6 NATURAL FIBRES

Fibre made from the edible banana plant is used in weaving

the traditional Japanese fibre cloth called bashofu. The
cloth is smooth, stiff and is used in making the kimono,
the traditional Japanese dress.
The craft of extracting fibre from the banana plant,
spinning the yarn, weaving it into cloth and patterning the
cloth was a highly valued craft of the Okinawa Islands.
Japan has an ancient tradition of crafts that were
renowned throughout the world for their elegant
sophistication. World War II, rapid industrialisation and
urbanisation in Japan, in the last century, threatened this
artistic heritage. The younger generations were hesitant
to continue the family traditions in the twenty-first century,
the age of computers and television.
It was then that the government started a new scheme
and great artists, who excel in the area of crafts and
creativity, are honoured with the title of ëLiving National
Treasureí in Japan. Scholars, visitors and students are A traditional Japanese
encouraged to explore, research and study with these kimono
masters. This is a wonderful example of how today the
Japanese value their craft traditions and honour the great
practitioners of crafts.

How This Craft Started

Communities living in diverse climates and harsh terrains
have creatively responded to the challenges of their
environment by transforming locally available natural
fibres to create a large variety of objects necessary for
their survival.
The ingenuity of community artists created a great variety
of natural fibre products. The products range in both scale
and form ó from large architectural creations of homes
and shelters, suspension bridges and fences to smaller
objects: baskets, mats and hand fans.
The bamboo and cane crafts of the North Eastern region
of India represent a large storehouse of forms and traditional
62 LIVING CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA

wisdom. The forms of several baskets have evolved as a

response to function, as seen in examples such as the open-
weave baskets of Mizoram which are flexible and allow the
person to carry firewood, while the close-weave baskets of
Garo hills in Meghalaya are used to transport and store
rice grains. Other forms of baskets have been determined
by culture or in responses of different communities.

What Is a Natural Fibre?

Natural fibres made of cellulose or plant matter can be
obtained from almost every part of the plant such as the
root, stem or shoot, leaf, fruit and bark from many tree
species (see following table).
Fibre can be extracted from a leaf which is fibrous,
pliable, strong and green. If the leaf can be wound around
a finger without breaking, then it indicates a potential
Banana fibre source for making fibre.

Root Stem Branch Leaf Fruit/Seed

Khus Bamboo Willow Palmyra Cotton

Kora grass Palm date Coir
Jute Palm coconut Arecanut
Hemp Arecanut palm
Water hyacinth Sisal
Banana Banana
Kauna reed Pineapple
Khus fibre Cane palm Screw pine
Moonj grass
Sarkanda
Wagoo reed
Sikki grass
Cannabis/pulla
Wicker
Bhindi
Nettle
Flax
Arhar/Pigeon pea
Sisal fibre
Beauty of Natural Fibres
Natural fibre products have certain distinctive qualities:
they share a common language of colour, texture and of
belonging to the earth. The appearance, feel, and texture of
a bamboo basket is clearly different from that of a plastic
bag. No two bamboo baskets are of the same colour while
they could have the same form. A woven surface, like a
Fibre: filament or thread
reed mat, could have many shades of white or brown.
of a natural or synthetic
material that can be Leading fashion houses today search for such beauty as
spun into yarn lies in asymmetry, irregularity and natural warmth.
NATURAL FIBRES 63

Fibres are obtained by shredding or peeling parts of plants, or pounding

them to make threads or by cutting them to make strips.
Fibres from plants pre-date cloth woven from yarn spun from cotton.
Ancient communities must have used natural fibres to build shelters
and thatched roofs.

Qualities of Natural Fibres

Different fibres have varying physical properties of strength,
appearance, pliability, colour, texture and fragrance.
Traditional skills and knowledge of working with these
materials is an economic activity, often undertaken as an
additional activity, to earn a little extra income when there
is a break in the agricultural cycle of work.

Roots
Khus or ramacham in Malayalam (Vetiveria zizaniodes) is
the aromatic root of a densely tufted grass. The grass has
a thick root system which helps in checking soil erosion. It
is thus an excellent stabilising hedge for stream banks,
terraces and rice paddies. Khus grass grows wild in many
states but is cultivated in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab,
Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Khus is known for its fragrance and cooling properties.
The roots are used for making mats, beds, and pads for
desert coolers. The dried stems are used for making brooms,
fans, hats and footwear, and for thatching.

Stems
A great variety of baskets, mats and floor coverings are
made from grass and reed fibres which are referred to in
local languages as moonj, sarkanda, kora, sikki, chipkiang,
madur kathi, rice straw, kauna reed. Reeds grow naturally
in marshy land and in ponds.
Kauna is the local name for a reed or rush belonging to Unfinished reed mat,
the family Cyperaceae which is cultivated in the wetlands Manipur
of the Imphal valley. It has a cylindrical, soft and spongy
stem which is woven into mats, square and rectangular
cushions and mattresses by the women of the Meitei
community of Manipur. The raw material for the craft is
obtained by simple processing wherein the reed is cut near
the base of the plant and dried in the sun. It is also smoked
if it is to be preserved and stored for a longer time. The
mats are woven by interlacing the stalks with jute threads
using basic and simple tools. The mats and cushions have
a unique edge finishing which is done by hand.
 64 LIVING CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA

Korai (Tamil Nadu) or kora (Kerala) also of the Cyperaceae

family is a sedge or wetland plant which is cultivated in the
southern districts of Tamil Nadu. The stems are cut near
the base of the plant, spliced vertically and dried in the
sun. On drying the spliced stems curl into a smooth and
tubular form. A large variety of matsówith stripes,
geometrical motifs, natural and dyed coloursóare woven in
several districts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The mats are
woven on horizontal floor looms. The ribbed natural coloured
mats are popularly used as floor coverings.
In Midnapur District of West Bengal, another type of reed
similar to kora called madur kathi (Cyperus corymbosus) is
cultivated, harvested and processed. Finely spliced madur
is woven into mats that have a central field enclosed by
A kora mat weaver on the patterned borders. The weavers ingeniously use two subtly
traditional loom, Tamil Nadu differentiated natural colour splits or selectively dyed parts
of the splits to differentiate the borders with dyed colour.
Both the loom and the weaving technique used are very
basic but require the use of manual skills and craftsmanship
rather than sophisticated equipment and technology.
Unlike the woven mats, shital pati or ëcool matsí made
by the plaiting technique are made in Assam and Tripura.
The mat has a smooth and lustrous surface. The murta
plant or (Maranta dichotoma) is harvested when green,
washed in soda water and dried. It is then boiled and sliced
into strips for plaiting the mat.
In Uttar Pradesh and Bihar women make baskets using
the technique of coiling. These compact containers are made
for local use with spliced moonj or sikki grass stalks. The
Shital pati, Assam trays and shallow containers are used to store foodgrains
and flour. Moonj baskets with multi-coloured fibres and
bold patterns are made for a daughterís trousseau.
In the Madhubani District of Bihar, women make
Mat weaver separating the stem
of the sedge or kathi from the
figurines of deities, animals and birds for ritual and
leaf stalk,West Bengal everyday use with sikki or golden grass used in combination
with multi-coloured dyed stalks. The imagery of these forms
echoes the folk art of Mithila, the cultural region on the
northern banks of the Ganges.
Strips obtained from the palm leaf are also used to make
coiled baskets and containers in Haryana. A bunch of moonj
grass fibres forms the core material of the coil and a palm
leaf strip is wound over the coil and binds consecutive
rows of coils in place.
Furniture items such as the mooda or stools are examples
of elegant products made entirely from natural fibres such
as sarkanda and moonj. Sarkanda is a wild grass found in
Haryana and its long stems are used in making the
indigenous mooda.
NATURAL FIBRES 65

Bamboo is a giant tree-like grass

which mostly grows wild in the tropical
and sub-tropical regions of the world.
Bamboo is significant as a renewable
resource that is found abundantly in
India. These tall grasses have straight,
woody and cylindrical stems, which
have nodes. Some stems are hollow and
some are solid. These cylindrical stems
or culms taper at the top. The nodes at
the top have branches with leaves and
flowers. Bamboos grow closely in
clumps. There are 136 species of
bamboo in India. The botanical name is
bambusae. Bamboos grow quicklyó
60mm to 200mm in a day and some
species grow up to 900mm in a day. It
is a widely used material that is hardy,
durable, economical and biodegradable.
Bamboo is used whole as well as split
in different widths to make a large range
of products. Simple tools like a dao or
bill-hook knife or wide-bladed knife are
widely used for making splits. Bamboo
has long fibres running along its length Bast fibres are generally
and the bond between the fibres is long fibres. Consequently
they are used in making
relatively weak while the fibres
yarn and weaving cloth
themselves are extremely strong. This
structural characteristic affords easy
splitting along the length.
Local communities use this
characteristic in an appropriate manner
while devising different products.
Jute, a stem or bast fibre, is
cultivated in West Bengal. Jute cloth is
brittle and deteriorates with exposure
to sun and rain. It has been popular as
inexpensive packaging material. In the
craft sector, today, there is a renewed
interest in finding innovative
applications of jute such as fashion
accessories, bags and wall panelling
using macramÈ, crochet, braiding and
other non-woven techniques.
Detail of a contemporary wall
panel made with jute yarn using
macramÈ or knotting technique
66 LIVING CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA

Boxes made of palm strips for various uses

A large variety of baskets, containers, mats and

furniture are made from the leaves and stem of trees
and plants belonging to the palm family.
Palm trees are commonly found in the coastal
regions of India and some varieties like the date palm
grow in semi-arid regions. While coconut, arecanut
and date palm trees have feather like leaves, the
palmyra or toddy palm has fan-like leaves.
The local population of coastal Tamil Nadu is
known for judiciously using every part of the palm
tree for a wide range of applicationsóthe trunk is
used in local architecture and for making rafts; the
leaves are used whole as roof thatch and wall panels
while strips are woven into baskets, winnowing trays
An artisan making strips of the and for packaging fish and jaggery. Palm oil and
palm leaf by inserting a knife
in the leaf fold and separating
palm fruit are edible products.
the leaf from the midrib
A palm-leaf craftsmanís house, Tamil Nadu
NATURAL FIBRES 67

Cane is an important forest produce

found mainly in north-eastern parts of
India. It is cylindrical and of uniform
thickness, solid and brown in colour. Its
properties of being tough, flexible and
elastic have made whole cane suitable
for use in furniture, hats, walking sticks,
fishing rods and baskets. In Arunachal
Pradesh even suspension bridges are
made of cane. Cane splits are used for
tying and binding, and are especially used
for finishing the rims and edges of baskets
due to their smoothness and pliability.
Canes are long slender stems of
climbing plants which belong to the palm
family. India has about 30 species of cane
growing in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh,
the Andamans, Nagaland, Manipur,
Mizoram, Meghalaya, Kerala, Karnataka
and Tamil Nadu.

Cane-and-bamboo suspension bridge over a

torrential river in Along, Arunachal Pradesh

A shallow circular basket

made from whole cane

Cane furniture made

by skilled craftsmen,
Nagaland
 Fruit
The coconut palm tree also
has multiple uses of its
stem, fronds, fruit and nut.
Coir fibre extracted from
the outer husk of green
coconuts is spun into yarn
and ropes while the fibre of
brown coconut is used as
stuffing in mattresses.
The coconut palm tree
Coconut husks have to be
grows wild. retted or steeped in water to loosen them from the tough
husks. Coir producing villages are located in the backwaters
habitat of Kerala which abound in the skills of processing
and spinning coir and of weaving coir floor coverings. White
coir extracted from the green husk is of superior quality
and withstands salt corrosion. It has wide-ranging
applications, for instance, in ship-building and for making
floor coverings.

Leaf
The screw pine is a tropical plant known for its soil
conservation properties. It is grown as a hedge or as a
boundary wall in Kerala. It is available in abundance and
provides a source of income to rural women who make
Coir fibre strips from the leaves to weave mats. The leaves are also
used as roof thatches. Strips are interlaced diagonally to
weave mats and large surfaces that are
then cut and sewn to make containers,
bags and hats.
There are male and female species
of the screw pine. The female screw
pine produces a finer quality of fibre
used in weaving traditional mats called
mettha pai which are soft and cool to
sleep on. The male screw pine produces
coarser fibre. In Thazava in Kollam
district of Kerala, double layer mats
are made which are edged with a vivid
coloured strip used to stitch the layers
together. The white mat is burnished
with a stone that gives it a polish.

The pinnate or compound leaves

being woven together
NATURAL FIBRES 69

All the World in a Basket

A basket, that common object of daily use, can
powerfully affect the sense and mind ó somewhat
as the contemplation of a grain of sand can lead
to insights on the nature of the world.
What appeals first is the visual texture, that
distinctive aspect of baskets, arising from this
definitive quality of being woven. We delight in
the patterns and textures made of rope, leaves,
grass, rushes, sticks or twigs or other similar
material. We may instinctively run our hands over
the surface: an understandable reaction because
texture, whether physical or visual, is a quality
of surface.
On seeing baskets we feel one with humanity: Traditional bamboo
however rich or poor or highly formally educated or illiterate craftspersons, Orissa
we may be, from virtually any part of the world and, indeed,
from almost any era ó we can relate to the basket. Together
with pottery, basketry is one of the oldest human crafts. Bamboo craft practised by
Gathering material from the natural environment, and making both men and women is a
from it a receptacle useful for the storage and transportation traditional and hereditary
of objects; a receptacle designed for ease and comfort of use source of livelihood for
as relating to the human anatomy ó what an act of creative several people in the states
transformation this is! from Gujarat in the west to
However, our admiration of the quantities of the design is Assam in the east, and
often directed at a group rather than an individual ó who Uttar Pradesh in the north
knows which anonymous craftsperson added an innovation to Kerala in the south.
which was later refined, preferred and adapted by many?
Particular types of baskets do gain associations with particular
regions and cultures, such as the conical basket of the apple
gatherers in the Kullu valley, and the basket of the Kangri pot Functional products made of
which could even be regarded as a symbol of Kashmir. ekra bamboo by the Khasis
Another human and social point is an economic one: when of Meghalaya
one buys a traditional basket it is more likely
that the sale would benefit not a factory owner
or company but an individual who is possibly
not wealthy and is working with a greater
degree of autonomy such as by being a member
of a cooperative.
Baskets may be considered desirable today
from an ecological point of view, being made
from fast growing plant materials used
without much processing (hence saving
energy). The production of baskets does not
require energy ó and resource-rich factories
or processes; and baskets are bio-degradable
and hence less polluting.
ñ DEEPAK HIRANANDANI, The Times of India,
28 May 2001
70 LIVING CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA

Worldwide Use of Natural Fibres

The importance of papyrus, a fresh water reed in ancient
Egypt is evident from its primeval origins. Papyrus is a tall
flowering reed and its use is functional and religious and
was part of the mythology of ancient Egypt. Papyrus had
multiple usesófrom paper for manuscripts to papyrus boats
that were the lifeline of the River Nile, sails were made
from the bark, seams of the larger wooden boats were
caulked with papyrus, rigging was made of papyrus fibres
and papyrus flower was a sacred symbol of the pharaohs.

The Mbuti Pygmies living in the Ituri forests

Eskimos in Alaska and
of Equatorial Africa are hunter -gatherers
communities in the islands of the
known for their knowledge of plants for
Pacific Ocean such as Tonga,
multiple usesóas food, shelter, medicine,
Samoa, Hawaii, Papua New
furniture, weapons, poison for hunting, as
Guinea, Fiji and New Zealand,
cloth and dyes.
produced bark-cloth by a
repeated action of beating strips
of bark of the fig tree. When the
strips are thin, several strips are
taken together and beaten into In Europe, North America and
a large sheet. Sometimes starch Alaska mats are made of grass, rush
was applied in parts to join the and sedge; baskets are made from
strips. Tapa or the barkcloth of split wood, shoots of hard wood trees,
Tonga is painted using a stencil willow, wicker and barks of trees.
that is cut from the midrib of
the coconut frond.

The grasslands of South Africa

provide material for coiled basketry
while wetlands provide reeds and
rushes for mats; deserts are the home
of agaves or succulent cacti, tropics
for palms and cultivated land for
straw.
NATURAL FIBRES 71

In the cold and temperate forests of North

America and Europe, the barks of the birch
tree and hardwoods of deciduous trees are
used as slats in basketry.

In the tropical and sub-tropical regions of

Asia, Africa and South America, the
jungles are a rich source of bamboo and
cane, which provide bamboo and leaves
for building shelters, tools and implements
for agriculture, fishing and the daily needs
of settled communities.

Coiled basketry made of grass The use of bamboo in Bangladesh,

fibre or palm leaf fibre is found Burma, South-East Asia, China and
in Morocco, East Africa, India, Japan is very extensive and is integral
Ghana, Mexico, Bolivia, to the culture of the East.
Guatemala and islands of the
Pacific Ocean. Ceremonial
baskets and headwear are often
formed by techniques such as
coiling, twining, plaiting and
are embellished with feathers,
shells, coins and a bold use of
pattern and colour.

Japan has a unique sensibility

for bamboo that is reflected in
the forms of traditional
architecture, fences, craft, art
and textiles. It is a craft
tradition that values the pristine
quality of nature, studied
simplicity and excellence in
craftsmanship.
72 LIVING CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA

E XERCISE
.............................
1. All cultivated plant materials as well as those found in
the wild in our forests are potentially renewable
resources that can be used for a large number of
applications if their use by humans is moderated in a
sustainable manner. Compare and apply the principle
of sustainability in three craft traditions ó stone, metal
and natural fibre.

2. In your opinion what differentiates plastic objects from

objects made of natural fibres?

3. What are the qualities and properties of natural fibres

and how have these properties been used in craft?
Explain with examples.

4. Refer to the Internet and describe the use of natural

fibres in one Asian country.

5. The conversion of forest land into agricultural and

industrial areas has led to problems for the bamboo
crafts community in India. Develop ideas that can help
solve these problems.

6. Draft a scheme that you would like to start in India to

elevate our craft traditions and honour the great
practitioners of crafts.

7. What is the impact of the intrusion of plastic ware into

rural and urban homes? (Think of the following: the
rural economy, traditional crafts and skills, environment
and health.)

8. Unlike clay and stone, basket-making is not a full-time

profession. Compare and contrast and give reasons why
this is usually the case.