornbill — a ‘vulnerable’ species according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Nabam explains that wearing the beak signifies beauty and youthfulness.
The beak of the Great Indian Hornbill is worn on the head to show beauty and youthfulness, Picture source: Nabam
The people of the Nyishi tribe love their accessories. The men wear stone bead necklaces, Tesee, while the women’s necklaces are called Seetir. Both terminate at the waistline, which is adorned with a belt known as Tama, worn by men, while women wear small metal discs called Hupiya.
The garments, Tassh Nara (a black cloak made out of a sago palm tree’s blade-like skin which is cut, dried, and then tied together to make the furry coat), and backpacks, Nara, are festooned with animal fur too. The backpack contains a dao (machete), a sword whose cover is made of monkey skin, a spear, and arrows. The backpack is slung across the shoulder by a strap made of bearskin.
The jewellery meanwhile includes tiger nails, jaws of the tiger and clouded leopard — both ‘vulnerable’ according to the IUCN, and teeth of the wild boar. Nabam points out that it’s not just the Nyishi tribe; many other tribes also don accessories made out of animal parts.
However, he shares that the parts play more than a perfunctory role. “The jaws of the tiger and clouded leopard are worn by the Nyub (priest) and Nyagam (orator). They signify importance. Since the tiger is considered to be at the top of the food chain, wearing its teeth indicates high status in society.”
The teeth and nails of tigers are worn to enhance the attire and as a sign of importance, Picture source: Nabam
The clouded leopard jaw has a dual vantage. “One is that it indicates the person is important; it is also believed that the wearer gets the powers of the animal,” Nabam explains.
For anyone who believes that tribal attire is incomplete without animal parts, the startup has a message.
‘Preserve culture without harming wildlife’
In an article published in Oryx — The International Journal of Conservation (2010) by Cambridge University Press, it was noted that out of 33 mammalian species hunted by the people of Arunachal Pradesh at the time, 20 were ‘endangered’, ‘vulnerable’ or ‘near threatened’ on the IUCN Red List. While more recent statistics are not available, this report gives a picture of how hunting activities in the Northeast are juxtaposed against a vanishing population of species.
According to the 2011 census, the tribes in Arunachal Pradesh constitute 68.78 percent of the total population. Their numbers were said to touch 9,51,821. “If for one person’s attire, five animals are killed, imagine how many animals are at risk with the population increasing,” Nabam urges.
Through Arunachal Ivory and Ornaments’ 3D printing technology, the jaws of the tiger and clouded leopard can be replicated without harming animals, Picture source: Nabam
He adds that declining numbers of wildlife make this a lucrative draw for the black market. “It is rare to source an original tiger or clouded leopard jaw. And so, these are sold for as much as Rs 5 lakh for a tiger jaw, while a leopard jaw goes for Rs 2 lakh,” he sighs. Pointing to how futile it is to engage in such trading, he says, “It’s not even as if one is making medicines out of these parts. It is purely for cultural and aesthetic reasons. So why should animals be killed?”
Through Arunachal Ivory and Ornaments, Nabam, Likha and their friend Anang Tadar are marking a first by 3D printing the animal parts to offer the tribes sustainable alternatives.
Elaborating on the process, Anang says, “The animal parts that we are dealing with are not plain surfaces; they have complex structures. So, while 3D printing, we have to ensure that all the details are accurately scanned. It took us almost two years to finalise the process, and it is still ongoing. When working with such materials, there are always chances that the next print might be better than the first, so we have to keep making versions.”
A blend of eco-friendly resins are used while producing the replicas of the animal jaws, Picture source: Nabam
If he had to point out the trickiest part to work with, Anang says it would be the tiger jaw. “The polymers we work with are sensitive and we have to be careful while handling these chemicals.”
Every day, many replicas of animal parts are produced by the startup; these include tiger jaws, clouded leopard jaws, eagle claws and hornbill beaks. The trio has taken their eco-consciousness a notch further by ensuring that the material used to make the parts is biodegradable. “A plant-based, eco-friendly raw material is used,” says Nabam, adding that the name is a trade secret.
In 2023, the startup’s work was recognised by the Arunachal Government, winning a grant of Rs 5 lakh. The startup was also incubated for a year at the Innovation Park at Itanagar, a joint project of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, and the Arunachal Pradesh Government. “Here we learnt the basics of starting a business, bookkeeping, records etc,” Nabam shares.
This support by the Government, says Nabam, has greatly elevated their prospects.
From left to right: Anang Tadar, Likha Nana and Nabam Bapu are the co-founders of Arunachal Ivory and Ornaments, Picture source: Nabam
Are people showing acceptance?
“We started getting support right from when we made the prototype,” Nabam shares. “Like us, many in our community were looking for eco-friendly alternatives to animal parts; it is just that there weren’t options.” He further adds that their quest for perfection is a major reason for their success. “We have modelled the parts according to the original parts that the elders in the tribe possess.”
Nido Karchuk, one of the customers who has purchased the 3D printed items, commends Nabam and his team for building a startup that is working to preserve culture. “Tradition and culture is the identity of the tribes. So, if we stop following our culture, we’ll lose our identity. But, nowadays, due to the decrease in the population of wild animals and increasing tribal population, we are starting to lose some important parts of our tribal culture.”
The eagle claws are worn by many tribes as a head accessory, Picture source: Nabam
“But they [Arunachal Ivory and Ornaments] have done well with the quality of replicas they provide; the quality, looks, texture, and feel are very much close to the original,” he adds.
That being said, Nabam notes that there is bound to be some sort of resistance to anything that digresses from tradition. “Out of 10 percent, there will be one percent of the society who are orthodox and insistent on using the original animal parts obtained from hunting. But their numbers are few.”
Source
Wildlife hunting by indigenous tribes: a case study from Arunachal Pradesh, north-east India by Cambridge University Press, Published on 20 August 2010.
Edited by Khushi Arora.
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