Things We Make and Do — Local Crafts, Tea Industry and Traditional Occupations

Overview

This topic connects children to the rich material culture of Assam by exploring what people make with their hands and how they earn their livelihood. For the Assam TET Paper I, questions typically test your knowledge of **Muga silk** (the golden silk unique to Assam), **bamboo and cane crafts**, the **tea industry** and the diverse **traditional occupations** of different communities across the state.

Understanding this topic matters because Environmental Studies at the primary level emphasizes linking learning to the child's immediate environment. Assam's economy and identity are deeply tied to silk weaving, tea cultivation and artisanal crafts. Expect questions on raw materials, processes, regions famous for specific crafts, and the communities involved. The pedagogical angle often asks how teachers can use local crafts to make learning meaningful.

Mastery here means knowing specific facts—which silkworm produces Muga, which district leads in tea production, what tools are used in bamboo craft—and understanding why these occupations matter culturally and economically.

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Key Concepts

• **Muga silk is endemic to Assam** — produced only in the Brahmaputra valley; the silkworm (*Antheraea assamensis*) feeds on Som and Sualu trees. Muga is golden-yellow, durable and gains sheen with washing.

• **Pat and Eri are the other Assamese silks** — Pat (mulberry silk) is white and lustrous; Eri (Endi) comes from castor-fed silkworms and is warm, used for winter wear and religious cloths.

• **Bamboo and cane crafts are livelihood mainstays** — used to make *jaapi* (traditional hat), *khaloi* (basket), fishing traps (*jakoi*, *polo*), furniture and musical instruments. Bamboo is called "green gold."

• **Tea industry defines Upper Assam's economy** — Assam produces over 50% of India's tea; Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Tinsukia and Sivasagar are major tea districts. The industry employs lakhs, including tea-tribe communities.

• **Traditional occupations vary by community** — Bodo community practises weaving (*dokhona*); fishing communities use bamboo traps; potters (*kumars*) make earthen lamps and utensils; bell-metal (*kanh*) craft is famous in Sarthebari.

• **Handloom weaving is a household activity** — most Assamese households have a loom; women weave *gamocha*, *mekhela-chador* and *riha*. Sualkuchi is the "Manchester of Assam" for silk weaving.

• **Raw materials are locally sourced** — silk from silkworms, bamboo and cane from forests, clay from riverbanks, brass and bell-metal from local smiths. This reflects sustainable, environment-linked livelihoods.