1.0.
INTRODUCTION
Mat weaving is a traditional craft that has come of ages in Nigeria;
it is practiced by the large variety of indigenous people of Nigeria.
Mat
weaving craft is very economical to produce. It is produced by the simply
intertwining of the mat leaves. The leaves are grown and harvested in due time,
dried and processed for production process. Mats are highly esteemed amongst
the Yoruba people especially by the traditional rulers because of the diverse
purposes it serve. It can be used for such ceremonies as marriage blessing,
coronation and as foot-mat in the palace.
Mats are important household articles which are used for variety of purposes such as bedding, covering floors, scatting, and fencing, screening and making ceilings. They vary a great deal in colour, size and texture depending on the type of raw material used and the purpose for which they are intended.
In this case we studied the people of Ogotun village in Ekiti-State,
Southwest of Nigeria in respect of the Mat Weaving Craft. Mats are made from a
popular grass called “Eniron” in the local dialect of the people.
Madam
Rachael Ogundiran was born around 1940 in Ogotun-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
The then young Rachael was introduced to the traditional crafts practiced by
most people in the area as she assisted her mother in activities such as
Mat-Weaving. At a very tender age, she has started weaving Mats that serve many
purposes in the day-to-day activities. She started selling her mats to
different people that include dignitaries like Kings, Chiefs among many others
which enabled her to support herself and her family.
In
spite of her, using just hands and feet, her end products are all perfectly
balanced and well proportioned with pattern always looking pleasant and
attractive. According to her, “there has not been any modern equipment
manufactured to replace the use of hands and feet”. She does not use any modern
equipment to produce her perfectly formed pieces, their aesthetic quality on
the simplicity of design, seemingly transforming ordinary plant (weed) into
works of art.
Madam
Ogundiran collects her materials from a plant called Mat Plant “ENIRON” in
Ekiti State where weed grows especially during the period of rice and maize
harvest. The plant leaves are also useful for the wrapping of rice.
Passing
on her skills has become an important aspect of Madam Rachael’s work, often
hosting workshops in her family extended housing, passing on skills that have
been taught for generations and which have now become part of culture.
3.0. MATERIALS
AND TOOLS USED FOR MAT WEAVING
3.1. MATERIALS
4.0. PROCESSING
AND TECHNIQUES OF MAT WEAVING
4.1. PROCEDURES AND PROCESSSING
According
to the Craft Person, “no formal training is needed for mat making. A young girl
can learn by sitting down by her mother and watch her work. Soon, the girl is
allowed to try her hand at weaving, and she soon perfects her skill.”
The
procedure for making mats can be broken down into four steps:
v On-farm
activities
v Smothering
and Drying
v Dyeing
v Weaving
The
on-farm activities involve:
·
Growing the mat stalk,
·
Weeding the farm
·
Harvesting the mat stalk. A mat stalk
takes an average of 3-5years to mature.
·
Final Harvesting of the matured mat
stalk is done by hand.
Harvesting
and transporting a bundle of mat stalks to the homestead takes a full day. The
smothering and drying stage commences the second day, with slicing of mat
stalks. A sickle-like knife is used to slice the content (pulp) out of the mat
stalk. After sun-drying for 2-3days, the sliced stalks are dyed or left plain.
However
after harvesting, the Plant is been scraped and then dipped inside chemicals
like “Jelu (Purple)”, “Buke (Red)” and “Mokere (Orange). This is done in other
to add aesthetic to the design of the mat.
4.2. TECHNIQUES
There
are three important techniques involve in the weaving of Mat at Ogotun Ekiti;
they are
Ø WEAVING
Ø PLAITING
Ø TWINNING
Plaiting
method is also another technique were the fibres are plaited together in a long
strip. The finished strips are then sewn together side by side or in a spiral
form to form a complete mat
Twinning
method is a process involving the warp fibres which are laid down on the ground
and the weft threads are twisted around them.
5.0. MARKETING
Ogotun-Ekiti
is an area where mat weaving is their craftsmanship. It became easier for the
people of the town to learn how mat is weaved. Whenever there is large
production of mats, a local market for selling was organized or taken to nearby
villages like Ilesa, Ipetu-Ijesa. Buyers like dignitaries come from far and
near big cities like Ilorin, Osogbo, Benin, Ibadan and even from the Northern
part of the country to buy the mats.
5.1. MATS AND MATS PRODUCTS
Beautiful
mats and mat-based products such as table mats, conference bags, purses, hand
fans, cup covers are made in Ogotun-Ekiti, and its environs.
6.0. LIMITATIONS
The
mat makers were predominantly aged (about 60-90 years old). Mat making
processes was reportedly very tedious, it causes fatigue; on the average, the
fastest mat maker may be unable to make more than three big coloured mats in 2 weeks.
Although
Mat weaving craft boosted the economy of Ogotun-Ekiti, which made the town one
of the well-known towns in Ekiti State and his environs but it is sad to get to
know that the craft production has declined massively because the aged mat
weavers are not readily replaced by the younger ones due to so-called
civilization. More so, it continues to go into extinct because the making
process causes fatigue and there hasn’t been any introduction of modern
implements or method of mat weaving.
The going into extinction of mat weaving in
the town is also brought about by the introduction of western education which
discourages the activities of weaving mat among the indigenous people of Ogotun-Ekiti
which includes teenagers.
7.0. RECOMMENDATIONS
§ Private Sponsorships should be encouraged to
help revive Mat Weaving craft.
§ Governments should try and encourage the use
of Mat products.
§ Encouraging the training and teaching of the
Mat weaving craft in various institutions (starting from Primary school level
to various higher institutions) in the country.
§ Mat weavers should be encouraged and invited
to participate and exhibit their products in National and International Trade
fairs which will earn Nigeria a substantial amount of foreign exchange.
§ Adequate and proper attention should be given
to the development of mat weaving locale
in Ogotun-Ekiti
8.0. CONCLUSION
This
term paper was indeed an eye opener, from our experience we now know that mat
weaving have come of ages in Nigeria particularly Ogotun-Ekiti where our
research work was based.
We
discovered that though the lack of publicity of local craft in Nigeria, still
mat weaving is one of the craft that have refused to go into extinction in
Ogotun-Ekiti because of the passion the local people have for it and the place
have been designated and recognized as mat weaving centre which made the art of
mat weaving relevant among the people.
However,
our limitation and recommendation have been properly outlined in other to
sustain the future of mat weaving and to ensure its relevance and upliftment.
Lastly,
with the zeal the people are exhibiting towards the craft, the future of mat
weaving is bright with adequate and appropriate attention.
CREDIT TO MY GROUP MEMBERS
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