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Crafts / Coconut Craft

Coconut Craft

State
Kerala
Material
Coconut shell · Coconut leaf
Rarity
Popular

Every part of the coconut palm, put to use

About

Carved coconut shell ware with brass work, and plaited coconut leaf items, from Kerala.

The coconut palm is part of everyday life on Kerala's coast, and people have found many uses for every part of the tree. As a craft, this appears in three main forms. Coconut shell is carved and polished into cups, bowls, ladles, spoons, vases and boxes. A special form, the brass broidered coconut shell craft, decorates carved shells with brass work and is practised only in Kerala. And coconut and other palm leaves are plaited into mats, baskets and small items.

The brass broidered coconut shell craft makes cups, flower vases, snuff boxes, nut bowls, powder boxes, spoons and hookahs. Its main centres are in the districts of Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. It was registered as a Geographical Indication in 2015. Coconut shell craft more generally is also practised in Goa, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and West Bengal.

Palm leaf work in Kerala is mostly done by women, who plait baskets, mats, hand fans and other everyday things, and make folded leaf cups for drinking palm juice. Children in Kerala villages also make small toys from coconut leaf, such as watches and whistles, though this is a domestic pastime and not a documented trade.

How it’s made

Shell craft begins with selecting mature, good-quality coconut shells. The shell is cleaned of its fibre and scraped smooth. It is then sawn, cut and shaped, and carved with files, knives and rasps into the required form. The shell is extremely hard, so carving needs patience and skill. Surfaces are sanded and polished until they have a warm, glossy brown finish.

In the brass broidered form, the decoration is made in brass by the lost wax process: a wax model of the pattern is made, covered with clay and baked, the wax melts out and molten brass fills the space. The brass pattern is then fixed to the carved shell so that the golden metal contrasts with the dark shell. The colour combination of shell and brass gives the object its visual appeal.

Leaf craft starts with tender or mature coconut or palm leaves. They are split into strips, and the strips are plaited vertically and diagonally or coiled to make baskets with a square base and a round rim, mats and other items, and fastened with thin strips of leaf. Folded leaves can also be made into simple things such as small cups, toys and decorations. The tools are simple: scissors, needles and splitting tools.

Key features

  • Carved and polished coconut shell: cups, bowls, ladles and vases
  • Brass broidered shell craft: brass decoration made by lost wax, only in Kerala
  • Coconut and palm leaf plaiting: baskets, mats and small items
  • Main centres of brass broidered work: Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode
  • Geographical Indication registered for the shell craft (2015)
  • Natural, biodegradable materials

History

The coconut palm is central to life on Kerala's coast, and the use of its shell and leaves in daily life is old and well established. Shell is naturally hard, strong and resistant to wear, so it was used for ladles, bowls and cups, and leaves were plaited into thatch, mats and baskets. The written history of these everyday crafts is thin because they were household work.

The brass broidered coconut shell craft is a more specialised art, combining the hard shell with decorative brass. It requires a high degree of skill to carve the shell, and the brass decoration is made with the lost wax process, so the craft belongs to Kerala's old metalworking tradition as well as its shell-carving. It is regarded as a rare craft. Its Geographical Indication was registered with effect from 30 November 2015, on an application by the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts).

Today coconut shell craft is sold as eco-friendly home and kitchen ware, and leaf craft remains a part of village life, with leaf plaiting centres in places such as Thiruvananthapuram district. Craft fairs, such as the Sargalaya Craft Village at Iringal, show coconut and palm products to visitors.

Facts

  • Only in Kerala Brass-broidered shell craft. Coconut shell craft is found in several states, but the brass-embroidered variety is practised only in Kerala.
  • Hard shell A tough material to carve. The shell is extremely hard, similar in make-up to hardwood with more lignin, so carving it needs great skill.
  • GI 2015 Registered craft. The brass broidered coconut shell craft of Kerala has been registered as a Geographical Indication since 30 November 2015.
  • Leaf cups A folded leaf cup. In Kerala, a cup folded from a palm leaf is traditionally used to drink fresh palm juice.

Market

Kitchen ware, decor and gifts

Coconut shell products are sold as cups, bowls, ladles, spoons, lamps and decorative items in craft emporia, tourist shops and online. Brass broidered pieces are rarer and cost more. Leaf baskets, mats and fans are inexpensive and sold at local markets and craft fairs. Machine-made look-alikes, polished with synthetic varnish, are common.

Sustainability

Using what the coconut tree gives

Coconut shells and leaves are by-products of a crop that is already grown and harvested, so the craft turns waste into useful objects. The materials are natural and biodegradable, and shell ware is durable. Choose natural finishes, such as coconut oil, over synthetic varnish.

Products

  • Coconut shell cups and bowls: Carved and polished kitchen ware
  • Brass broidered shell vases and boxes: Snuff boxes, nut bowls, powder boxes, spoons and hookahs
  • Coconut shell candle holders and lamps: Decor pieces made from half shells
  • Plaited leaf baskets and mats: Woven from coconut or palm leaves
  • Leaf toys and hats: Simple items such as hats, whistles and watches folded from leaf

Words to know

  • Brass broidered: Coconut shell decorated with brass pattern work made by lost wax.
  • Lost wax: A casting method in which a wax model is melted away and replaced with metal.
  • Plaiting: Weaving leaf strips over and under one another.
  • Ola: The palm leaf in Malayalam, used for plaiting and thatch.
  • Lignin: The tough natural material that makes coconut shell hard.

Try it yourself

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