Kids, women artisans from Kottapuram have come up with a range of Christmas decorations from Screw Pine.
“This will make your Christmas tree look great,” says Latha Sundaran. She picks something else out of a box and says, “These are 100% handmade and eco-friendly.” Next to it is a table full of Christmas decorations made of screw pine.
Latha, along with other women at the Kottapuram Integrated Development Society (KIDS), a non-governmental organization based in Kottapuram (Kodungallur, Thrissur district), has been working with Screw Pine, for the past month, to plan their Christmas collection. busy in “We made wine bottle holders, hampers, Santa boots, bales, cake boxes and trays,” she says. Women will be crafting more of these depending on the orders they get for the season. These come with red and green satin trimmings and bows.
On the floor of his workshop, adjacent to the office building, are piles of rough screed pine that will be woven, woven and crafted into bags, mats, files, boxes, coasters, trays and more. This is her first attempt at making Christmas decorations. Deepa John, who helps with the project’s design, came up with the idea and Sarath Kumar, the project coordinator, facilitated the process.
second home
The women are overjoyed to be back at their workstations after months of lockdown. “This place is our second home. It is like a brotherhood, we enjoy this work and the bond we share,” says Mani Soman, giving the finishing touches to a Christmas hamper.
One of the leading centers dealing with screw pine in Kerala, KIDS has been empowering women in and around the rural areas of Kodungallur since its inception in 1988. It started a special program in 2000 to train women, mainly housewives. , in Screw Pine Crafts. Today, it has become a craft-based resource center with eight units in different parts of Kodungallur. In addition to screw pine, it also works with hyacinth.
revival of an ancient craft
“While preserving an ancient craft by making it contemporary, we are also hoping that the younger generation will embrace the craft that defines their heritage,” says Father Paul Thomas, KIDS Executive Director. At present, KIDS has 150 women artisans working in its eight centers, of whom 30 are disabled, but it has trained more than 3,000 women. More than 800 people are indirectly associated with KIDS, working in the collection, drying and dyeing of screw pine and hyacinth.
This has led to a slow revival of the screw pine craft that was once popular in the region. The coastal stretch between Ernakulam and Thrissur districts is marked by its wealth of pine deodar trees – evergreen trees with thorny leaves that, like mangroves, can prevent soil erosion. Father Paul says, “In the olden days, the people of this area used to put screw pine as a wall around their houses.”
Until a few decades ago, older women in rural areas of the region weaved mats out of spun pine, which they cut, gathered and dried themselves. He used to take Matt to Edavilangu’s market in the afternoon, where he found buyers. “Slowly, the market took off and with it, the craft began to decline, especially with the invasion of plastic mats,” says Father Paul. “Many of these women have learned weaving from their mothers, but we provide formal training and workshops in association with institutes like NID and NIFT, which help them hone their skills,” he said.
Fair for Screw Pine Mats
54-year-old Valsala Prasad, one of the most senior artisans of KIDS, says she has been weaving pine since the age of 15. “My mother taught me how to weave. She would collect and dry the screw pine. I’ll help with knitting. We used to wake up at 2 in the morning to start weaving so that the mats could be ready for the fair held every day at 2 pm for screw pine mats. Five paise was available for a mat. There have been times when we have earned up to ₹40 a day, which was considered a fortune back then,” she says. Today, Valsala is a master craftsman, training other women in the craft of screw pine and hyacinth.
Most of the women employed in KIDS have been with the Center for more than 20 years and are now skilled artisans, who have Artisan ID cards issued by the government’s National Artisan Portal, to help them access schemes, credit and marketing related to skill training. will help Products made in Kids are certified by Fair Trade Forum, India. The screw pine craft of Kerala was awarded the GI tag in 2008.
The region was badly hit during the 2018 floods and women’s livelihood was slowly coming back on track when COVID-19 struck two years later. “We mainly depended on exhibitions and fairs to sell our products. Post COVID-19, that avenue is only starting to open up,” says Father Paul.
Labour intensive
The work can seem laborious. For example, a 6 ft / 4 ft mat can take a craftsman about two days to knit. And for this he has to sit on the floor, bow down to his work. The product range has over 100 different items (from tea coasters to files, floor mats, bags, book marks, saree boxes, table mats, pouches, pen holders and decor items to mention a few). Kids has an exclusive outlet at Saragalaya, Iringal, near Kozhikode and Muziris Heritage Zone in Chendamangalam. It has also recently forayed into e-retail portals. Prices start from ₹100 and go up to ₹2,000.
To order Christmas decorations products, contact us at 7902705067 or email info@naturalfibrecraft.com. Christmas products can also be customized. The products are available on her Instagram handle @gayafromkids.
,