2. KITCHEN ITEMS
Hendi-ana is the name given to spoon racks in the kitchen. These racks are suspended from a beam. The long handles of the spoons are set in the holes. Spoons and the handles of vessels have designs carved on them: dancers, musicians, and wrestlers as well as mythical animal and bird motifs. Spoons and sweetmeat moulds (
sini pittu katu) made from coconut shells (
pol-katuva) with carvings are common. Water dippers or
kinisi made of whole coconut shells with beautifully carved wooden handles that are passed through and pegged inside are also made. The coconut shells are elaborately carved and sometimes silver-mounted.
The coconut scraper or
hiramanaya is a shaped log or
kolombuva having a toothed disc as a rasp; the
vap-pihiya or vegetable slicer has a bill-hook set edge upwards in a wooden holder. The user can actually work both devices simultaneously. The coconut scraper set in the form of a book-rest is known as
yatura-hiramaya. Wooden flat-cake moulds and jaggery moulds are carved with representations of elephants and lions (
olinda poruva). Granary seals are also made of wood as are string rice presses.
3. IMPLEMENTS
Agricultural implements like plough or
nagula and scraper or
poruva, as well as
laha and
kuruniya measures and bells or clappers for animals are made of wood and usually ornamented.
THE CONTEMPORARY PRODUCT RANGE
1. Wood Sculptures & Figures
Wooden sculptures have become a popular craft item, owing to increased demand from among the visiting tourist population. This has encouraged the carvers with the special skills of carving and sculpting to similar figures of humans and animals in flat or round shapes singly and in groups. This skill is predominant in the southern part of the country. The themes for these sculptures are not just statues of Buddha and gods but also include compositions of scenes and events drawn from local history, legend, and contemporary life.
The products are usually carved from hard woods like ebony,
palu, sandalwood,
gam-malu, and
na, which are close-grained woods. Statues of Buddha are usually carved out of sandalwood. The tools used to make figures out of wood include simple items like hand-saw, chisels of various sizes, mallet, and a divider and square. An adze is used for shaping the log, and chisels of different sizes and shapes are used for carving.
A piece of wood is first selected and a rough shape is chiseled out on it through a process known as
baragahanawa. After this, the actual features are delineated: this process, executed with fine chisels, is known as
mattangahanawa. This image is then smoothened out and polished.
Among all the animals that are carved,
elephants occupy pride of place; this is especially true of artisans working with ebony (
Diospyros Ebenum), a prized variety of timber. Ebony elephants are primarily crafted in the Galle region, which is in the southern part of the country. Elephant figures are carved in big and small sizes and are also carved arranged in a row. Ebony wood is too valuable to be wasted and some of the other items carved out of it include ash-trays, walking-sticks, jewellery-boxes, gift-boxes, pen-holders, household items, wall hangings, fancy jewellery, figurines, sculpture, ornamental products and seasonal decorations. These items are carved from even bits and pieces of ebony. Porcupine quill inlaid on ebony and other hardwoods in delicate designs make lovely jewellery-boxes, ash-trays and stools. Ebony is obtained from the 'Dry Zone' of the country so the artisans who involved in ebony-wood carving have moved form the southern district of Galle to regions like Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, and Polonnaruwa, all in centres with a high tourist population. Satin and teakwood are also used.
The products made out of ebony like elephants, and sculptures of gods and human figures command very high prices in the market. Ebony elephants from Sri Lanka are rated as valuable export earners. The artisans who find ebony too expensive use hardwood and sometimes colour a cheaper variety of wood black for their use.
Some of the problems faced by this craft are that supplies of ebony supplies are dwindling in the country due to rapid deforestation; the government has also decided to exercise controls on the same. The wood supplies are. The craftsmen are unable to purchase ebony in sufficient quantities to pursue their craft. This lean period in the ebony wood craft industry poses a challenge to the artisans who have to make use of other woods for creating carvings and sculptures and animals which must appeal not only to the visual sense but also to the tactile sense.
2. Wooden Toys
Wooden toys were mainly made for the local market a decade ago when the foreign toys were too expensive and not easily available. The quality of toys made today are so good that they are exported to a large extent. Wooden toys from Sri Lanka are rated as high export earners. Some of the wooden craft items made for children are toys like puzzles, alphabet sets, book-ends, and games which are educational in nature along with accessories and nursery items. Some of the processes in the craft-making technique are mechanized; this means that those stages of the craft that are done by hand get maximum attention.
The wood types used to make the toys include mahogany, teak, ebony, and even softwoods, all of which are moulded again to meet the market requirements of colour, design, and quality. These toys are by and large hand-made and are painted with non-toxic paints. They provide children with the opportunity to develop hand and eye coordination and motor skills along with encouraging creativity and imaginative play. These toys satisfy the general international toy-regulations like health and hygiene along with the needs of educational psychology.
There are a special group of artisans who reside in Moratuwa and its environs - on the western coast of the country, close to Colombo who carve out miniature models of European cars like Rolls Royce and Benz almost to perfection. This highlights their astonishing wood-crafting skills. These toy-like miniatures are daintily constructed and finished to look like the original in every detail; they are highly in demand by foreign buyers.
Important locations include:
- Colombo district: the villages of Moratuwa, Boralesgamuwa, Angoda, Peliyagoda, Mount Lavinia, Pannipitiya, Colombo, Nugegoda, Kesbewa, Malabe, and Ratmalana.
- Galle district (in the south of the country; 148 kilometres form Colombo): the villages of Kalegana, Kumbalwella, Wekunegoda, Kapugampola, Wataraka, Peduruwa, Milidduwa, and Osanagoda.
- Gampaha district (next to Colombo): the villages of Mahara, Negombo, Pelawatta, Weboda, Ganegama, Mirigama, Attanagalla, Kadawata, Gampaha, Weliya, Kopiwatta, Udugampola, Katana, Weke, and Minuwangoda.
- Jaffna district (northern-most tip of the island): the villages of Puttur West, Irumpalai, Pathamani, Kopay North, Puttur East, Atchuveli, Ureluand, and Madduvil South.
- Kegalle district: the villages of Garagoda, Angunwela, Utuwankanda, Karandupaha, and Ambulugoda.
- Kilinochchi district (northern part of the country): Kilinochchi itself.
- Matara district (in the south): the villages of Tudawa, Watukolakanda, Thumbe, Henegama, Dondra, Wepothira, Kirinda-Magin-Ihala, Kahandugoda, Malimbada, and Kapugama.
- Mullaitivu district: the villages of Puthukkudiyiruppu, Pannanhanmen, Mulliyavalai, and Mulaitivu.
- Nuwara Eliya (next to Kandy) the village of Kotmale.
- Pollonaruwa district: villages of Sudukanda and Ataragollewa.
- Puttalam district (north-western coast): the villages of Kalaoya, Morakele, Chilaw, and Nattandiya.
- Trincomalee district: village of Kantalai, Trincomalee town, and Tiriyaya.
- Vavuniya district: in Nelkulam.