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Show PAPERMAKIN I SIA 3 is much admired by the native people. The burnt fibre o the betel nut hull to be used for the staining of paper wa placed in a large wooden mortar and beaten with a heav club or pestle until it became a fine powder (Photograp 11),afterwhich processitwas mixed with flourand wate into a paste-like pigment resembling water colour paint The venerable Tym may be seen performing this latte operation in Photograph 12. At the Niltongkum mill the two girls, Luolin and Pyn,usually stained the paper T suspect this mild sort of work did not involve sufficien energy and vigour to attract Mrs. Piung Niltongkum th octogenarian who scemed to be drawn only to labour o a more strenuous variety. In the staining process,abou twenty of the long narrow sheets of paper were laid upo alow wooden bench or platform and the worker, sittin cross-legged upon the ground, spread the black pigmen completely over eachsheet by usingasoft cloth, asshow in Photograph 13. For many centuries the surface stain ing of paper with various kinds of dye and in a variety o colours has been a favourite method of decoration, an it has been my privilege to sce this work done in China Japan, Indo-China, Siam, Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa. Th drying of the stained paper at Bangsom may be seen i Photograph 14 We had been at the Bangsom millsince carly mornin and kindly old Tym and Piung Niltongkum and thei Digitalimag 2004 Marriott Library, Universiy of Utah. All ights reserved |