The Santhal tribe of Jharkhand made this wooden door decoy. It is a remarkable representation of tribal woodcarving that aligns utility and ornamentation in a fine merger. The Santhals are among the largest tribal groups in eastern India, known for a plethora of folk traditions, symbolic art, and rich nature traditions. This long, vertically-oriented wooden piece acts as a decorative and structural terminal point for a traditional Santhali door, which would find a place in ancestral homes or ceremony houses. The lower part used as the handle is flat, plain, and elliptical, making it easy to grip. The opposite part of the decoy, having engraved designs, is framed by two carved wave-like patterns, describing the flow of water or the rhythm of life, two central concepts of Santhal cosmology.
The wooden door decoys serve not just to keep out the cold, but to assert cultural and social pride. These usually carry some protective symbolism, shielding what would have been viewed as negative energy or spirits by holding guard at the door. It also speaks of the carpentry and designing skills of the Santhal community that had been passed through generations. These artful components of the door testify to how mundane objects acquire their cultural meanings, thus constructing a lived environment articulating the interplay of use and beauty.