The Enduring Legacy of Khasi Blacksmithing: Indigenous Metallurgy and Craftsmanship in Meghalaya

Article

By Natalie Jo-Anne Diengdoh

This study explores traditional blacksmithing and indigenous metallurgy among the Khasi people of Meghalaya, India, with a focus on the villages of Mylliem and Nongkynrih. Drawing from oral histories, ethnographic fieldwork, and archival sources, the paper examines how ironworking practices persist as both a livelihood and a cultural expression rooted in myth, ritual, and resistance. In the modern landscape, blacksmithing in Khasi society reflects an adaptive material culture, responding to environmental, spiritual, and socio-political changes. In Mylliem, smithing remains linked to ancestral knowledge, communal cooperation, and utilitarian craft, while in Nongkynrih, it embodies historical defiance especially during the Khasi resistance against British colonial intrusion. The paper also investigates the economic dynamics of local trade, seasonal production, and artisanal specialization. Despite the pressures of modernization and market competition, Khasi blacksmiths continue to forge tools essential to agricultural, domestic, and ritual life. Their work illustrates a resilience that merges technical knowledge, symbolic meaning, and cultural continuity.

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