Ranchi, June 29: The state’s once flourishing wood and bamboo crafts, which gave some tribal pockets their identity, is being asphyxiated by the government’s alleged apathy. And the waning interest level among traditional tribal artistes is not helping matters.

This and more was found by Anju Kumari Sahoo, a reader in the tribal and regional language department of Ranchi University who carried out a research on wood and bamboo crafts that are on the verge of extinction.

Sahoo, who carried out the research at the behest of the state art and culture department in the Khunti and Gumla districts, besides Ranchi, also found that tribal bamboo artisans were more than willing to give up this traditional art form.

The Ranchi University reader today handed over a detailed report of her findings over the last one year to the art and culture department.

“Villagers are forgetting their age-old traditions and migrating from their ancestral villages in search of alternate livelihood opportunities,” Sahoo said.

She added that in the absence of a push from the state government, the interest levels among villagers collecting wood from forests to carve out doors and windows, was also thinning.

“They are no longer interested in growing bamboo, which was once used to design household items like door panels and boxes. Other items like baskets, fishing equipment and bamboo furniture too are slowly disappearing,” Sahoo said.

State art and culture department’s assistant director H.P. Sinha, admitted that there was a problem but assured that the government would do all it could to preserve the dying art forms.

“The tribals are shying away from growing bamboo because of a number of problems. The most important being the absence of a thriving market for their products. The bamboo products manufactured often fail to fetch the right price due to lack of promotion,” Sinha said.

He, however, was quick to add that the state would soon organise workshops to help villagers proficient in designing wood and bamboo items pick up tricks of the trade.

Interestingly state handloom and handicraft corporation Jharcraft had come to the rescue of some of these villagers by purchasing bamboo from them. Else, a tribal artisan earns a meagre Rs 40 to 60 a day, which is not sufficient to sustain them.