Fragile Do paper craft
(Baonghean) - The increasingly narrow consumer market and low profits have put Phong Phu Do paper craft village (Nghi Phong commune, Nghi Loc district) at risk of extinction. From 70 households participating in production (in 2007), now the whole craft village has only 25 households remaining.
No one knows when the profession of making do paper in Nghi Phong commune (Nghi Loc) began. The oldest people in the village only remember that they were born with this profession and continue to pass it on to their children and grandchildren. Mr. Pham Van Lam, the head of Phong Phu hamlet, said: "My family has been doing this profession since my parents' generation, and I have been doing it for almost 50 years. In the whole commune, only my hamlet does this profession, so the product is named "Phong Phu do paper".
All stages of producing do paper are done by hand.
Although making dó paper does not require much effort, even an intelligent person who wants to learn the craft must spend nearly a year mastering the skills to be able to make satisfactory and quality paper. The raw materials for making dó paper are the niệt tree and dó tree. These trees are mainly concentrated in the mountainous areas of Ha Tinh province and mountainous districts of Nghe An such as Que Phong, Tuong Duong, Ky Son... The niệt tree has all its leaves and bark removed and only the flesh and hard core inside is taken. Then, this flesh will be kneaded with lime and cooked on the stove for about 12 hours. After cooking, take it out and soak it in cold water to drain off all the lime water. After cleaning the niệt bark, put it on a flat stone and pound it with a pestle for about 30 minutes. This powder will continue to be mixed with water and spread on a mold with clay, dried under the sun to produce dó paper.
In the past, Phong Phu do paper was widely consumed in the province, people bought it to make paper fans, incense, fish wraps... Because Phong Phu do paper has a fragrant smell, is thin and durable, so whatever is produced is consumed. There was a time when the whole village made it, buyers and sellers jostled each other, the production atmosphere of the village was like a festival every day. The sound of pestles and mortars echoed throughout the village. On a summer afternoon, entering Phong Phu village, one could see the white color of do paper. Many households here have escaped poverty from this paper making profession. In December 2007, Phong Phu do paper craft village was officially recognized as a provincial craft village.
Although it does not bring in as much income as other professions, making do paper requires little capital and time. Usually, people only do it during the off-season. The source of raw materials for making do paper is abundant and cheap, so the production cost is very low. Nguyen Van Ha's family, one of the households making the most do paper in the village, said: Making do paper does not take as much time as farming. Moreover, both the elderly and children can do this job. Every month, my family earns about 2 million VND from the job. On the other hand, this is the traditional job of our ancestors, so we have to preserve it, and if we have the conditions, we will develop the job more.
Having said that, Phong Phu's do paper making profession is currently facing many difficulties, and the consumer market is increasingly narrowing. Previously, it was mainly sold to the paper fan and incense production professions. However, paper fans are no longer used much and the incense production profession in Quy Chau has switched to using do paper produced in Hanoi, because the price is cheaper, so Phong Phu's do paper is mainly sold to ships going to sea to wrap fish. There are months when the sea is rough, the ships are stranded, and no one knows who to sell the produced do paper to. Moreover, all the steps are done by hand, and the time for one person to make a piece of paper can last up to 2-3 days. On rainy days, the finished paper cannot be dried and has to be left indoors. On sunny days, the craft village can produce an average of 150 sheets a day. But on rainy days, only about 20 sheets can be made.
Difficulty in selling products and decreasing income from the craft have forced many households to change to other jobs. In 2007, the whole hamlet had more than 70 households participating, but now there are only 25 households left. The households that still maintain the craft only produce on a small scale. The largest household has only 50 molds, mostly 15-20 molds. Workers in the hamlet gradually turned their backs on the craft and went to work far away, only the elderly and children participate in the craft. If the young people in the hamlet do not go to higher education, they go to work as factory workers or export labor, but they absolutely refuse to stay home to learn the traditional craft. Although they have been in the craft for a long time, no one in the village is an artisan, so the knowledge of the craft is gradually fading away.
The wish of Phong Phu do paper craft villagers is to receive attention and help from the government as well as a "savior" to maintain the craft passed down by their ancestors and wait for an opportunity to develop.
Pham Bang
