The Pani-Chil-Botak is a wooden bolt used by the Rabha tribe, which is an indigenous community of Assam and parts of North Bengal. This object, handcrafted and preserved in the Indian Museum, Kolkata, reflects the craft of weapon making and in-depth bamboo-based crafting skills of the tribes.The bolt consists of two significant parts: a long bamboo shaft and the head which is circular and flat made of a bamboo node. The shape is designed to ensure stability in flight and moderate contact with the target, thereby making it suitable for hunting small game, or to be used as a practice tool in tribal sports. The flight capability is further enhanced by tying feathers around the tail end of the shaft that are held together with a simple cotton thread-an effective technique that has been passed through for generations.
For the Rabha people, tradition has relied on such last tools for subsistence hunting and served as cultural symbols in tribal festivals and games. The Pani-Chil-Botak embodies furthermore the sustainable lifestyle of the community and its rich heritage in resource utilization.