Bamboo weaves & crafts

Reed basketry is an age-old traditional skill among tribal people in the western ghats. Ochlandra travancorica is a riparian species of bamboo. The collection featured here is from the Muthuvar women weavers in the Edamalayar valley of Kerala. The women themselves harvest bamboo from forests close to their homes. Then the bamboo stumps are stripped into thin slivers and treated in warm salted water before starting to weave.