The architecture of the comb is unique: it consists of a hollow bamboo tube that forms the central spine or the handle. Into this hollow tube, tiny split bamboo spikes are inserted on either side to form the teeth of the comb, making a dual side grooming tool. This dual-tooth makes the comb mean versatile, one side may be used for detangling coarse hair and the other could be for finer grooming. Further element of tradition is added here by wrapping the cotton thread crisscross around the comb for binding the teeth to tube-a special technique of hand-bound thread for strength in durability and aesthetics that is usually respected in Bhutia material culture.
The Bhutias being an ethnic Tibetan group residing in the eastern Himalayas have an age-old tradition of making utility items from materials, such as cane, wood, and bamboo-nature. The bamboo comb is always kept as a personal belonging sometimes kept it in weaved pouches and shared among family during festivals or auspicious occasions. This object shows how the simple grooming tool is endowed with all that is utility, tradition, and sustainable design for tribal communities like the Bhutias.