Context

The GI Registry at Guindy, Chennai, has received an application from the Tribal Development Council, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, seeking the GI tag for the Nicobari hodi craft.

About

About Nicobari hodi:

• “Hodi” is the Nicobari tribe’s traditional craft.
• It is an outrigger canoe, very commonly operated in the Nicobar group of islands.
• The technical skills for building a hodi are based on indigenous knowledge inherited by the Nicobarese from their forefathers.
• The hodi is built using either locally available trees or from nearby islands, and its design varies slightly from island to island.
• Hodis is used for transporting people and goods from one island to another, for sending coconuts, and for fishing and racing purposes.
• Hodi races are held between islands and villages.
• This is the first application from the Union Territory seeking a tag for one of its products.