'Kemlandingan' shells made into handicrafts

'Kemlandingan' shells made into handicrafts

By Simon Sudarman

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Nuryanto defines artwork as "something simple
and almost useless made useful and valuable."

The countryside bachelor makes earthenware vessels and
pandanus handicrafts as a profession. He became an artisan after
he became concerned over the enormous wastage of materials in
handicraft-making.

"This idea struck me not long ago when I went to a number of
handicraft exhibitions. When I saw the items on display, I felt
challenged, as a villager, to turn everything around me into
something useful and valuable," he said.

With this principle as his point of departure, Yanto, his
nickname, has made, out of the shells of kemlandingan seeds and
dry banana leaves, various kinds of handicrafts which can be used
as household articles.

"Everything from nature is useful. It depends on us to choose
how to tap this potential," said Yanto, who has completed a
technical secondary school.

Born in 1978, Yanto, who lives in Gerselo hamlet, Bantul
regency, some 20 km to the south of Yogyakarta, makes 15 kinds of
handicraft ranging from ashtrays, ballpoint stands, souvenir
cases to tissue boxes.

These articles are made of materials considered waste by his
fellow villagers, and some other auxiliary materials, such as
glue, cardboard and agel, thread made from fan palm leaves. These
items may be used for household purposes or, also, as decoration.

They are easy to make. First, he selects the shells of
kemlandingan seeds or dry banana leaves with a bright color. Then
these are cut into the pieces desired and are then glued onto any
choice of objects as an outer covering. Then, if I choose my own
design, I first draw the design on a piece of cardboard and glue
the cut pieces of the shells of kemlandingan seeds or dry banana
leaves onto the design.

"This covering is quite durable," said Yanto, who began this
business in 1997. Now, his handicrafts are sold, through
handicraft dealers, to customers across Java and Bali.

"The trouble is that it is difficult to get the bright-colored
shells of kemlandingan seeds and dry banana leaves during the wet
season. Most are dull-colored and not pleasant to look at when
turned into handicrafts," he said.

Better

Yanto, who says that he earns a handsome income now, began his
business with only Rp 100,000. At first, he did everything by
himself. He could find the raw materials easily: in rice fields,
on river banks and in the fields.

"The raw materials are easily available. You don't have to pay
for them. Even the owner of the fields or rice fields will be
happy because this way you take away their "waste"," he said. The
first articles he made were table tissue boxes, souvenir cases
and ballpoint stands.

When these articles were ready, he left them with the
merchants for whom he worked before. These articles were sold out
and in a month he could get three sizable orders.

As the work was too much to handle alone, he asked some of his
fellow villagers to help him. Now he has three assistants. When
he has a lot of orders he will hire as many as eight freelancers.
These youngsters have only an elementary or junior high school
education but to Yanto educational background doesn't matter as
long as they can work conscientiously, patiently, creatively and
artistically. Generally, they will need one to two months of
training and afterwards they can be on their own.

"Now, the villagers realize that what used to be called waste
can be useful. Therefore, they collect the shells of kemlandingan
seeds or dry banana leaves and sell them to earn an extra
income," he said merrily.

You can have one kilogram of dry banana leaves and banana
plant stalks as well as a bagful of the shells of kemlandingan
seeds at Rp 6,000. Glue, cardboard and other auxiliary materials
are usually bought in Yogyakarta. In a day he can make some 20
table tissue boxes or 25 souvenir cases. Productivity depends on
the kinds of handicrafts he makes.

Prices range from Rp 2,500, for the price of a wedding
souvenir, to Rp 25,000. His turnover per month averages Rp 5
million and he spends some Rp 800,000 to cover labor costs and
raw materials.

Yanto's assistants work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. They have an
hour's break and earn between Rp 4,500 and Rp 5,000 a day
depending on their skill and the quality of the handicrafts they
make.

"True, the wages are still below the standard. This is only a
small-scale business and this is good for my friends as otherwise
they will remain jobless," Yanto said.

Attention

As a small-scale artisan, Yanto knows that his main handicap
is capital, especially if he receives large orders at the same
time.

"It is difficult to develop this business without the
injection of capital. We work only when there is money.
Sometimes, I make up a reason in order to receive advance
payments. I use this money as additional capital, otherwise
business would grind to a halt. Only after I receive payment for
the first order can I proceed with the second. In this way, all
orders can be dealt with," he said with a note of deep concern.

Although he needs additional capital, Yanto has never tried to
apply for a loan because he is ignorant of the procedures. He
hopes that a relevant government agency will pay attention to
this matter.

"I'm sure that as long as good quality is maintained and
simple materials from the village are used, the handicrafts will
have their own uniqueness and will continue to be in demand
because of their environmentally friendly nature," he said, full
of conviction.