The Anka is a traditional ladle of the Gadaba tribe, an aboriginal people living in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh in hilly and forested areas. This type of vessel, made of all-natural materials, mirrors the Gadaba people's sustainable way of life and ingenious use of the resources which they have in day-to-day life and in their cultural practices.
The Anka is manufactured from a gourd and has a two-part structure including a bulbous head and a tubular handle. The head or bowl of the ladle is made from the bulk of a mature gourd hollowed out to do the scooping and serving. One side of the ladle head has more or less a round hole that may serve the purpose of filtering or draining any excess liquid while pouring. The handle is usually made of either the natural stem of the gourd or an attachment, tubular and wooden, for comfort and ease of handling.
In the past, Anka was used to dispense liquor made home with respect during meetings, festivals, and rituals, the life breath of Gadaba social life. Its simplicity in natural construction really shows the skill of the tribe in converting everyday plant materials into strong, functional tools without any industrial process.
Anka would seem to be more or less disappearing from most urban settings; however, it is possibly still in use in rural ones. The Anka embodies, even further, the close relationship of the Gadaba with nature. The youngest generation nowadays is exposed to it through cultural fairs and exhibitions, the Indian Museum in Kolkata being one of them. This has helped preserve some of the indigenous knowledge for posterity.