Burki, which is in fact a kind of traditional bamboo basket, belongs to the Khond Tribe of Odisha and is an article used in storage of grains and other food items in the household. The baskets are hand crafted using split bamboo and feature a square base with four corners joined at the top by a circular opening which makes it a very sturdy yet accessible container suitable for everyday use.
The Burki's design is an apt combination of utility and indigenous skill. Its square base enhances stability making it easier to place on the ground or storage platforms, while the circular opening allows for easy scooping and pouring of grains such as rice, millets, or pulses. This design is perfected over the years to meet the immediate technical requirements of agrarian households.
Traditionally, the Khond have been storing food grains as this is crucial to their lifestyle, and they are, of course, very much common in such isolated tribal places where marketing really has its limitations. The Burki becomes that just not as a storing unit, but as a measure of food security and agricultural abundance; more often than not, people have a number of sizes of Burki according to the harvest yields.
The Burki is made using bamboo that is sustainably harvested from the surrounding forests, and this speaks of the profound knowledge of the Khond of natural resources and their manner of eco-friendliness in which they live. The weaving styles are passed through oral means, thus preserving an important aspect of tribal heritage.