Straw industry ….. Ancient folk art inherited by successive generations

Straw industry or straw weaving is an ancient folk art that has retained its originality over the years and is widely available in popular markets, heritage museums and handicraft shows.

Amid the great development of our societies and the appearance of plastic, metal and glass utensils that meet the requirements of modern life, the use of straw pieces   for decorative purposes has been limited to certain villages and rural areas that still preserve the straw industry which is inherited by successive generations.

Mona Ahmed Sha’aban  from Al-Jindiria  village in Lattakia  governorate  weaves colorful and ornate dishes that derive her images from the solidity of the earth, the fragrance of nature and the heritage of our ancestors, to form by instinctively artistic straw pieces  full of originality, love and beauty.

In an interview with Syria Times e-newspaper the seventy-two –year -old woman said”  “ This  traditional craft, which depends on patience, artistic sense and experience,  has a distinct presence in my  memory, as it tells stories of the past, expresses the original heritage, and reviews  the details of our  simple lives and livelihoods”.

“The  straw  pieces vary between mattresses, pots , boxes  baskets  and dishes that were used in the past as one of the basic elements of  the daily life of the people in the countryside” according to Mrs. Sha’aban .

She indicated that the time taken to manufacture any straw pieces,  with their various forms and bright colors mixed with originality to revive  nostalgia for the memories of the past, depends on their size and shape.

“There is a growing demand for  such ancient folk works from antique and gifts shops and restaurants and those who are interested in folk pieces as they  are used for various purposes, such as baskets for  vegetables and  fruits and for decoration, as well as to exhibit  food products in the stores” the creative woman said.

She highlighted the key role of the Rural Women’s Development and Empowerment Department of  Lattakia’s Agriculture Directorate to  introduce her works to the public through participation in many exhibitions inside and outside the governorate where she managed to sell a lot of her products .

Mrs. Sha’aban indicated that  there are many weaving techniques including  spiral weaving, straight and flat weaving and three-dimensional weaving, adding

Spiral weaving was the most widespread type as  It was used to make boxes, containers for food and clothes, grains and flour and furniture.

She added that straight and flat weaving were  used to make work-pieces for straw hats, baskets and , boxes  whereas  three-dimensional weaving used basically  to weave decorative items.

Regarding the manufacture of straw dishes, Um Kenan  explained that “the starting point depends on dissolving the dyes in boiling water, where each group of straw   is soaked in a different color for about two hours, after which it is dried under the sun to become more flexible and elastic”.

She went on to say “Straw harvested manually is the best material for weaving but it should be harvested at different time so that it would have shades varying from green to bright yellow”.

She pointed out that In the past craftsmen frequently used straw dyed with natural colorants. It was boiled in water together with onion peels to intensify its yellow color or with alder cones or oak bark which made it brown.

Um kenan highlighted that Syria is famous for its deep-rooted traditional handicrafts , stressing the importance of reviving , preserving ,  introducing and teaching these crafts to the coming generations.

Mrs. Sha’aban  is a living example of the Syrian rural woman who has proven her presence in various fields of work and production alongside men and has been able to support  her family , raise her children and meet  their needs .

She stressed that   Syrian women including  architects, journalists, academics, writers, filmmakers, collectors, craftswomen or cooks  both at home and abroad  are now leading efforts to safeguard their heritage.

“ Syrian  women  are active on the ground  in preserving cultural heritage and play an important and influential role in this sector, but they need to be given opportunities to unleash their potential” the creative woman concluded.

Interviewed by :  Rawaa Ghanam

photos by  : Rawaa  Ghanam