Toda Embroidery | 11 May 2020
Why in News
In the wake of the Covid-19, Toda artisans from the Nilgiris have come forward to use their traditional skills in making face-masks and to help people ward off the infection and also provide Todas with livelihood.
Key Points
- Toda Tribe is a pastoral tribe of the Nilgiri Hills of southern India.
- The Toda language is Dravidian but is the most unusual and different among the languages belonging to the Dravidian family.
- They live in settlements of from three to seven small thatched houses.
- They traditionally trade dairy products, as well as cane and bamboo articles, with the other Nilgiri peoples.
Toda Embroidery
- In the Toda language it is called pohor.
- The traditional Toda dress is a distinctive shawl which is called putukuli.
- Considered a grand garment, it is only worn for special occasions like visits to the temple, festivals and finally as a shroud.
- The embroidery is done by Toda women and has distinctive red and black (and occasionally blue) thread work in geometric designs on unbleached white cotton fabric.
- It has got a Geographical Indications (GI) Tag.
