Batik is a variety of fabric decoration that has long been in existence in Sri Lanka; however its potential has been explored adequately only in the past two decades. The term ‘batik’ is derived from ‘tik’, which signifies drawing, painting, and colouring; in this craft, coloured designs are made on the fabric using varied techniques. […]
Ivory has always been a scarce commodity – not more than one in a hundred Sri Lankan male elephants have tusks. However, now that the elephant is a protected animal at Sri Lanka it is almost impossible for the artisans to legitimately obtain ivory to pursue their craft. Ivory-carvers are using other materials like horn […]
Horn craft, especially the carving of buffalo horns – to make bird and animal figures, utility items like combs, cigarette cases, and tobacco pipes, as well as items like necklaces, bracelets, pendants, rings, hair-pins, tie-pins, key tags, cuff links, belt buckles and fan handles – has a long tradition; however, the legal ban on ivory […]
The age-old craft of weaving was prevalent all over the Kandyan region in ancient times; nowadays it is practised mainly at Talagune, Uda Dumbara, and at Vellassa, all in the central province of the country; encouragement from the government – through the Department of Small Industries, State Trading Corporation (Salusala) and the Department of Textile […]
The traditional jewellery of Sri Lanka represents ornate and stylised work, chiefly in gold and silver. The gold and silver artisans are organised in caste-based artisanal ‘guilds’, and represent a family tradition that has thrived on the patronage of royalty and the wealthy. Foreign occupation of Sri Lanka and the decline of royal rule did […]
The traditions of embroidery – the art of decorating a fabric with a thread and needle – in Sri Lanka are very similar to those of weaving: a particular kind of embroidery – remarkably Indian in style – was limited to the royal court and the aristocracy; the other category was an indigenous variety of […]
The Sinhalese use a great deal of terracotta (and sometimes unbaked clay) products for ceremonial, architectural, and domestic purposes. Though the clay ware is extremely utilitarian in character, yet it is also very charming, with interesting forms and decorative motifs and styles. The pottery used for domestic purposes is often unglazed, and undecorated, whereas that […]
Doll-making – popular the world over – is a non-traditional craft that has acquired attention as part of the Sri Lankan government’s attempts of finding new avenues of employment for the unemployed. Dominantly decorative, the craft uses common materials, especially textiles and handloom products, aiming to transform these into artistic and marketable wares that create […]
The coconut shell – a versatile raw material – has several innovative uses. The coconut shell – generally thrown away as a waste material – can and was shaped by some as a kitchen spoon, using one half of a cracked shell. It was also used as a mould for making sweetmeats, a tradition that […]
Sri Lanka’s rich mineral deposits, harking back, according to archaeological authorities, to the proto-historical period has been instrumental in the country having an established tradition of metal-work. Seruvilla, near Trincomalee on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka, was known for an abundance of iron and copper deposits. Blacksmiths or acari and the foundry workers or […]