People in Bek Chan village, Ampil Teuk commune, Kampong Tralach district, Kampong Chhnang province, especially the elderly, struggle to preserve traditional weaving of ‘red mats’ made from shingle flatsedge.
According to Wonders of the Mekong, the shingle flatsedge (Cyperus imbricatus) grows in tropical wetlands. In Cambodia, it grows on lakes that receive water from the Tonle Sap River, Tonle Sap Lake, and the Mekong River. But now the shingle flatsedge that grows on natural lakes cannot meet the demand. Those who weave mats for sale have to cultivate and harvest it like rice, a process that involves harvesting seeds to sowing, transplanting, and then harvesting the grown plant.
Sixty-year-old woman Chea Horn, holding a machete in her hand, said ‘Cultivating shingle flatsedge is not much different from rice farming. It needs the same water and fertiliser care as rice. Otherwise, it will not grow well.’
The plant needs to grow to a length of 1.2-1.6 metres to fit the size of the mat. For market demand, th
ere are two types of mats: long mats and sleeping mats. The long mats are 0.9 metres wide and 5 metres long. Long mats are commonly used in monasteries, and retail for about 150,000 Riel (US$37.5). The sleeping mats are 1.2-1.4 metres wide and 2 metres long, and cost about 5-60,000 Riel (US$12.5-15).
Sitting on a bed with two grandchildren next to her, 63-year-old Nun Chun, who uses her husband’s name for her last name according to the villagers’ tradition, said: “Weaving a mat does not take long. I can weave one 2-metre-long mat per day. But what takes long is the months of getting rid of the dyed fibers. Only old people like us are still weaving after taking time off from farming. The young will not do it.’
Indeed, to produce a final product requires a lot of time and effort. From planting to harvest, it takes 2-3 months. After harvesting, the weavemaker has to sit down and cut the stems one by one with a knife to make fibers, which are then dried for 10-15 days before they get dyed. After the dye process
, the fibers are dried again in the sun before being woven into mats.
After the product is finished comes another challenge; that is to sell it at a price competitive with plastic mats, which are similar products. “I have met some buyers who say that my products are too expensive, they prefer to use cheap plastic mats instead,” said Chea Horn. This has made the mat weavers in the village feel very depressed. Some have given up on the practice, while others are determined to carry on with this ancient tradition.
Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse