The Phatahak belongs to the Rabha tribe, which is a traditional bamboo basket of that tribe. This basket indicates the indigenous craftsmanship rooted in cultural spending from northeastern India. This basket is not an accessory for the tribe but primarily an everyday object for storage and carrying. In the making of this basket, the resourcefulness of the tribespeople comes to light in the effective use of native raw materials, bamboo and cane in particular. The structure is ingeniously conceived from finely slitted bamboo strips and woven tightly into place to ensure durability and pliability.The most characteristic feature of the Phatahak must be the circular upper rim which is fashioned out of broad bamboo splits and held together strongly with cane-strips to maintain the shape and strength. Four corners are decorated with wooden stands giving the basket stability and aesthetic appeal; those stands often have simple carvings patterns referring to traditional motifs and tribal identity.
Besides its practical function, therefore, the Phatahak also embodies the community's relationship with nature and its ideals of sustainability. Each basket is carved by hand, passed on through generations, and has specific meanings for the domestic and agricultural spheres. Indian Museum, Kolkata, conserves this purely for study and promotion purposes on the skill and creativity inherent in indigenous tribes like the Rabha, which aims to education about India's diverse ethnographic heritage.