Kauna Grass is reed, Available in abundance in North-Eastern Manipur, and harvested thrice a year in the region. This water reed gives an income and presence to women’s craftsmanship in these regions; these days, Stories from Manipur bring water reeds as objects crafted for utility. Kauna grass is essential for an ecosystem that relies on a tiny string of nature, from these grass rural village women’s weaving wonders.
Women weavers of rural Manipuri villages intend to do something for their livelihood, and Kauna Grass give them a vibrant ecosystem of income, co-living with nature. First, these grass products they produced for local utility purposes, and then realised the possibility of market. From this grass, Manipuri people commonly make ‘mats, mattresses and cushions, which serve as furniture in a room where people do most socialising, working and eating while seated on the floor in the traditional style’, Jaya Jaitly writes in Google Art and Culture.
Things and possibilities changed a lot. Now they make an extensive range of products that come under the variety of Kauna crafts: bags, cushions, tables, chairs, bath and wine racks, wall hangings, jewellery and make-up boxes, purses etc. This Kauna grass has long, cylindrical stems and a soft, spongy surface that makes it tensile and easy to thread; its non-toxic products are biodegradable and eco-friendly. These reeds use for many purposes, like water cleaners and thermal and noise insulators; they are water-resistant and used to make things because of their durability.
After the interactions with city people, the crafted objects were reshaped and resized; Women’s craftsmanship made the things depend upon the more sophisticated tastes of city people. Normal Kauna Basket gets two colours with bamboo handles that give an elegant look and anyone, even city people, for shopping. Beginning from zero market knowledge, women from the rural village learn many things from expert designer craftsmen. Weavers initiated and connected with farmers to get the cultivated Kauna grass, and they quickly modified the roots of trade and craftsmanship.
Kauna Grass and Mythical Snake
This grass in the marshlands paddy fields connects with Manipuri folklore, the mythical holy snake god ‘Nongda Lairen Pakhan.’ Kauna grass gives more income and profit than paddy; they cultivate more and produce higher income once cultivated. Generally guided to as bulrush, Manipur people lovingly called the wild water reed –Kouna– in their local wording. Their belief in their curing power led them to make mats from these reeds; sleeping on Kauna mats helps cure chronic fever and alleviate people from back pain. The plant is inherently insect-resistant and aids in reducing water waste by terminating harmful microorganisms and harmful metals.
Kauna Grass Craft: Kauna Grass Wall Clock by Akhom Raso Singh | Credit; Google Art and Culture
Credit: Google Art and Culture
Krispin Joseph PX, a poet and journalist, completed an MFA in art history and visual studies at the University of Hyderabad.
