TANISHA ZAMAN
Mr. Amresh Panigrahi
tanisha_z.b@nid.edu
This graduation project investigates ways to create awareness of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Nagaland through a design-led approach. Responding to cultural homogenization and environmental degradation, the project explores how traditional knowledge systems of the Naga tribes can inform sustainable and meaningful design solutions. Focusing on adornment as a medium of cultural storytelling, the project aimed to develop contemporary jewellery that embeds ICH within material, form, and narrative. Working closely with women artisans, the study examined banana fibre - a locally available agro-waste material - as an eco-friendly alternative for jewellery making. The process followed a heritage-sensitive methodology, including field visits, artefact analysis, interviews, material exploration, and participatory workshops. Inspired by the role of adornments as visual and symbolic markers in Naga culture, myths, folklore, and traditional practices were translated into modern wearable forms. The outcome comprises three context-sensitive jewellery collections that function as wearable narratives, communicating the cultural memory, belief systems, and sustainable practices of the Naga tribes to a wider audience.