The Chip Mali necklace is a traditional female ornament of the Gadaba tribe, an indigenous people mainly inhabiting Koraput District in Odisha and some regions in Andhra Pradesh. The Gadaba people express their rich cultural traditions through their splendid ornamentations. Jewellery adorns the Gadaba as an important cultural aspect, but it is just as much a symbol of identity, economy, and tradition. This particular necklace consists of small bits of metal assembled in crisscross fashion, allowing for the flexibility and strength of the ornament. Certain features of the Chip Mali include circular pendants in the center of every piece.
The pendants themselves would presumably have been set with a single red stone, perhaps symbolic of energy and prosperity-or protection from evil spirits, which are motifs much favored in tribal symbolism. The design denotes the Gadaba people's very close relationship with nature and their deep multiple sense of symmetry and bold forms. The locking mechanism, a functional detail so the ornament does not move around excessively during traditional dances or any ceremony, is another characteristic feature of each necklace. Craftsmanship that goes into making the Chip Mali showcases an equally high degree of skill and painstaking attention to detail, which has now become part of the rich oral tradition of skill training passed from one artisan to another for generations within the tribe. Such jewel pieces would be worn only during festivals, weddings, and communal events putting them alongside Gadaba ceremonial attire. Today, tribal museums and ethnographic collections have resuscitated these artifacts and tools for wider recognition.