Andaman seeks GI tag for Nicobari hodi

Last Updated21/11/2022

Tribal Development Council, Andaman & Nicobar Islands is seeking the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the Nicobari hodi boat.
This is the first application from the Andaman & Nicobar Islands seeking a tag for one of its products.

The hodi is the Nicobari tribe’s traditional craft. It is an outrigger canoe, very commonly operated in the Nicobar group of islands.
The design of Hodi slightly varies from island to island. In Andaman and Nicobar Islands, except the Jarawa tribe other tribes are using different kinds of outrigger canoes.
These canoes have proper buoyancy and stability for racing.
Hodi races are held between islands and villages.
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.
The tuhet, a group of families under a headman, consider the hodi an asset.