Daham, a rectangular wooden platform used traditionally by the Rabha tribe of Assam and Meghalaya, is carved from a single block of wood with great care to reflect the craftsmanship and aesthetic sense of the tribe. This upper (dorsal) surface is flat and very beautifully engraved with floral as well as geometric motifs-and these are indications that arts are quite well embedded in the very functioning tribal objects.Even the platform bears English numbers inscribed in its center, which seems to reflect a little bit of cross-cultural or era influence-something from the colonial period, perhaps. This platform stands on four strong wooden legs, also carved from the same single wooden block, showcasing expert joinery and structural integrity.
For instance, sitting, keeping domestic stuff, or even a religious event, it is so much used. It then carries a functional and ritualistic purpose for the tribal household. It may bear ceremonial or sanctified value too since it withstands the tests of time and labor put into its ornamentation.