Cane
and Bamboo Craft
Grass
has an image of purity in India. It is used for prayer for weaving mats
for prayer ad for religions purposes. Willows , grass, reeds and palms
lend themeselves to new forms in the hands of master craftsmen. The
hardy bamboo and cane are no different. Belonging to the grass family,
it has bent to the needs of man. Bamboo carved everyday items and cane
furniture have come home from Manipur, Assam, Kerla and West Bengal.
The
most delightful carving of bamboo comes from Manipur. The unusual basket
from this place is a delightful piece of craft. It's body is square
shaped crafted out of thin slit forms that are woven in checks and
squares. The basket stands on legs and has a dome shaped lid.
The
cane with its long stemmed nature is extraordinarily strong and very
pliant. It is for this reason that furniture and decorative items made
with it are hardy and take
well to usage. The natural colour of the plant gives it an elegance that
makes it growingly popular today.
Glass
Weaving
Grass
weaving is old as man kind. it is one of the simplest of man’s
creations where woven grass moulds itself into some imaginative mat and
basket. The best known places for grass weave are Assam and West Bengal.
A plant that finds preference in this field is sitapatti or the cool
leaf. This is a reed that grows abundantly on marshy lands of both these
States.
The
treatment of the grass is a laborious process. Once ready the reeds are
woven into floor mats, wicker baskets and containers. The colours on the
Stiapatti are tinted before the actual weaving begings, which gives the
craft items some colour.
Screwpine
Work
Another
shrub that lends itself well to the preparation of floor cover is the
screw pine leaf of Kerala. The leaves of the plant grow spirally and
have a thorny edge which has to be removed after which it is slit and
boiled and finally polished into fine skein. At times so fine is the
work done with these slit fibbers that one may use them as soft
dewan covers. Sails for ships were once made with these; So fine
and strong was the fiber woven by the craftsmen of old.
Sikki
Grass
A
natural grass from Bihar that lends itself beautifully to articles of
everyday use is sikki grass. This grass grows in abundance here and has
a lovely golden hue. The grass has obviously ritualistic use, for once
it comes out after the rains the craftspersons cut and store it for use.
With
the help of the coiling technique, the grass is woven and sculptured
into stylistic forms that denote the elephants, birds, riders and horse.
The crafts items is dyed to give it colour while decorative tassels are
used as embellishment. Even boxes and baskets for everyday use are
prepared for the home. Interestingly, a bride includes articles prepared
with this grass in her dowry as a sample of her skills in home craft.
