Banana Fiber

-B A N A N A F I B E R-

On one of my recent trips to the East Coast of Taiwan, I visited the Kavalan tribe in Hualien, one of the things that most caught my attention was their banana fiber crafting, which has been a tradition passed from generation to generation.

…She began to learn this art form ten years ago when she was towards her sixties. However, she remembers her mother using banana fibers to weave cloth.

Mama Jie (階媽媽), is considered a national treasure for the quality of her weaving.

People from the tribe refer to themselves as the Kebalan People, which means people of the plains. The word Kebalan is also the old name of Yilan. The group originally resided on the Langyang Plains of Yilan, but were forced to relocate when the population suffered a devastating loss following a major conflict with the Chinese people in the Kaliawan Rebellion during the Qin dynasty. "One of the other reasons that factored into our relocation was the decrease in land," said former Kavalan chief Buya Batu (謝宗修).

During the last years, the Kavalan have been through ardous efforts to inform Taiwan of their traditions, the tribe has introduced various festivals that differentiate them from the rest of the indigenous peoples, and they have revealed an extremely ritualistic system of celebration in their culture. The total population of this tribe is around 1,200 distributed in Hualien and Taitung counties, with some members living in urban areas such as Taipei.

Amongst the decades, the crafting of banana fiber weaving of the Kavalan tribe have had a voluntary assimilation into the Amis to escape from genocide. Before using banana fiber they used used ramie, a type of Asian hemp, to produce clothing. However, the Kavalan found that banana plants are easier to grow and the fibers are softer. Nevertheless, several documented arts and crafts have been disappearing slowly. On the other hand, the latest technology advances have played a major role in impacting the practice of Kavalan crafts. Moreover, one craft that is significantly important to the Kavalan traditions has not only survived, besides it is currently in the midst of a resurgence popularity following the Kavalan efforts to be recognized as a tribe: the craft of banana fiber weaving. According to recorded documents, the Kavalan people have been known to be experts in processing banana stems into a silky soft material that the tribe named banana fiber. The people are also known for weaving their traditional clothing from yarns.

It seems that not just the people in the Western part of the world are taking advantage of the resources of the banana plant, on the Taiwanese East the Kavalan tribe, are taking advantage not just of the bananas, moreover of the entire a banana tree as an excellent resource, with each part of its anatomy adaptable to different day-to-day uses.

Dried banana leaves are also used as medicine, with the tree stem serving as food and the base material for banana fiber. The specific variety of bananas used by the Kavalan people is a local Cavendish subgroup known locally as the Pei Chiao (北蕉), the most widely consumed banana in Taiwan.

Photography by: http://www.banana.org.tw/main.asp?BodySel=01031

From planting to the eventual harvesting of a banana tree, the Kavalans are meticulous in the process of banana fiber development. The process of developing the actual fiber begins with the ceremony of Basbaw, where rice wine is drizzled on the ground in search of blessings from ancestors. The process then goes into the cutting of banana tree stems, followed by fiber separation, drying, sub-lining, twisting, winding, warping and finally weaving. Traditionally, banana fibers are the main material for traditional Kavalan attire, as cloth made from the material is soft and extremely durable. Today, the craft is a spotlight feature for the xinshe village, serving as both the pride of the Kavalan people as well as a tourist attraction.

PROPERTIES:

The chemical composition are cellulose hemicellulose and lignin.
It is better in terms of fineness and spinnability which include ring spinning, open-end spinning, bast fiber spinning and semi-worsted spinning.
It has a strong moisture absorption quality.
Can be categorized as eco-friendly fiber due to its biodegradable and has no negative effect on the environment.

PROCESS:

1. When the banana is harvested, the plant is cut back.

2. The textile fibers are found in the discarded stems, which are soaked, then boiled in saltwater.

3. After the remaining pulp is dried naturally in the sun, the fibers are cleaned, combed and spun by hand.

4. The yarn is re-washed and dyed with pure and natural dyes.

5. The finished fibers are then woven into a beautiful hessnatur scarf.

The fiber extraction done it by hand can get 500gms in 8 hours, done it by machine can get 15-20kgs in 8 hours.

How to get to Lavalan Xinche Fiber Workshop showroom?

(新社香蕉絲工坊) 花蓮縣豐濱鄉新社村小湖42號 42, Xiaohu, Xinshe Village, Fengbin Township, Hualien County Tel: (038) 711-361 https://www.facebook.com/ LalaBanXinSheXiangJiaoSiGongFang

(1)Former lady weaving banana fiber (2) Detail of the dried banana stem (3) Final product

Photography by: Nelly Ortiz

Novosti banana silk workshop

On the other hand, However the tradition started in Japan, in the 13th Century, countries like India and Nepal are producing tons of banana fiber products such as cloth and women accessories. Nevertheless, on the architecture area. An architecture studio in Bangkok, Thailand, named Architektkidd, used the banana fiber as part of their facade of a residential building in Bangkok called Happyland townhouse. The team visited communities in the countryside in order to learn traditional techniques for harvesting and processing the banana material.