Feeling the loss of precious burls
BESIDES being home to the endangered black-necked crane and the popular Choeten Kora temple, Bhutan’s Trashiyangtse district is well known for producing a traditional wooden bowl called dappa.
Considered to be the birthplace of one of the 13 zorig chusum (arts and crafts), shagzo (woodturning), the district has witnessed a surge in dappa production in recent years.
This, according to locals, is because of a large number of graduates from zorig chusum institutes taking up the business after completing their training.
Local craftsmen also attribute the surge to the advent of technology, which has mechanised the dappa-making process so that it requires less effort.
However, with the increasing number of shazops – craftsmen who make these wooden bowls – pressure is building on the raw material.
Although that material comprises a wide range of maple and rhododendron species, it is the burls – a rounded outgrowth filled with knots – on these trees that make the most durable products.
Known as boows, burls on some of the maple species have become a rare sight in the district today.
Choeten Dendup who started working as a shagzop has become a burl hunter today.
The 45-year-old claims there is not a single burl left in the forests of Trashiyangtse today.
“As kids, we were told that burls were available in abundance in the nearby forests. However, excessive and uncontrolled harvesting has resulted in complete depletion of the raw material in the district today,” he says.
Today burl-hunters are seen exploring the virgin jungles of Lhuntse, Wangdue, Tsirang, Chhukha, and Zhemgang districts and distant parts of Haa to find the rare outgrowth that is highly priced.
“The burls are not restricted to a particular group of trees. It can be found on any tree but nowadays, it is difficult to get even one after looking the whole day,” says Choeten Dendup. “The labour involved in finding these burls make the end product more expensive.”
A small crude burl made into a rough cup sells for around 550 ngultrum (RM32). A finished dappa of standard size costs a minimum of 3,500 ngultrums (RM205). A decade ago that same size of dappa sold for 1,500 ngultrums (RM88 at today’s rates).
Choeten Dendup says the price of the products escalated after regulations to collect the burls were made strict. For instance, those like Choeten Dendup who engage in collecting burls have to seek a forest permit.
“Even with the permit, an individual is allowed to cut only two trees with burls annually. This is why we have to look for larger burls because, regardless of the sizes, you are allowed to cut only two trees a year,” he explains.
He adds that a tree, depending on the size of the burl is subject to royalty payments.
“On an average, a single tree would cost between 20,000 ngultrums and 22,000 ngultrums (RM1,100 and RM1,300).”
Karma Wangchuk, a local businessman who deals in the wholesale of dappas is one of the main buyers of burls in Trashiyangtse today.
“Compared to the past, the amount of raw materials has decreased,” he agrees. “But if you can pay a good price for what you want, there are people who can deliver it to you.”
On average, he makes around 0.2mil ngultrums (RM11,800) in profit from selling his products. He says that after witnessing a large demand for imported crockeries, he has now started to improvise on the shapes of traditional dappas by giving them a more modern look.
“Although the new designs are gaining popularity, it is the traditional dappas and phobs (small cups) that are mostly bought in the market,” he admits.
Meanwhile, there is a higher quality of burl known as Zhab-chi, which is almost impossible to get. According to some of the shazops, the Zhab-chi products are priced according to the pattern they carry.
A phob made of a Zhab-chi costs around 0.4mil ngultrums (RM23,700). A standard dappa made of the same material can sell for 1.5mil ngultrums (RM8,900). One of the noticeable patterns of a Zhab-chi product is a wook-thra chem, the eagle pattern.
Some of the wooden products from Trashiyangtse are picked up by tourists and a few Bhutanese, but the majority is sold in Nepal. – Kuensel/Asia News Network