Scented statues, unique but hard to sell

Singgir Kartana, Contributor, Yogyakarta

Statues made out of wood, stones or iron are common. But statues created entirely from roots of fragrant plants may sound unusual.

Such statues are neither produced through carving nor by an inlay method, but by weaving and gluing.

This is a specialty of 45-year-old Hadiwiyono. A craftsman from Kepek village, Wonosari district of Gunungkidul regency, he produces animal statues from the roots of akar wangi (fragrant plants)

Akar wangi is the root of a sort of shrub that usually grows mountainous areas. The plant is used to scent clothes by putting it in one's wardrobe. The natural scent also seeps out of the statues.

It is quite difficult to imagine how painstaking and complicated it is to put together the root fibers, which are similar to sugar-palm fibers, in the process of creating a statue. What is more, Hadiwiyono does not make miniatures of animals -- the statues are life size.

The work certainly requires patience and meticulousness. Special skills are also needed to make the frame and to weave and attach the root hairs for the animal shape, especially to create a proportional one.

"The most difficult thing is to make the head. For example, making the head of a horse or a buffalo, especially with it tilted or looking to one side. Almost all people who place the orders ask that the animals are made with the position of turning their head. Perhaps to make them more life-like," said Partiman, the 24-year-old son of Hadiwiyono who helps his father in the business.

Hadiwiyono makes various kinds of animal statues. From the small ones like bats, rabbits, turtles, goats, monkeys and orangutan to the large ones such as buffaloes and horses.

To create one of the large life-size animal statues, he needs about 100 kilograms of the fragrant plants.

"We normally take about a week to make a horse. It takes four people; me, my son and my two employees. For a smaller one like a rabbit or a monkey, I can make three or four in one day," Hadiwiyono said.

The process begins with the frame, which is usually woven. The inner part of the frame is filled with coconut fibers or paddy stalks to save the use of the fragrant roots.

In addition it makes the final product lighter and stronger. Then, the outer part is covered with the root fibers in such a way as to create a realistic-looking animal.

In order to make attach the fiber so they remain strong, they are woven with normal thread, then glued together so as to smoothen the end product.

After that, the accessories, such as the bell for the cow, are put on. The accessories are also made in harmony with the animals, and are also made from the roots. The statues are not colored so that they look natural like the color of the fragrant roots.

The fragrant roots are bought in the area of Karanganyar and Kulonprogo for Rp 12,500 (US$1.5) per kilograms. To make the big statues, the roots should be of a good quality -- old and long. The short ones are used to make smaller statues.

Hadiwiyono sells a big statue for between Rp 1.5 million and Rp 2 million, while the small ones cost between Rp 20,000 and Rp 50,000 each. The big statues are made to order.

He said he accepts all orders to make any kind of animal. Most of his customers are businesspeople. They put the orders in by showing a picture of their preferred animal.

Hadiwiyono needs the picture so that he can make the statue in a certain position as is depicted a customer's picture. If he makes the order in accordance with the picture, he said, the customer will not have any reason to complain about the position of the statue and how it looks. Hadiwiyono said he was currently working on an order for the Hotel Ciputra in Jakarta.

"Four months ago I got an order to make the statues of a pair of buffaloes as well as a cart from a businessman in Purworejo (Central Java). I also made the cart from akar wangi. It was used as a decoration at a wedding party for the businessman's child," he said.

Hadiwiyono also makes various kinds of handicrafts from the same plant, in addition to woven textile and bamboo. He makes around 25 kinds of handicrafts. Among them are tissue paper boxes, pillow sheets, sajjada (prayer mats) and table cloths that are made of woven textile and the akar wangi, bamboo hats, flutes and mail boxes.

The prices vary from Rp 1,500 for a bamboo bird flute to Rp 2 million for an animal statue.

Some of the products are exported to Singapore and Malaysia.

"Before the Bali bombing, we exported (the products) to America and Australia. In one week, before the bombing, we used to sell 500 statues of various sizes," Hadiwiyono said.

He started his business five years ago, inspired by a visit to a handicraft exhibition in Yogyakarta. He later took part in a workshop for cottage industries that was organized by the Yogyakarta small business association.

Within just four months, his business developed well. In 2001, he received some assistance from the Yogyakarta National Handicraft Council in the form of a telephone line and a weaving tool.

One of the weaknesses of the statues made from fragrant roots, according to Hadiwiyono, is that they are not waterproof. If they are exposed to water, they will be easily damaged. Therefore, they should be kept in a room with no water at all.

He said that he is trying to find a way to make the products waterproof.

"I am trying to make a formula to preserve akar wangi so that they are not so easily damaged and still smell nice after getting wet," he said.

Despite that shortcoming, his products are unique and many people love them. But the business has not developed to its maximum capacity, due to infrastructure issues and a lack of any proper marketing strategy as he promotes the products in a traditional way -- word of mouth. He also depends on his major market, Bali. Therefore, after the Bali attacks occurred and tourists stopped coming, he suffered.

Some of his pieces are exported, but he does not do it directly. He sells to middlemen, who buy the products and then sell them abroad.