Diversity of dye-yielding plants traditionally used by ethnic communities of Assam, India

Authors

  • Bhuban Chandra Chutia a:1:{s:5:"en_US";s:19:"Assistant Professor";}
  • Hena Parbin Department of Zoology, , Nagaon University, Nagaon, Assam 782001, India.
  • Abhijit Chandra Roy Department of Zoology, , Nagaon University, Nagaon, Assam 782001, India.
  • Krishna Kanta Medhi Department of Botany, Nagaon University, Nagaon, Assam 782001, India.
  • Utpal Bora Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam 781039, India.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7628.18.5.28950-28956

Keywords:

Biodiversity, Bio-resources, community, documentation, exploration, ethnic Community, Mordents, natural dye, Scientific approach, Textile Industry, traditional Knowledge

Abstract

Many plant species contain natural colouring matter in their leaves, seeds, fruits, roots or bark, suitable for use as dyes. This paper deals with the diversity of traditional dye-yielding plants used by ethnic communities in Assam, India. Field investigation was carried out in villages of upper, middle, and lower Assam, and information was collected based on a semi-structured questionnaire, interviews, and discussions among the major ethnic communities. We report a checklist of 45 plant species used by 13 ethnic communities, including vernacular names and plant parts used. Women in every ethnic group of Assam have rich traditional knowledge of colouring textiles and other objects with dyes extracted from locally available plants, and of fixing them to different bases. Natural dye-yielding plants have immense significance in the socio-economic and socio-cultural life of these ethnic communities. Proper documentation and exploration of dye-yielding plants will help to preserve traditional knowledge.

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Published

26-05-2026

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 5 (2026)

Section

Communications

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Copyright (c) 2026 Bhuban Chandra Chutia, Hena Parbin, Abhijit Chandra Roy, Krishna Kanta Medhi, Utpal Bora

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