Ornamental Santal earring ornaments of OdishaThe Santal Tribe in India is well known for having a very rich and symbolic jewellery heritage and is also known to always be very close to nature while adorning their precious assets. Perhaps because of this connection to nature within their lifestyle, designs such as floral and organic motifs are very common in such ornaments.At one end of the ornament, rather a flower ornament is tied through a short section of metallic chain to a bowl-shaped structure. The combination of this form and function not merely adds beauty to the ornament, but it will also speak volumes for the intricate pieces of craftsmanship of the tribe. The smaller metallic pin dangling off the end of each chain can be inserted into the back of the flower motif to allow for neat locking of the ear.
For the Santals, jewellery is much more than mere ornamentation; it is a symbol of identity, social status, and sometimes also of spiritual belief. Such floral items, as depicted in these ear-worn ornaments, are often representative of a woman, fertility, and the cycles of nature, which are part of the cosmology and communal rituals of the Santals.The ear ornaments, now part of a tribal collection in the Indian Museum in Kolkata, encapsulate indigenous design in eternal beauty. They are synonymous with the timeliness that comes with tribal craftsmanship from Odisha, hence echoes the spirit and tradition of the Santal people.