เครื่องประดับอัฟกัน อินเดีย / Banjara Nomadic or Gypsy Tribes Accessories

เครื่องประดับแฮนด์เมดจากอัฟกัน/ Hand-made Afghan Accessories

Old Tribal AfghanTassels,Handcrafted by local Tribal Afghan women such as Old tassels,
pieces of old traditional dress,beads etc...
Old tassels like these not as common nowadays.

Banjara (Nomadic or Gypsy) Tribes
The Banjaras came to the Deccan following the invasion by the armies of Aurangzeb. According to some authorities, the actual Banjara lineage goes back to some 2000 years. They are said to be the descendants of the Roma gypsies of Europe who migrated to India through the rugged mountains of Afghanistan and finally settled down in Rajasthan. The colourful stream of the Banjaras began to travel down to the South in the 14th century. Many of their families and pack bullocks crossed the Vindhy as and reached the Deccan country in the wake of the plundering armies.Those were hard time for the Banjaras. “There were no navigable rivers and no roads to wheel their belongings. Thousands of laden bullocks and carts had to travel on mere dust tracks. A single tribe owned as many as 50000 to 60000 cattle” says Capt. Briggs (1813). And so, thanks to the number of cattle they owned, the Banjaras worked for the Moghuls as commissariat carriers transporting provisions and arms, setting up camps on the outskirts of army encampments. When the Southern campaigns ended, the Banjaras forgot their desert homes in Rajasthan and settled down in the Deccan.Today due to the spread of communication the Banjara lifestyle has naturally altered and the tribals have had to abandon their packs of animals and take to working as labourers on building and construction projects. Despite all this, their traditional customs, manners and ceremonies have undergone little change but their migratory instinct is still intact.Women are known to wear colorful and beautiful costumes like PHETIYA [as Ghagra] and KANCHALLI [as top] and have tattoos on their hands. The dress is considered fancy and attractive by Western cultures. They use mirror chips and often coins to decorate it. Women put on thick bangles on their arms [PATLI]. Their ornaments are made up of silver rings, coins, chain and hair pleats are tied together at the end by CHOTLA.Men wear Dhoti and Kurta [short with many folds]. These clothes were designed specially for the protection from harsh climate in deserts and to distinguish them from others.