This waist ornament would have been worn by a woman of the Adi-Minyong tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, a hilly state in India's north-east. Composed of boldly patterned copper alloy discs strung on cord, it is an example of the rich jewellery traditions of some of India's adivasi or 'tribal' communities, who inhabit some of her more remote regions. It also exemplifies the way in which traditional jewellery in much of South Asia was closely tied to life-cycle rites, for a simple waistband worn by young girls of this community was replaced with a more elaborate one after a puberty ritual, to be removed on the birth of her first child. These traditions have been described by A.K. Das and O. Untracht (see References). There are many other examples of jewellery being used to mark age, status or prowess, especially among the adivasi communities.