Bamboo and Cane Crafts of Bangladesh

Introduction

Cane and bamboo works are two of the well-known Bangladeshi crafts. The most widespread craft practised worldwide involves the use of natural fibres like cane and bamboo. The majority of the rural population's basic needs in Bangladesh are met by fibres made from reed, cane, and bamboo; the houses they live in, the mats they use for sleeping and praying, the trays, baskets, and sieves they use for various tasks, and the caskets they use to store their produced crops.

Raw Material

The giant bamboo is one of the most widely used, which grows aplenty in the forests. Bamboo forests can be found in the deltaic area of greater Dhaka, the rocky terrain of Mymensingh, the hill tracts of Chittagong, and farther north in Sylhet and Nilphamari. 

Cane is a tough and prickly creeper that has been often used by artisans as a second type of vegetation. A superior variety of cane grows naturally in Sylhet while a wild and inferior variant grows in other places. Today, cane agriculture is less common due to the increasing pressure of other crops.

Bamboo Crafts in Bangladesh

Bangladeshi handicrafts made of bamboo are extremely popular. Bamboo is used to build various pieces of furniture and essential items by inventive artisans and craftspeople in rural locations. Since Bangladesh's ancient civilizations used to construct their homes out of bamboo, bamboo craft has been a long-standing tradition. As bamboo was readily available to them, this motivated them to employ it for further purposes. The craftspeople in Bangladesh have used bamboo to great effect in everything from home construction to farming.

Different Bamboo Items

Modern bamboo crafts are utilised to create fashionable household items and furnishings that pay homage to Bangladeshi people's traditional history. Nowadays, bamboos are used to make a variety of furniture, including couches, chairs, tables, racks, and baskets. These furniture crafts have floral designs and geometric patterns that magnificently sustain their culture. Bamboo is also used in Bangladesh to make musical instruments like the flute and ektara. People create fancy hand fans from bamboo in rural places where electricity is still frequently unavailable and decorate them delicately with floral, bird, and tree shapes. Additionally, the stiff and strong bamboo is used to create a variety of items, including jewellery boxes, bangles, and earrings.

Cane Crafts in Bangladesh

Cane is one of the key natural resources of Bangladesh forests and homesteads. Cane is similar to bamboo in appearance, but it is considerably simpler to shape and modify, making it possible to produce traditional handicrafts with additional purposes. Bangladeshi artisans have used cane to create a variety of decorative objects, furniture, and home goods for many years. In the past, they used to make fancy cane crafts as gifts for their loved ones. As they could produce these handicrafts with creative designs and a sense of cultural ambience, it soon developed into a profession for the artisans in Bangladesh.

Different Cane Items

The most popular use of cane crafts was with 'Nakshi Pati'. Nakshi Pati refers to decorative mats that were used in Bangladesh's cities for both comfort and aesthetic appeal. Sylhet is a significant hub for the cane industry. The most well-known "Seetalpatis" are also produced in Sylhet. Khulna produces mats with a variety of designs. Cane craftsmen make affordable table lamps, chairs, tables, baskets, hookah holders, and other items with appealing designs.

Present Situation of Bamboo and Cane Works

There is hardly any aspect of rural life in Bangladesh where bamboo and cane products are not in use. Kitchenware made of bamboo, such as the kula (a winnowing fan), jhudi (a basket), chalani (a sieve), and dala (a tray used specifically for drying pickles), are a part of both rural and urban life. Furniture made of bamboo has gained popularity nowadays. The Nakshi Pati (pictorial mat) and Shital Pati (cool mat) are still used to give the impression that the house is filled with Bangladeshi culture.

Bamboo and cane goods comprise the largest subsector of handicrafts. Products made from cane and bamboo are in high demand all over the world, particularly in Asia and Europe. Making cane crafts like "Shital Pati," which are still in demand because no other mat can compare in terms of comfort and elegance, provides the artists in Bangladesh with a good living.