What is Rattan?
Rattan grows in a long
slender stem, which maintains an almost uniform
diameter throughout its length. It grows in a
manner similar to a vine, but has an inner core
and is not hollow like bamboo. The shade in the
rain forests is very dense and climbing on tree
limbs is the most practical way for the rattan
vines to reach the light above the forest
canopy. The outer portion of the stem is
extremely hard and durable, while the inner
portion of the stem is softer and somewhat
porous.
There is no harvesting season
for rattan, it grows year round. Harvesting can
be difficult due to the landscape and
inaccessibility of the jungle. The diameter and
length of the rattan according to the specie of
rattan can be as long as 600 feet, however they
are cut into 12-15 lengths and tied into large
bundles to make the journey from jungle to
processing area. Rattan, originates from South
East Asia from Loas, Cambodia, Phillipines,
Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam with
over 500 species of which only 4 are used in the
production of our gift accessories.
The first step in the rattan
product development process is harvesting. This
is labor-intensive and is typically carried out
by teams of villagers, who take turns harvesting
their rattan gardens with other local farmers
helping out. To watch the farmers cut and strip
the rattan of its thorny outer layer is pretty
amazing. These guys climb the trees, get out
their machetes and then start hacking away –
only its not really hacking. It requires great
skill to first cut the rattan and then, with a
secondary blow, split off the outer layer and
peel out the core rattan.
Once the rattan has been harvested, it has to be
prepared before it can be used in weaving for
rattan-based craft. The first step is to wash
the rattan in the river to remove any stains and
clean the product, stripping away the layer of
silica that tends to coat the core rattan.
The next step is to cure the
rattan, turning its color from a pale green into
the yellow that most people are familiar with by
smoking it. The raw, washed rattan is loaded
into what looks like a wood-framed tent that has
its floor about a foot off the ground. Many
“bushels” of raw rattan are piled on top of one
another until the wooden frame is full. The
frame is then covered with tarpaulin, which is
secured to the ground using stone weights. The
charcoal is ignited and placed under the tent,
and the smoking process begins. It usually takes
about a day or so to complete this curing and
smoking process.
After curing, the rattan has
to be dried to remove excess moisture and make
the product suitable for use. This is done
outside under the hot equatorial sun, and takes
perhaps another two or three days to complete.
After drying, the rattan is
ready for use. It is then further processed
into peel for weaving, or core products that are
flexible and can be used used for binding to
create the baskets and home accessories at our
factory. |
