The State Museum

Meghalaya State Museum is a well-preserved museum located in Shillong, Meghalaya. Situated in the State Central Library complex, it is one of the most popular museums in Meghalaya. Functioning under the Art and Culture Department of Meghalaya, the Museum was established in the year 1975 and was renamed as Williamson Sangma Museum in 1999 as a mark of respect to the Father of Meghalaya. The Museum displays the lifestyle and cultural diversity of various tribes of Meghalaya. The museum is divided into two galleries, which are dedicated to different tribal groups of Meghalaya. Visitors can see wooden crafts, tribal dresses, exquisite ornaments, traditional weapons, utensils, pottery items, and musical instruments of Jaintia and Khasi tribes in the first gallery. The specialties of this gallery are the Muga cloth, hand-woven baskets, and Wein pottery. The second gallery belongs to Garos and has a similar collection of artifacts, which offer a detailed insight into the inheritance of this native mountainous tribe. Bamboo hut models, tribal attire, local weapons like Selu and Sephi, colorful turbans, and ornaments like Ringitok and Seng-Ki are the highlights of this gallery. Visitors can purchase many of the items displayed in this museum. The museum also houses a habitat section displaying living places of tribes, instruments used for day-to-day activities such as hunting and fishing. Travelers can also witness weapons, transportation equipment, agricultural tools, and household articles like pots, spoons, water jug, tobacco boxes, baskets. There is also a gallery showcasing beautiful oil paintings and musical instruments used by people in the North East. Apart from all these, there are statues and monuments dedicated to local patriots who fought for the region