The sickle is an ancient and important agricultural tool used by the Rabha people mainly for their agricultural activities. The Rabhas living in the northeastern states of India, mainly in Assam, some in Meghalaya, and some in West Bengal, form one of the indigenous agricultural communities for whom agriculture has a great cultural and historical importance. It includes harvesting crops, grass-cutting work, or removing land for agriculture.
The special feature of this traditional sickle is that it is made of curved iron, serrated sharp cutting edge designed to cut quickly and clean without leaving ragged or crushed parts in crops and weeds with its chered iron blade. The blade of the tool is forged on a circular ferrule which gives strength to the hold between the blade and the handle, hence imparts durability and strength. The handle is made of wood, making a firm grip during operation, giving the advantage of easy working with less strain even up to exhaustive work. The tang part of the blade is fitted into wood through the traditional method, which optimizes the strength and endurance of the instrument.
For Rabha people, agriculture is a way of life rather than an economic profession. Generally, it tends to mingle with their cultural practices and identity. These tools like sickles, passed down from their forefathers to their descendants, depict the knowledge of the techniques of farmworking and metal use in making tools in this tribal community. The sickle presents the practical ingenuity of the Rabha artisans in its design with sharp and durable structures.
Even today, this traditional sickle plays a central role for the people of Rabha, capturing their ties to land and their forefathers' agricultural culture.