It is made of bamboo, from the Khasi tribe of Meghalaya, representing the conventional lifestyle and eco-friendly culture of Northeast India's indigenous communities. The object comprises a long cylindrical piece of thick bamboo hollow from inside and open from one end and sealed from the other naturally; the sealing indicates the layman-like usage of bamboo internodes. Wherever it has broken, the design features demonstrate its intended functional use.Bamboo is abundant and durable in the Khasi Hills and has thus been a multipurpose building material for generations. This bamboo tube could have been used as such by domestic households for either one of many functions: as a water container, for grains, or fermented drinks, or possibly even for measuring purposes for agricultural or commercial needs.
A simplistic design thus manifests the tribe's practical knowledge of local materials and their role in sustainable living. Even in its broken form, the bamboo tube serves to show how vital natural resources are to everyday Khasi life, especially for domestic use, where plastic and metals were nonexistent. Items like these can be handmade and passed on through different generations, saying a lot about how the material culture of the Khasi is rooted in environmental consciousness, resilience, and innovation.