KOLKATA - Growing up in Arunachal Pradesh, Mr Tadar Kayung often admired the striking clouded leopard jawbones worn by Nyishi tribesmen, strapped to their belts holding traditional machetes.

At 27, the Nyishi electronics postgraduate student finally wore one with pride – during the February Nyokum harvest festival – but it didn’t come from a clouded leopard killed in the Eastern Himalayas. It was instead created from a 3D printer.

Hunters in this Indian state have traditionally brandished animal jawbones to show off their hunting prowess. But these days, said Mr Kayung, even ordinary men wear them to flaunt their style, to tell others that they are “equally dangerous”.

“I wanted one for the same reason,” he told The Straits Times.

The clouded leopard jaw is among several animal part replicas that start-up Arunachal Ivory and Ornaments (AIO) produces in Yupia, a town near the north-eastern state’s capital Itanagar.

The company makes lifelike replicas of animal parts – including clouded leopard and tiger jaws, hornbill beaks and eagle claws – using 3D-printing technology. Its goal: Reduce the hunting of vulnerable species still used for tribal adornment across Arunachal Pradesh.

In this tribal-dominated state, where at least 26 major groups live, animal parts have deep cultural significance. Hornbill beaks, for instance, symbolise manhood and vitality, while tiger or clouded leopard jaws signify social status.

AIO’s co-founder Nabam Bapu estimates five to six animals can be killed to complete a single male Nyishi ceremonial outfit. It is a realisation he stumbled upon during a casual conversation on Nyishi costumes over morning tea with his wife Likha Nana, a history researcher with whom he co-founded AIO in 2022.

“We have not been able to unsee that moment,” Mr Bapu, also a Nyishi, told The Straits Times.

Why should animals be killed just so that tribals can dress themselves, the couple wondered. But they also realised asking locals to give up their cherished traditional costumes was not an option.

“Our culture...