The Gunsur Malias tribe is an indigenous tribe that can be found in one of the shaded forest pockets of eastern India. For sustenance, they very much depend on primitive means such as fishing and hunting. Their most important fishing tool is the Kudingonpaka, a pointed iron arrow with cultural as well as utility value. Kudingonpaka has a very sharply pointed iron arrowhead manufactured by local blacksmiths with time-tested techniques handed down through generations. Its shape is slender and streamlined for piercing water effectively when used for spearing fish in shallow rivers, streams, and ponds. The pointed iron tip gives it precision and penetration power when targeting fast-moving aquatic life.
This tackle for fishing is mainly used in a hand-cast or bow-assisted method of fishing and done during the daytime for better visibility of the fish. The Gunsur Malias, who've been very close to nature, generally do their fishing with the changing seasons and when the water is clear, using the Kudingonpaka even more effectively. Not only is the Kudingonpaka functional, but it is also very symbolic: it brings to the Gunsur Malias an ancestral past where every instrument was painstakingly hand-crafted with deep respect for the environment in which he lived. Local materials contribute to the make of the arrow, thus a true example of what the tribe considers sustainable resourcefulness in living.