Nigalo｜A Small Bamboo of the Himalayan Mountains

The material used for Dalo is a bamboo known locally as Nigalo.

It comes from Darchula, in the far west of Nepal, a mountainous region close to the borders with Tibet and India.

A Village at Around 2,000 Metres

The village where the makers live lies in the mountains at an elevation of around 2,000 metres. Terraced fields and homes are scattered along the slopes. When we visited in October, tall stacks of fodder grass and corn stood around the houses, and beans and other crops were growing in the fields.

Rice cultivation is difficult in this region, and life is supported by grain farming and livestock.

With strong sunlight and large temperature shifts, houses are built with stone and thick earthen walls. Grain and chillies were drying on the rooftops.

Dalo is rooted in this mountain environment and way of life.

A Slender, Small Bamboo

Drepanostachyum falcatum is a small bamboo distributed across the Himalayan region.

In western Nepal it grows at elevations of roughly 1,000–2,000 metres. Its culms are slender and do not grow as tall as larger bamboos. Many culms emerge from short rhizomes, forming dense clumps.

The Nigalo we saw in the mountains was also slender and relatively low-growing. This form reflects not only the growing environment but characteristics of the species itself.

Wild plants can be smaller than cultivated ones; studies of bamboo in Nepal identify browsing by animals as one contributing factor.

Nigalo and Mountain Life

Alongside its use as basket material, Nigalo contributes to soil retention through its rhizomes and roots around slopes and terraced fields. Its leaves are also used as livestock fodder.

Bamboo craft, farming, livestock keeping, and slope management are connected through the same plant.

The Nigalo used for Dalo is harvested farther into the mountains.