These pieces of firesticks belong to the Chang Naga tribe of Nagaland and are an excellent representation of the heritage of traditional fire-making technology handed down generations. This object comprises a pair of wooden sticks together with two pieces of bamboo shavings which are main components for making fire without the use of modern tools such as matches or lighters. The usual way of producing fire is by rubbing the two wooden sticks together to produce frictional heat and using the fine bamboo shavings as tinder to catch the spark and start a flame. This requires quite an amount of skill and is traditionally taught as part of their cultural education by elders and the youth. In thick, remote forests where matches were not previously used, such a tool became very important for every aspect of life-cooking, heating and even ceremonial uses.
The materials sourced from the community-the seasoned wood and the bhada bamboo-also proves that the Chang Naga tribe shares a close bonding with Mother Nature itself. Such firesticks would regularly accompany travel or hunting expeditions and were a testimony to the self-reliance and adaptability of the tribe. Today, such artifacts, while replaced in everyday life by modern means of fire-starting, are still preserved and displayed as icons of revered traditional knowledge and craftsmanship. They also signify the ritual importance of fire in tribal culture-as a purifier, protector, and provider.