The traditional Mashuri mat is a Khonds tribal hand-made product from Odisha that signifies the interplay of nature with the lives of the tribe as well as their expertise in utilizing nature's resources for their mundane living. The mat is made of soft stemmed grasses found in abundance along water bodies, with Nature providing all the raw materials in a sustainable and eco-friendly manner.
The female mats are made by binding the thin stems together with strips of bark fiber that serve as natural thread. The weaving itself is a simple yet useful technique that gives it a pliable and durable surface to sit and sleep on or dry grains at rural households. Super lightweight, breathable, and biodegradable, these mats were rightfully made for the climate and culture of the tribal communities.
Functionally, these mats find domestic use most of the time but culturally serve a purpose in tribal meetings, rituals, and community feeds. The Khonds' women use to make the Mashuri mats, while the skill was preserved by Khond women through generations as part of their traditional knowledge system.

The Mashuri kept in the Indian Museum, Kolkata, is representative of indigenous craft and sustainable living of Khonds. It is a testimony of the union of Nature and culture in the daily life of the tribes.