The toys of Assam have been broadly classified
under four heads :clay toys, pith, wooden and bamboo toys, and cloth and cloth-and-mud
toys.
While the human figure, especially dolls, brides and grooms, is the most common
theme of all kinds of toys, a variety of animals forms have also dominated the
clay-toys scene of Assam. Clay traditionally made by the Kumar and Hira communities,
have often depicted different animals too, while gods, goddesses and other mythological
figures also find importance in the work of traditional artist.
Pith or Indian cork has also been used for toy-making since centuries in Assam.
Such toys are chiefly made in the Goalpara region and they include figures
of gods, animals and birds, the last of which again dominate the over-all
output.
Wood and bamboo on the other hand have been in use for making toys for several
centuries , and like the other mediums, come as birds, animals and human figures.
Toys of cloth as also with a mixture of cloth and mud too have constituted part
of the rich Assamese toy-making tradition. While the art of making cloth toys
have been traditionally handed down from mother to daughter in every household,
the cloth-and-mud toys are generally used for puppet theatres. Among the household
toys, the bride and the groom are the most common characters, while the other
varieties have animals and mythological characters as the plays demand.
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