Not all traditions are eternal, but the wooden dao holder is one unique traditional article of the Nagas in Nagaland. It has been made with much care and aesthetics; it definitely occupies a prime place within the culture of the Naga people. The dao is a multipurpose machete-like blade implemented by the Nagas as their daily tool for farming, woodcutting, hunting, and ceremonial functions. This dao holder safeguards and carries this instrument. This usually rectangular holder is made of seasoned wood, shaped in a rectangular prism with a grooved cavity that is rectangular for receiving and securing the blade of the dao. This thereby does not allow slippage of the blade. Hence, it becomes both practical and safe. On the ventral surface of the holder, there is an additional groove in which the cotton belt is attached or tightened to allow for the wearing of the holder at the waist or slung across the shoulder when traveling or engaged in labor.
One special characteristic of this dao holder is the secured bundle of 17 small wooden spikes of size about 8.9 cm. Each spike has sharply pointed ends on both sides. This serves a symbolic, decorative, or even functioning purpose, possibly as related to ritual practices or acting in the capacity of a deterrent or protective accessory. Such instruments make not only tools but also forms of expression pertaining to craftsmanship and self-identity among Naga society. The dao and its holder thus express the tradition of warriorhood, agricultural way of life, and their engrossing harmony between the utility and tradition of material culture.