Bhubaneswar: ST & SC Development Department has taken up a virtual tour to Odisha State Tribal Museum on every Sunday. “This Sunday i.e. on 26th December the visitors can visit the traditional Art and Craft: Dharua Textiles by opening the Facebook and Twitter pages @stscdev, @scstrti,” said Director SCSTRTI Prof. (Dr.) A. B. Ota.
The Dharua community mainly resides in Malkangiri, Koraput and Nawarangapur districts of Odisha. Their major occupations are cultivation, forest collection, basketry and agricultural labour. The Dharua are thought to have originally belonged to the Gond Tribe and are otherwise referred to as Dharua Gonds. They are polytheists and they observe many festivals.
The Dharua community attire themselves in distinctive red and white textiles, that are woven by the community residing in Kotpad. The Dharua Saree is white with woven motifs in brick red. The wedding Saree is brick red or brown with white motifs. The men wear white and brick red dhoti with a ‘Gamchha’ slung on the shoulder.
