The village Dumbara is famous for mats in our country. It is situated in the Central provinece.THe main occupies of the most of the women in this village weaving mats.
                The women use the leaves of palm trees and some kind of trees which grow in marshy lands and the leaves of watakeyya bushes.
                At first the people cut those trees and leaves in to small strips. Then they boil them in hot boiling waten.Then they dry them. After that they add various colours to them using local things which are used to made colours. Some colours that they use are drat red,pink,brown,purple,green,yellow,blue etc.
                They weave mats using different designs and patterns.Some of them are animals,figures,such as peacock,elephant,deer,tiger,reptiles such as cobra, python etc,bird such as danceres,solderes etc. and imaginative figures.
                Weaving mats is one of the main handicrafts which our country earns a lot local and foreign exchange. But losing its popularity fro no people. As sri Lankans its our duty to protect and promote such industry because they are the our industry that come from generation to generation since past.

Dumbara Mats - In the past mat weaving in the Dumbara Valley ( Kandy province) was considered a necessary craft to be practiced by every female villager. Today, mat weaving is still popular among villagers but it largely functions as a cottage industry with few establishes sales outlets. Weavers generally market their mats at festivals, fairs and pilgrimage sites.

The mat-weavers of Henavala : Heirs to an ancient heritage  

There was a time when the famous Dumbara mats were much talked about and sought after by the cultured circles of Sri Lankan society not very long ago. This however no longer appears to be the case today at a time when the love for things old is gradually declining, but hopefully not for long.

There is an increasing trend worldwide to go back to nature and culture and it can only be hoped that this catches on here as well. Such a development will no doubt bode well for our indigenous crafts such as the weaving of Dumbara mats which is unique to Sri Lanka.

Solitary village

Dumbara mats, also known as kalala or Dumbara rata paduru are today produced in a solitary village known as Henavala in the Pata Dumbara division of Kandy district. The traditional mat-weaver caste known as the Kinnaras who inhabit this village still employ an age-old weaving process to produce the mats from the fibre of the hana or sann hemp (Crotalaria juncea).

Although Ananda Coomaraswamy observed in his Medieaval Sinhalese Art published in 1908 that the Dumbara mats were made from the niyanda or bowstring hemp (Sansevieria zeylanica) this no longer appears the case, as we found out in our visit to Henavala early this month. The reasons attributed to the decline of niyanda by the villagers were the scarcity of the plant and insufficient fiber for large-scale manufacture.

Indeed, it appears that the shift from niyanda to hana was beginning to take place about a century ago a short while after Coomaraswamy published his monumental work. For instance, an expert weaver Harispattuvagedara Sirivardana told us that he had heard that niyanda was used in his father's time and that it was used until about a hundred years ago. Sirivardana who learnt the trade from his father Harispattuvagedara Punchina does not usually employ the hana plants growing in the vicinity as it is not sufficient for his purpose but instead purchases it from others who obtain the leaves some 30-40 miles away.

 The leaves are then scraped against a log with a sharp implement and this removes the fleshy part of the leaf leaving behind the fiber. The fiber is then dyed with natural dyes obtained from plants such as patangi (Caesalpinia sappan) which yields a red dye, venivel (Coscinium fenestratum) which gives a yellow dye, katarolu (Clitorea terneata) which gives a purplish dye and bulu (Terminalia belerica) which yields a black dye when combined with certain chemical agents known as mordents.  

These dyes were introduced by the National Design Centre in Nattarampota, Kandy and has found favour with Sirivardana though it has yet to catch on with some of the other villagers.  The loom used to weave the final product somewhat resembles the old looms used in cotton weaving, though it is a much more simple contrivance. The weaving itself appears to be a time-consuming process and needs a lot of skill and patience.  Nevertheless the final product is worth it and fetches a fair price. The Dumbara mats or rata paduru produced here are however strictly speaking not mats in the conventional sense meaning that they are not meant for sitting upon, but rather in the form of wall hangings (bitthi sarasili).  These wall hangings come in a variety of colours and designs with motifs of flowers and various fauna such as deer, elephants, cobras and peacocks figuring prominently in them. Besides wall hangings, Sirivardana turns out various other products from hana fibre such as colourful women's handbags and letter holders of various shapes and sizes. 

 Unforgettable sight  

Pansalvattegedara Manika, a native of Henavala who claims to have been weaving mats for the past 40 years however has his woes as well. Manika who obtains his own fibre said that although he encounters no problem in removing hana leaves from forest or crown lands, problems arise when he attempts to do so in private lands. Private land owners, he contends, oppose his harvesting of their plants as they feel he derives a good income from it which is however not at all the case.   

Manika manufactures wall hangings, hand bags, table mats, purses and pencil cases from hana fibre which he supplies to outlets such as Laksala, Lakpahana and the Udarata Kala Sangamaya.

Kotavattegedara Jayasena, yet another native of the village works in a Laksala manufacturing centre in the village along with five others. The produce is supplied to Laksala and some private firms.

Here we beheld a truly unforgettable sight. Working on the looms side by side was a veritable greybeard his face wizened with age and a strapping lad in the bloom of youth. Here at least was a moment that seemed to transcend the age barrier and the much talked of generation gap.

  

The waning weave

In the little village of Kalasirigama, (formerly Henavala) in Menikhinna, in the Dumbara Valley of the Kandy district, a small group of families are engaged in their traditional craft of weaving Dumbara mats and tapestries. This age-old craft has been practised by people from the Kinnara community since the days of the Sri Lankan kings, when they enjoyed royal patronage and the craft flourished.

Today, only about 10 – 15 families are still employed in this craft in Menikhinna. Though the craft has come down from generation to generation the younger generations are moving away to other employment as they feel the income from it is insufficient.

In an effort to encourage these families to continue in their craft and find markets for their products, Deshamanya Siva Obeysekere, a former President of the Craft Council Sri Lanka and the World Craft Council, is presenting an exhibition of handwoven Dumbara weaving from Menikhinna in Colombo. Titled ‘A Craft Revival’, the exhibition will be declared open by Uma Krishna, current President of the World Craft Council on October 18 at Lakpahana and will continue until November 20.

To prepare for the exhibition, Lakpahana organized a workshop on colour, texture and design for the weavers of Menikhinna, under the guidance of well-known designer Senaka De Silva who has introduced new designs and motifs to enhance their work. The aim of the workshop was to help these traditional craftsmen apply their skills in turning out crafts for the contemporary interior design markets both in Sri Lanka and abroad.

An impressive range of items woven by the weavers of Menikhinna was displayed at the Deshamanya Siva Obeysekere Crafts Gallery in Lakpahana. In addition to many beautiful mats and wall hangings, there were cushion covers, tablemats, handbags, and purses to match the colour of the saree, multi-purpose bags, notebooks and albums with woven covers and many more contemporary items. Also present were some of the traditional Dumbara weavers.

There was H.G. Lapaya, whom we had seen back in Menikhinna, many years ago, when the Sunday Times visited the village. Now 72 years old, Lapaya says he has been engaged in Dumbara weaving since the age of 13 as the craft was passed down from father to son for many generations. Lapaya has five children who are continuing the craft. In the early days, the weavers of the Kinnara community used the fibre from the niyanda leaf, which is softer than the fibre from the hana (hemp). However, as supplies of niyanda are no longer available in the quantities required, they had turned to hana.

This too is not easily available. Lapaya says they have to go 40 – 50 miles into remote areas in Hewaheta and Hanguranketa to fetch the leaves. Marketing their products also poses a problem for them, he added.

Another 72-year-old craftsman, Pansalwattege Menika has been engaged in the craft since the age of 16. His children have not taken to weaving as they say the income is not enough. Another craftsman H.G. Dharamadasa has 40 years experience and has one child following in his footsteps.

Explaining the process, the craftsmen said the extraction of fibre from the leaf is done manually. After cutting off the thorny point and edges of the leaf, it is placed on a log and rubbed hard with a sharp-edged wooden instrument. The green fleshy part of the leaf blade is removed, exposing the white fibres. It is a tedious process, usually handled by women. It takes half a day for a worker to clean 50 leaves. The fibre is then washed and driThe warp threads are spun on a spindle (nul idda). Both men and women engage in spinning while sitting, standing, walking or talking. The fibre is boiled in a pot of boiling water into which the dye is added. Sometimes salt is also added. The traditional black, red and yellow dyes are obtained from natural materials. However, today imported dyes are used as the natural dyes fade after some time. The craftsman squats on a mat and weaves the mats on a somewhat primitive horizontal loom.

Confronted with the difficulties of obtaining the raw material and of marketing, the Dumbara craftsmen are fighting for survival trying to adapt their styles and designs to suit contemporary requirements. Over the years, Mrs. Obeysekere has encouraged the craftsmen to continue their traditional craft, and helped them to find markets through the craft boutique Lakpahana. Others like American expert, James Somereski, Lankan architect/designer, Tilak Samarawickrama and more recently, Senaka De Silva, have assisted them to infuse new designs and colours, giving a contemporary look to the products.

The exhibition to be opened tomorrow will have on display a range of beautiful traditional designs as well as contemporary items.

One woman’s crusade to save our heritage

“A good part of my life has been devoted to helping craftspeople,” says Deshamanya Siva Obeysekere, former President of the National Craft Council of Sri Lanka as well as the World Craft Council. “We are fortunate in having many villages specializing in various crafts, the Dumbara mats at Menikhinna, lacquer work at Pallekapuvida, drums at Kuragala and so on. Our crafts are so beautiful. All that is needed is a little guidance in designs and colours from educated people.”
Senaka De Silva has done wonders, she says, helping them to turn out practical items such as book covers, bags, mobile phone covers, tablemats, cushion covers and handbags.

Mrs. Obeysekere has had a long association with promoting local crafts. She has served on many committees and organized many craft exhibitions. “I am only trying to preserve our heritage,” she says, recalling how she had walked to villages for a period of three years before she started Laksala in 1964.

“I met the craftspeople and assured them of a fair price for their products and immediate payment. We helped them to cost their articles correctly. Unless we make them feel it is worthwhile, the crafts will die. We have to help them by giving contemporary ideas of usage.

“We have such beautiful things, our people should patronize them and help the craftsmen to make a living. If we can assure them of a reasonable price for their work, their children will continue in it. It is necessary that the government too helps the local crafts people to preserve and continue in their traditional crafts.”

ed in the sun. The dried fibres are combed and bundled into skeins. The weft fibres are not spun.