The dwellers of this bamboo rich state have made ingenious toys using the most abundant resource of the state. Some of the toys made of bamboo are the bamboo pop gun, made by the local craftspersons in Tripura, Assam and Mizoram. The pop gun functions much like a gun in that it releases a small pellet, in this case placed inside the barrel of the gun, which is made of bamboo. A mechanism is provided to regulate the release of the pellet. This device seems to have developed from the innumerable bird and animal traps that are used locally. Other toys that can be seen are the tiny bamboo whistles made from small diameter culm lengths. The whistle gives a shrill sound, when blown. Bamboo flutes of different types are also being made — some of these are used as toys while others are for professional use. Apart from these, Agartala has a tradition of weaving small animals from bamboo splits.
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