Beads of Arunachal Pradesh: Emerging Cultural Context

- Beads of Arunachal Pradesh describes the cultural importance of different beads among the people of north-east India in general and Arunachal Pradesh in particular.
- The book describes the legends and history of each of the beads, their importance, folklores on them, use, price, and so on.

The oral history, gender questions, social dynamics, and even inter- as well as intra-tribal relationships of the tribes have been described in detail in the book. The tradition of beads has been imbedded in the lives of the people of north-east from time immemorial. The continuing popularity of beads has led to manufacture of spurious products. Despite the onslaught of globalization even in rural areas, the popularity of beads has not diminished among the people. Beads are also used as a bartering item and usually take the place of money even now. The book describes the economic, cultural, and ritual significance of beads; their historical relation to migration; and popular beliefs, classification mechanism, and ethnic specifications of beads.

Contents: Preface; Introduction; Diversity of Beads; Folklore and Beads; Trade; Beads and Gender; Beads and the Emerging Realities; Beliefs, Utility, and Values of Beads; Conclusions; Bibliography; Acknowledgements; Index.

Sarit K. Chaudhuri is Director of National Museum of Mankind (IGRMS), Bhopal. During 2003 05, as a postdoctoral fellow he worked in a collaborative project of SOAS, British Museum, CCRD, and Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh. Earlier he also worked with AnSI, Shillong, as well as with Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh as professor and head, Department of Anthropology. He has published 9 books and 52 research papers. Sucheta Sen Chaudhuri is Dean of the School of Cultural Studies. She is also head of the Centre for Indigenous Culture Studies in Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi. She has worked in AnSI for seven years. During 1999-2011 she worked in the Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies, Rajiv Gandhi University, where she was also the Founder Director, Women Study and Research Centre. She has published four books and several research papers.