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BATIK
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Colorful, dramatic fabrics
designer garments in a wax resist dyeing technique of Indonesian
origin but distinctly Sri Lankan Design. The batik tradition based
on the cultural tradition of Sri Lanka. There are vivid colourful
batik styles in Sri Lanka. There are Batik cloths scarves, Wall
hanging make in the rural areas. The men and women make the batik
items in rural area.
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COCONUT
SHELL-WARE
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The coconut shell - a versatile
raw material - has several innovative uses. The coconut shell -
generally thrown away as a waste material - can and was shaped by
some as a kitchen spoon, using one half of a cracked shell. It was
also used as a mould for making sweetmeats, a tradition that continues
to this day. The two covers used to press the mixture by hand were
carved with traditional floral and leaf designs. In temples the
shell was fitted onto a handle and was used to pour or sprinkle
water.
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POTTERY
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Pottery, like mat weaving, is a
craft essential to village life in Sri Lanka. Robert Knox observed
in An Historical Relation of Ceylon (1681) that the Sinhalese are
adept at crafting “all sorts of earthenware to boil, stew,
fry and fetch water in.” Today, as then, the potter can invariably
be found demonstrating his or her skills in the verandah. Most of
the pottery is thrown on small wheels turned by the potter himself.
The output consists largely of simple undecorated pieces, but there
is an increased demand for decorated pottery. Such decoration is
usually done by incising patterns or stamping with a wooden die
while the clay is still wet. Sometimes a glaze is painted prior
to firing, which is done in a traditional kiln built of brick or
stone and covered with a vaulted wattle-and-daub roof.
The primarily utilitarian character of Sri Lankan pottery remains
to this day. It lends charm to its elegance of form and simplicity
of ornamentation. Items include small clay lamps, elegant water-jugs
and practical cooking vessels. Figurines and delightful animals
with distinctly Sinhalese characteristics are also made. These can
be seen in abundance just outside Weligama.
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HANDLOOM
TEXTILES
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Although hand woven materials have
lost their pre-eminence since the introduction of machine-made textiles,
the craft of weaving high quality handloom textiles has experienced
a remarkable resurgence in Sri Lanka over the past half century.
This is due almost entirely to two remarkable women, Edith Ludowyk
and Barbara Sansoni. It was Ludowyk who pioneered weaving at a centre
near Kandy in 1950. A decade or so later, Sansoni was responsible
for an upsurge in the craft at a centre near Colombo.
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LACEMAKING
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Lacemaking is not an indigenous
art. Dutch ladies probably introduced it during Dutch colonial times,
particularly in the Galle area. Sinhalese ladies caught on, and
lace making soon became an established local craft. During the 19th
century, when Galle was at its zenith as a port, it became popular
with passengers. Today, many older village women in the Galle area
still spend their spare time making pillow lace and crochet lace,
but when that generation passes the craft may die. Galle lace as
it is known (although it is more correctly Brussels lace, for that
was the Dutch style) is made on a hard pillow called beralu in Sinhalese.
A wooden roller fixed to the centre of the pillow turns slowly as
the lace lengthens. The pattern is pricked out with a pin on a thick
strip of paper, which is fixed onto the roll with wooden bobbins
of thread attached to the top. Pins are pricked into the holes and
the thread woven round them to form the patterns, which are indigenous
and resemble natural shapes, such as the mango fruit and jasmine
flower. Lace dollies and table mats, tea cloths and other items
are made beside lace edging and insertion.
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MASKS
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In the handicrafts industry masks
and wood carvings have remained as prestigious items reflecting
not only traditional craft skills but the theatrical and cultural
values of a past age. Laksala's effort in displaying a gallery of
maxi, midi and mini masks of titual and exorcism, turned out by
craftsmen from many areas, gives the buyers the chance to pick up
an item of authentic value. Innovation of the traditional are also
available as well as colourless masks rated for their elegance and
natural wood grain by connoisseurs. Figures as well as heads of
the gods and Buddha as well as sculptured and carved figures and
carved scenes give a vivid impression of the genius of the wood
carver's art.
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