(Baonghean.vn) - The ancient Phong Thanh village (now hamlet 13, Nghi Phong commune - Nghi Loc) has long been famous for its basket boat weaving craft. Through many ups and downs of life, the village's craft is still maintained. Although there are only 5 households in the village still practicing the craft, it is still the main supplier of basket boats for coastal fishing villages in the province and some neighboring provinces...
According to the elders in the village, the weaving profession in Nghi Phong has appeared hundreds of years ago. People know this weaving profession because it has been passed down from their ancestors for many generations. In the past, every family wove to sell to earn extra money for fish sauce, salt and to make daily necessities. In particular, the basket boat weaving profession began to become popular in the 80s of the last century, especially in the last 20 years due to the needs of the sea industry. In addition to the use of transporting people, food and fuel from shore to ships for sea trips as well as transporting products from ships to the dock; basket boats today are also commonly used for lead seining and basket fishing.
Completing a basket boat takes a lot of time, skilled workers need 4-5 days to complete a medium-sized boat, and a large boat with a rim diameter of over 2m takes 8-10 working days. A completed boat costs an average of 1.5 million to 3 million VND, depending on the size; minus the cost of purchasing raw materials, each boat earns 1-1.3 million VND... Although in recent years, with the appearance of all kinds of plastic boats, Nghi Phong basket boats with the advantages of being durable, light, maneuverable at sea and cheaper, are still favored by many fishermen.
Below are some pictures of Phong Thanh basket boat craft village
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| After nearly 50 years of weaving basket boats, the sitting posture of Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa - in Phong Thanh hamlet, splitting bamboo strips has not changed. According to Mr. Hoa: In addition to skills, the craftsman needs experience to shave bamboo strips; such as the shaved bamboo strips must be even, straight, soft on the outside and gradually harder on the inside to make it easier to weave. After shaving, the bamboo strips must be dried in the sun for a day to avoid "stretch" later. |
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| In Phong Thanh hamlet, making basket boats is also the traditional occupation of Pham Van Hoa’s family. At the age of 15, Hoa was already proficient in weaving bamboo, bamboo mats and taking basket cores… |
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| Depending on the thickness of the bamboo mat, the craftsman will split the bamboo, peel off the core (the hard outer layer of the bamboo), then scrape off the green layer and weave it into mat. The mat is dried in the sun and dew until it turns yellow before being used to shape the basket. |
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| To increase the life and safety of the boat, solid bamboo must be used, not too young or too old, only from half the stem down. The bamboo used to make the rim of the basket must be carefully selected because the rim is like the “backbone” that supports and keeps the boat balanced. |
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| And to bend the rim of the basket boat requires the worker to be strong, because this is completely manual work, without auxiliary machinery. |
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| In the past, the craftsman had to dig a mold of earth to put the mat in, then use his feet to step evenly over the mold to form a basket. Now, the craftsman only needs to make 4 stakes, then place the mat on top to create the shape. |
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| According to Mr. Pham Van Hoa, the most difficult step in making a basket boat is the step of making the rim, because it requires precision in measuring the diameter and height according to the customer's required size. |
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| Using specialized line to fix the rim is the final step to complete a basket boat. |
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| According to Nghi Phong weavers, if well preserved, the lifespan of a basket boat can be up to several decades. The bamboo boat has the advantage of being light, maneuverable, wave-resistant and anti-capsize, so it is still chosen by many fishermen. |
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At Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa's household, the consumption of products is not only for fishermen in Nghi Thiet, Nghi Quang, Nghi Tien fishing villages (Nghi Loc district); Nghi Tan, Nghi Thuy communes (Cua Lo town) but has also expanded to markets in neighboring provinces such as Thanh Hoa, Quang Binh, Ha Tinh. |
Ngoc Anh
