The Gadaba tribe's majority population dwells in the hilly areas of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. It has an amazing relationship with nature and also excells in crafts, art and tools. Among the tools that are used for hunting and protection, very important in cultural and utilitarian senses would be Kanda. It is a very important arrow, handcrafted into perfection.
Kanda is made from two main components: a bamboo shaft and an iron arrowhead. Bamboo shaft-although lightweight has high tensile strength and is picked and nuanced to give the best balance and flight. An iron blade is put into this shaft and tightly clenched at one end to make a firm connection that would enhance both the accuracy and penetrative power of the arrow.
What makes Kanda unique is the fact that it has a unique iron arrowhead with the sharp two barbs at the base. These two barbs are designed to prevent the exit of the arrow after piercing a target and hence makes the weapon very effective tool for hunting purposes. The arrowhead does show the traditional knowledge in metallurgy possessed by the Gadaba tribe along with their ability to forge tools needed for a survival in a very dense and rough kind of terrain.
Kanda otherwise would mean not just a weapon; it's like an identity for the tribe and ancestral knowledge transferred from generations. It represents the inventiveness of the Gadaba tribe, their affinity to nature, and their string dependence on traditional skills in an age very rapidly turning to modernity.