'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.