Contributing to the Conservation of Madagascar's Natural Heritage: Borocera Madagascarienensis and Uapaca Bojeri
NY TANINTSIKA’S PROGRAMME
History
Tapia, or Uapaca Bojeri, the staple food of the wild Malagasy silkworm, called Landibe (borocera madagascariensis). Both tapia and landibe are only found in Madagascar. The tapia forests are the last remnants of the highlands primary forest, and these are threatened by human destruction through bush fires, firewood collection and charcoal production as well as being threatened by pine trees which hinder its growth. Moreover, the tapia forest is home to a great wealth of products in addition to silkworms, used by the local population; including fruit, medicinal plants, mushrooms and plant dyes.
Ny Tanintsika’s project is revitalising the silk industry in the south central region of Amoron’i Mania (the largest area of tapia forest in Madagascar), increasing silk production through the conservation of these forests. The poorest in the community are the first to benefit from the project, and particularly the women who we support in producing silk from the silkworm cocoons and its transformation into different products, as well as providing support for marketing and sales. We also help villagers who have set an annual objective to replant the tapia forest, assisting them in doing this.
Why Wild Silk?
Silk holds an important place in Malagasy culture. According to a Malagasy proverb, “Ny Lambalandy: velona itafiana, maty isalorana”, “Silk: alive, one drapes oneself, dead, one envelops them”. Silk is a sign of nobility for Malagasy people and when the deceased are wrapped in a silk burial shroud, or “lambamena”, this is a sign of wealth. In the past, villagers bordering the tapia forest did not value wild silk. During cocoon collection, the eggs were thrown away and the protein rich chrysalides were eaten or sold. Today, weaving with wild silk is an activity traditional to the Amoron’i Mania region, which is home to Madagascar’s most extensive tapia forests. Local village communities (protective households of the forest) specialise in the stage of silk production and cocoon collection, after which they sell these cocoons to women weavers who do the: reeling, weaving and, that of adding silk into clothing, decorative items (such as bags, shoes, clothes, and lampshades) which has seen an increased value recently. Silk production is an important income-generating activity for village communities and women weavers. It is also a promising sector because there is a large market for products, (with silk being sold to dealers of handicrafts or to speciality silk shops), where it is sold locally (to tourists), or to the international market.
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How are Cocoons Transformed into Cloth?
Wild silkworm cocoons are collected in the tapia forest. The Landibe cocoons are subjected to different treatments, before arriving at the stage where they can be threaded. They are soaked in water and are turned upside down using a simple metal tool tipped.This treatment increases their volume four or five-fold, and they are then dried in the sun. When dry, they are boiled in soapy water for an hour and a half, and are kept in a container or cooking pot for about four days. After this fermentation, the silk material is produced, which is cleaned with soap and dried. It is beaten with a stick to make it suppler. After drying, the wild silk is ready to be spun. As in the past, spinners in Amoron’i Mania continue to use traditional weaving equipment. After the thread is formed, women remove the gum in it by boiling it in soapy water for about a quarter of an hour and then leaving it to soak for half a day. The thread is then rinsed and dried in the shade.
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Weavers in Madagascar traditionally use brown thread, dyed naturally, to make burial shrouds. However, faced with evolution in silk products on the market, women are diversifying to produce a range of fabrics and scarves in a wide range of natural colours. They use a mix of domesticated silk and wild silk, experimenting with different weaving techniques and natural dyes. About twenty plants are used to make the different colours, which can come from different parts of the plant: their leaves, stems, bark, and roots. Various colours, such as red, green, brown, yellow, grey, black, are produced depending on local knowledge and practices. Women weavers still use simple tools and old wooden looms during weaving.
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How do we support these women?
We work with women weavers to provide them with essential technical and material assistance and in the last year we were able to train over 60 women (increasing the number we work with to over 200). Not only do we train them in dyeing and spinning but we provide spinning wheels and other materials so they can do this. We also work indirectly to strengthen the market for their silk products by advertising, promoting and contracting producers to various clients as well as assembling and following business plans for effective sales so these women have an increased and reliable income.
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