RAW MATERIALS Bamboo is a tall perennial grass found in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The bamboo family has over 700 species and each species has its own characteristics. Broadly speaking, the stems of a bamboo plant called culms are cylindrical, woody, and jointed. Most species have hollow stems. Not only is there a large variation in the size and the quality of the stems of different species, but also in that of the same species, depending on where it grows. Stems may be large and hollow when grown in moist, fertile climates and small and solid in dry and sandy soils. The plant has the ability to withstand dry as well as cold climates. Some species grow as high as 3,000 meters. Bamboo culms are cylindrical stems, which stand tall, and taper at the top; the maximum diameter is at the base. They are thus hollow cylinders, regularly divided by transverse walls at nodes, which appear as a slight swelling on the surface of the cylinder. Bamboo shoots grow the maximum during the monsoon months and take 6 to 12 years to grow into mature culms.

Cane or rattans are long slender stems of certain trailing or climbing palms. Some stems are erect but most are typically trailing or climbing. They may be up to 200 meters or more in length. They require constant and abundant water for optimum development. Canes are usually cylindrical and of uniform thickness. They are solid, straw yellow to brown in colour, and are more or less covered by spiny leaf sheaths. The core of the stems is soft and spongy, and made of coarse fibres. The surface is hard, smooth, and shiny due to a deposit of silica. Cane has been exploited for its properties of toughness, strength, flexibility, and elasticity. It requires a warm moist atmosphere and abundant watering. The growth of is slow for the first few years: often the cane take 15 years to come into full bearing - thereafter it can be harvested every two to three years. PRACTITIONERS & LOCATIONS Bamboo is one of the most commonly used raw materials in crafts; it also represents the most widespread skill in the traditional cottage industry. Bamboo and cane or rattan wares are mostly made by peasants in the areas around the old region of Kheng of central Bhutan. Both men and women do the weaving and produce splendid bamboo and rattan work. Other areas where cane and bamboo work is done are Khangpara in Trashigang district in eastern Bhutan and in the Shimgaong District of southern Bhutan. PROCESS & TECHNIQUES Bamboo is known for its combination of tensile strength and durability, and its lightness, created because of the hollow inter-nodes. Bamboo is used whole or split and then used. Depending on the required quality and durability of the product being, bamboo is used untreated or else treated before use to preserve it from insects and fungus. The best season for harvesting cane is from November to March. This has to be done carefully to avoid damage to the clumps. Mature stems are cut at the base and pulled by hand from their lofty perches on the crowns of supporting trees. The soft terminal portion of the stem is discarded. The sheaths are removed with a knife or by dragging them against the barks of trees. The stems are cut to standard lengths and dried in the sun. If the weather is wet the drying is done near a fire. If the stems are not properly dried soon after harvesting they deteriorate very quickly.

In order to get good quality raw material (good colour, smooth, flexible, and durable) it is essential to process the cane properly after harvesting. Cane is dried and then split vertically and cut to standard lengths. To obtain the fine creamy colour that characterises cane, the cane is often fumigated in sulphur - this also provides some protection against insects. The cane is then polished to restore lost lustre. Some varieties of cane are treated by smoking over a fire and then polishing them with coconut oil. Cane strips are often coloured to form geometric designs. The dyeing of cane and bamboo in order to make colourful products was adopted in the 1970s. Traditional colours include yellow, green, natural, blue-purple, or maroon and are both natural and chemical in nature. Cane and bamboo are then fashioned into objects, often in combination with each other or with various woods. PRODUCT RANGE A wide variety of bamboo and cane articles are made in the country, especially in the Kheng district of central Bhutan. They include hats (belo), baskets (pangchu), wine caskets (palang), mats, butter containers, bows and arrows, arrow sheaths, etc. The most popular item is bamboo baskets used for carrying food - these are round, almost airtight, and brightly coloured. The baskets are woven from very finely split cane; some of the lengths are coloured to form a pattern. They are made in two pieces that fit closely enough to enable water to be carried in them. The baskets range from 6 to 15 inches in diameter, and the Bhutanese use them principally to carry cooked rice and food. They also make much larger and stronger baskets, very much in the shape of a mule-pannier, and these are used in a similar way for pack-animals.

• Tsezem: Basket These baskets are used to store dried meat and carry all kinds of food and articles and often used as shopping bags.
• Lakchung: Basket Traditionally used as a fruit container and for serving dry food items on special occasions and ceremonies. This basket is multi-purpose and is often used as a waste-paper basket or a flower vase.
• Beykhur: Gift Box This basket has a square shape and is traditionally used for storage of yarns.
• Bello: Hat The bello is used by farmersto protect themselves from sun and rain.
• Bangchu: Round Bamboo Plate The Bangchu is traditionally used as a rice plate and for carrying pack-lunches. Also used as a container for serving snacks.
• Poe: Incense Sticks Incense sticks are used daily as offerings to Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and protective deities and celestial beings. Zurpoe is a Special Incense prepared according to ancient traditions using a blend of more than one hundred precious aromatic and medicinal substances like nagi (scale of Pangolin), musk, red and white sandalwood, giwang (Bezoar), clove, nutmeg, saffron etc...
• Poe Palang: Incense Container These are used for storing incense sticks (poe) in dzongs, monasteries, and households all over the country.
• Jatsa: Tea Strainer Sieves made of plain bamboo are traditionally used for straining butter-tea and milk in Bhutanese households.
• Sipa: Butter & Cheese Container Made of wood and bamboo, these containers were traditionally used to hold butter and cheese. It is ususally either round or oval in shape.
• Palang: Alcohol and Water Container Made of bamboo - they are traditionally used to store and serve alcohol and water.
• Zhu: Bow & Dha: Arrows The Bhutanese arrow (dha) is made of bamboo with a feather-head and metal point.The Bhutanese bow (zhu) is made from a bamboo species prevalent in the foothills of Bhutan. The best bamboo is found in the villages of Taba and Damtey in Samtse.
• Soray Palang: Quiver Traditionally the quiver is made of wood and bamboo.
• Dala Is used for dehusking rice.
• Mats Finely woven mats are a common and popular craft item. Split cane is used in its natural colour or dyed to form patterns. Mats can be found in almost any size up to about 16 square feet.

RAW MATERIAL One of most the commonly used is the giant bamboo / Bansh which grows abundantly in the forests. Known by the botanical name of bambusa, eleven species have been identified in Bangladesh, of these the three major species are the bambusa arundinacea (sheel or kanta bansh), bambusa telda (talla bansh), melocanna bambusoides (mulibansh). Bamboo forests are found in the deltaic tract of greater Dhaka, the rugged regions of Mymensingh, the hill tracts of Chittagong, further north in Sylhet and Nilphamari. A second form of vegetation which has been used extensively by craftsperson is a tough and thorny creeper, known as calamus rotune or cane. In Sylhet, a superior quality of cane forms a natural growth, whereas a wild and inferior variety grows in other places. Due to the growing pressure to cultivate crops, cane cultivation is seen less frequently today. A wild shrub known as Maranta dichotoma grows in Sylhet and Noakhali. Known locally as Murta bet, Pati bet, Patita, or Mustag, the stems of this shrub are used for weaving. The old and therefore stronger shoots of the plants are always favoured. The cane and bamboo are first split in two and then subdivided to form fine strips which are used as the warp and the weft for weaving. The strands are then steeped in the muddy waters of a pond, preferably one containing water-hyacinths, to further strengthen them, and then they may be dyed in different vegetable colours. To produce a fine shade of brown, the juice of the gab or kusi (the Wild Mangosteen Diospyros embryopteris) fruit is commonly used. In the humid climate of Bangladesh the natural growth of reeds and creepers and their ease of availability have inspired a huge variety of crafts. Among them are:

BAMBOO AND CANE HOUSES From time immemorial craftspersons have used bamboo and cane to make articles for their daily use. One of the most important uses of cane and bamboo is to be found in the construction of thatched village houses. Both cane and bamboo are a common media for interior decoration as well. In many village homes, a buffer ceiling is created by a hanging shelf designed elaborately with cane and bamboo. Known as phul chang (flower shelf), it is suspended from the ceiling in a prominent place. Is serves a useful purpose to store objects, but it also adds to the décor. Thatch work on homes required highly skilled craftsmanship. In the Charya Pada, one of the early formal literature in Bengal, composed between the sixth and eleventh century, a bamboo structure is referred to thus: chari banshee garilare dia chanchali (with four bamboos and purlin was constructed a structure). In medieval Bengali literature known as Mangal Kayva such houses were bedecked with cane knots, split bamboo designs, mica sheets, mirror, feather and even jewellery. These houses were known as Bangla Ghar. Stylistic differences are distinguished by the number of ceilings so that houses are known as dochala or two-roofed, charchala or four-roofed, satchala or seven-roofed, and aatchala or eight-roofed. Even with split bamboo and thatch, village homes acquired an impressive height. Apart from the easy availability of this material for construction, there was a preference for the impermanency of such material over brick and mortar. This preference was conditioned by the need to dismantle the structure if threatened by river water erosion. The bamboo mats known as darma are often used as walls in the village homes in Bangladesh.

TRANSPORT Since the rivers of Bangladesh provide a major source of communication and travel, it is inevitable that all crafts should lend themselves to be of use to the wide variety of boats. The curved roofs of country boats are made of decorated bamboo mats. In the north, where bullock carts are more common, a round bamboo structure is interwoven to provide a covering for the cart. STORAGE STRUCTURES Bamboo is useful for creating storage structures. In the courtyard of houses are found round granaries or golaghar. Made of bamboo purlin, these barns are given a very graceful shape, and decorated with cane knots or painted with geometric patterns. In Satkhira town we can still find an old granary in which the cane knots are tied in such a way that they depict flowers and birds. Another golaghar in Kushtia is painted in red, black and white geometrical patterns.

BASKETRY Bamboo split lengthways is made pliable and woven into baskets of different shapes in accordance with its use. Basketry is most widely produced all over Bangladesh and almost every village market has a section earmarked for sale and purchase of baskets. Coiled basketry has the closest affinity to weaving. It is interesting to note that amongst the tribal people, the pattern chosen for weaving cloth is often repeated in their baskets and mats. Apart from a multitude of shapes and sizes, from rough storage jars to small delicate containers, basketry of this type is adorned with streaks of colour which create perfectly harmonised patterns. The baskets may be either woven or coiled, the former made up of warp and weft strands; the warp strands are fixed while the weft ones cross and re-cross the warp as in textile weaving. There are many common types of these woven baskets. The dol, dhama, jhuri, saji etc. have different uses, to store and measure rice, to the market, to sell vegetable and so on. In addition split bamboo is used to make winnowing fans (kula), sieves (chalni), to hold fish (doola). Tribal artisans make round and cubic boxes known as jhail and thrung to pack cloth. The tea pickers of Sylhet sling conical shaped baskets over their shoulders, mango growers of Rajshahi use broader based baskets. For domestic work, millions of women all over the country use baskets. Some forms and shapes of baskets are connected with ritual use - both secular and religious. For example, the phuler shaji is used to pluck flowers for puja, whereas the Lakshmi ari or jhail is used in some parts of the country, as a substitute for the goddess Lakshmi's image. Colourful bier dali made in two or three layers of coloured, woven bamboo strips, is a specimen of the ritual art of the Banshi Mali community of Rangpur. It is used to carry ritual gifts to the bridal home. The process followed to make a bamboo basket starts with the purchase, from the local village market, of bamboo that is approximately 22” to 23” in length and green in colour that is cut into sizes suited to the basket required. The bamboo is split into several thin strips of 3mm with the bill hook or dao, and spread out for drying for about 2 hours in the sun. The dried strips are then scraped with a sharp knife to smoothen the rough edges and remove fibres with further thinning being done to achieve flexibility in the strips. The artisan meanwhile prepares various colours if the object is to be coloured. The dyes are usually powders that are mixed in water. The thin bamboo strips when soaked for an hour acquire the required colour. Primary colours are commonly used. The start of the weaving for a shallow, round, flat basket (dala) begins with strips of bamboo of 1/8” width and 20” length being readied with approximately 48 pieces assembled in a criss-cross manner to form the centre of the basket. The weaving is completed by inter-lacing of warp and weft strips up to the required size, keeping the material soft with repeated wetting. The artisan prepares the outer rim of bamboo in approximately 52” length, which is used to circle around the outer edge of the woven material securing the matting by interlocking of the bamboo strip ends between the finely split double circular layer of the rim. The rim edge is secured further by binding the rim with soft bamboo strips at regular intervals. The basket, square at the bottom and round at the rim is thus complete and ready for use. The wide variations of forms and shapes used for different purposes have an equally wide weaving pattern. In basketry five different patterns can be discerned. These are check, willed, twined, wrapped and hexagonal weaves. In the simple check weave, the warp and weft are woven singly one upon another. In the will weave a single weft is woven over and below more than one warp. By expanding and contracting and inserting coloured strands, numerous designs are woven. In the twined pattern, two or more wefts cross the warp forward and backward. In wrapped weaving the wefts are passed over warp, which is twisted in the process. In the hexagonal weave, wefts proceed from three sides and fabricate figures with six angles and sides or in a six cornered star.

TRAPS Fishing is one of the primary occupations in Bangladesh. The preparation of fishing nets, traps and baskets has traditionally involved distinct communities. In travelling to different regions we find a remarkable variety of fish traps. Their shapes, circular, square, cube or oval are determined by the function, and the form of fish to be caught. Although they are mostly made of thin bamboo strips, sometimes the strips are woven. Artisans use their skill to fashion such highly utility items into aesthetic forms. The most elegant fish traps are to be found in Nilphamari, Kumarkhali and Kushtia. A similar use of bamboo is also found in the preparation of cages and bird traps. Cane and bamboo are used to produce many types of traps, each with a distinctive shape and ingenious method of operation. Woven sieves, fans and baskets are interspersed with geometric motifs like diamonds of many sizes, stars and crosses. The borders are selvedge in linear patterns. HAND FANS The weaving technique is used in two important rural crafts: fans and mats. Both of these are particularly useful in villages where electricity is unavailable. In the hot, tropical climate of Bangladesh, hand fans can be used to simulate a cool breeze, and mats spread on the floor are cool and comfortable to sit and sleep on. Traditional craftsmanship has excelled in the making of hand fans. Hand fans, made from bamboo, cane or reeds are light and portable and require very little effort to revolve manually. In making these fans, pretty patterns are introduced by interpolating strands dyed in different colors onto a circular bamboo frame. Woven fans assume stylized forms that are named after familiar objects such as Kanchi kata (scissors cut), pan guchi (betel leaf bunch), pukuria jo (pond motif), tara jo (star motif), kabutar khop (dovecot), sagarer dheu (sea wave), makarer jal (cobweb), cha baganer bera (tea garden fence), Pabnaia jo (Pabna motif) etc.

FURNITURE AND URBAN PRODUCTS In Sylhet, craftsmen are skilled not only in traditional crafts, but in deference to modern taste they have started producing chairs, tables, stools, screens made of cane and bamboo. To meet the demand from sophisticated buyers both in the city and outside Bangladesh, the craft has undergone a metamorphosis. Artistically fashioned baskets have found their way from a village home to the homes of craft connoisseurs. Due to the initiative of craft promoters and the artisan’s ingenuity, these products have entered the international markets. Consequently, there is a brisk trade in basket ware and other products made from cane, bamboo, grass and reed. Contemporary items in bamboo are made in Comilla, Tangail, Dinajpur and Narsingdi. Modern cane baskets are supplied from Munshiganj, Nababganj, Sibalay, Tangail, Pabna, and Comilla. Leaf fiber and grass items are procured by craft dealers from Jessore, Khulna, Bogra, and Kaliganj. Almost fifty to sixty varieties of baskets are now available in the urban market. In bamboo, we find plate baskets, snake baskets, doll baskets, half cylinder, flower pots, hexagonal tray, glass, cover, lamp shades, waste paper baskets etc. Modern products in cane are bottle holders, pot holders, picnic baskets, ginger baskets, trays, wall hangers, etc. Articles made of leaf; grass, fibre etc. are laundry baskets, shopping bags, sewing baskets, table mats etc. To produce cane objects, cane of different thickness is purchased from the local market and dried in the sun for about 10 days. To test whether it has dried sufficiently the piece is bent, if it returns to its original position when the pressure is removed, then it is considered not fully dry. Once dried the cane is cut to size, the top surface scrapped with a knife, rubbed over with sand and washed in water. The cane is curved to shape either by hand or by heating over a sprit lamp or blow lamp. Once the cane is bent to the required shape, fine nails are put in to retain the shape. The artisan works freehand, to shape baskets and small objects, but uses measurement tools and other gadgets for screens, and furniture. The bent or curved cane nailed into position, is sometimes covered over with a binding of smooth flexible strips of cane, so that no rough or blackened portions are visible. Once the object is shaped, (mirror frames, stools, chairs etc.) it is rubbed over with sand paper to remove rough surface fibres, and varnish is brushed into it to give a shiny finish. The object is placed in the open for drying, which takes about 2 hours, in dry weather. JEWELLERY In Aandpur village the hard and stiff bamboo is turned into various artifacts such as bangles, ear rings, chains, jewelry boxes, etc. DEVELOPMENTS Many organizations have encouraged the craftsperson’s to produce for the market, in order to increase livelihoods, the among the most prominent are the International Union for Child Welfare (IUCW), Shetuli, Karika, BRAC/Aarong, Bangladesh Handicraft Marketing Corporation and Bangla Craft. Not only have designs changed but some artisans have, at places with the assistance of the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation, adopted new tools to increase their productivity. They are also learning the use of chemicals to protect their craft from fungus. However in the vast number of villages, the pristine simplicity of old forms is retained. Traditional techniques relying on elementary tools such as the dao to split the bamboo, a boti to shave the cane remain largely unchanged. Production continues to be organized within the family, where specific functions are distributed amongst men and women.

PRACTITIONERS All ethnic minority groups are skilled at weaving a variety of baskets, and at producing household items from bamboo and wood. A craft that for generations has been passed on, from father to son, is changing character in its organisation today. Craft workers were traditionally the elders in the family or the women. They made items such as handicrafts, mats, baskets, chopsticks and toothpicks. This was an important source of seasonal supplementary income. Traditional bamboo skills are slowly disappearing among ethnic minority groups in Laos, especially the younger generation. Practitioners are now employed by local cottage industries - men to make furniture, and women to make baskets, hats, ropes and mats.

Champassak Province This province is famous for its fish Baskets and giant Fish Trap. Khammouane Province Unique crafts are made from bamboo and natural materials in Ban Phalem village including bamboo mouse traps. The two villages, Ban Natan and Ban Kong Lor produce handmade cotton weavings and bamboo crafts and handmade incense is made in Nakhangxang Village from bamboo sticks. MATERIALS Bamboo is a giant perennial grass found in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The plant can grow in both dry and cold climates. The variety or species of bamboo found differs according to the prevailing physical conditions - mountains, lowland areas, near rivers or on cultivated soil. While some species of bamboo grow to just a few cm high others reach amazing heights. The Lao people recognize two kinds of bamboo - one whose stem is used whole and the other a female bamboo, which is split and flattened and then woven. A male bamboo must be 4 years old before being cut, while a female bamboo can be harvested after 2 years. Cane or Rattan grows primarily in the central part of Laos. Cane is a trailing or climbing kind of palm with long slender stems. It can grow up to over 200 meters in length and requires abundant water. The growth is slow for the first few years: cane can often take 15 years to come into full bearing and thereafter be harvested every two to three years. The surface of cane is covered by spiny leaves, which hide a hard, smooth and shiny exterior. The outside colour varies from shades of yellow to brown while the inside has tough, coarse fibres. More than 50 species of cane have been identified in Laos.

PROCESSES Bamboo can be used untreated or treated depending on the use it is put to. The age, size, colour, moisture content and straightness of bamboo culm all contribute to the quality and durability of the product and the final pricing. Most of the processing is done by hand, with only very rudimentary tools. By and large the quality of raw materials is low and it is consumed domestically. Cane is usually harvested by small farmers. The men harvest the cane from the forest, while women and children scrape, dry and sort the raw material. Simple labour intensive techniques and basic hand tools are used. Cane goes through several steps of processing before usage - Splitting, sizing, boiling, fumigation, washing in water, sun drying, rubbing, classifying, banding and storing. Typically, the farmers gather the material and scrape and dry it, before sending it to the towns for further processing.

PRODUCTS Both cane and bamboo have been exploited for their properties of toughness, strength, and flexibility. The variety of uses, this versatile material has been put to, are too many to enumerate. Bamboo is found in every sphere of rural life being used from the manufacture of tools, providing handles for machetes, knives, saws, acting as torches for use at night, to making boats, rafts, floats, fishing nets and hunting traps. Cane and Bamboo are the materials for everyday items from furniture to kitchen equipment including mats, baskets, containers, winnowing baskets, trays, boxes, cases, sticks, tubes for carrying water or cooking rice, low tables, stools, partitions and so on. Lao houses, street stalls, animal shelters, enclosures, chicken runs, cages, granaries, hedges, fences and gates are made entirely of bamboo. Cane has a lustre that is reflected in the finished goods. Small-sized cane is used for making baskets, thatching, matting, etc. while large-diameter cane is mostly used for the production of furniture. Bamboo is use to produce three types of musical instruments: percussion or hammer instruments, wind instruments, and stringed instruments. The bamboo khene, is a unique Lao instrument - a small piped instrument, khene is made from a special kind of bamboo, similar to reed - the length and size and the number of pipes depending on the type of sound required. Basket weaving is practiced widely by ethnic minority groups from all the three major language families and includes the production of fish and animal traps, mats and all kinds of household containers, including the familiar back-basket. There is a tremendous variety in the shape, size of baskets and the use each is put to. Among the best baskets and mats are those woven by the Lao Thoeng.

CURRENT STATUS With the introduction of materials, like plastics, especially in the towns and cities, the traditional use of bamboo for everyday objects is declining. Houses made of bamboo are being replaced by brick and concrete structures. One reason for this fall in demand is the fragility of the material - cane and bamboo need to be constantly renewed and have a short life span, in the tropical Lao climate, when compared with other available materials.