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By Carolina Matheus,
for Olga Fisch Folklore.
Poverty and environmental destruction go hand in hand. People only begin to consider taking care of the environment as something worthwhile when they find economically feasible alternatives. Could this be the case of TAGUA NUT production? Tagua nut, more commonly known as ‘vegetable ivory’, (due to its attractive creamy white color that closely resembles the elephant tusk) is being used as a raw material for making handicrafts that range from necklaces and animal figurines to chess sets. It may very well be that ‘vegetable ivory’ creations could help curb rainforest degradation and economic poverty in several populations in the Coastal provinces of Ecuador.
The scientific name of this beautiful palm is Phytelephas aequatorialis and it is also known as the ivory-nut palm. The generic name Phytelephas comes from Greek and literally means ‘elephant plant.” Specifically in Ecuador, phytelephas mostly grows in Manabi, Carchi, Esmeraldas, Guayas, and El Oro. Another ‘relative’ called Phytelephas tenuicaulis is found in nearly every province of the Ecuadorian Amazon region or Oriente and in the western Amazon region of Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru.
Although traditionally indigenous peoples of the Amazon have not been known to use tagua for making handicrafts, they have given this palm tree a wide range of uses. For example, both the Quechua and the Achuar use its leaves to weave roofs; while some rain forest inhabitants enjoy eating the mesocarp and endosperm which have a gelatinous edible substance; and the Huaorani utilize its fibers to clean their deadly spears (cerbatanas). Therefore, in the Amazon, the vegetable ivory palm is an important resource for indigenous communities. Fortunately, this palm is used in small amounts and does not largely affect the fragile ecosystem.
Environmentally Friendly
Not only is the tagua palm important for indigenous trib
es, it is also significant because its careful usage could help save rain forests. It is common knowledge that the rainforest is being destroyed at alarming rates. According to Professor Armstrong of Palomar College: “In Central and South America this destruction amounts to about 50 acres per minute, an area roughly the size of West Virginia, each year. Slash and burn agriculture, mainly for plantations of exportable products such as fast-growing pines, rubber, bananas, coffee and cattle, are responsible for this.” Armstrong sees the cultivation of the tagua nut as an alternative for environmental degradation. “A Massachusetts-based environmental group called Cultural Survival, says natural rain forest products such as vegetable ivory can generate up to five times the income of banana plantations and cattle ranches.” Other experts agree. An extensive study conducted by CORPEI explains that because vegetable ivory is a renewable product, it could help reduce environmental impact and help the preservation of the tropical forest. However, vegetable ivory’s economic and environmental success depends greatly on the Ecuadorian Government’s desire to protect and reforest the Phytelepha aequatorialis.
Beautiful and Versatile
Even the most finicky consumer cannot deny the almost exact resemblance between elephant ivory and vegetable ivory. Because vegetable ivory is beautiful and long-lasting, artisans in Ecuador have made a wide range of striking crafts with this raw material. Many have become very attracted to working with tagua for jewelry designs because it’s a natural material; it has a wonderful texture and a variety of shapes and colors can be obtained. Perhaps its only limiting factor is that its size is restrained to the small size of a tagua nut. Yet some artisans have been able to overcome this by combining more than one nut into a larger piece.
Economic Importance
“In total, all tagua-related production in Ecuador employs 50,000 people.” In Ecuador, tagua production can be divided into button related production and handicraft production. Both are fairly significant sources of income for the Ecuadorian economy, if one takes into account that “it represents 0.36% of total exports.” According to a 2003 CORPEI study, Ecuador is the world’s leading exporter of tagua. Its main buyers are the USA and the European Community. When it comes to exporting animelas (semi-elaborated discs that are turned into buttons), Italy is the main buyer. Handicraft exports have also made their mark in the world market. Surprisingly, Colombia, North Korea and the USA are the main handicraft buyers.
Moreover, tagua is economically significant as an alternate source of income for several small villages on the Ecuadorian Coast. Since the 1990’s, they have received an injection in their sleepy, almost non-existent, economies due to tagua carving. In the province of Guayas, in the small villages such as Pajisa, Sitio Nuevo and Manglaralto, a non-profit organization called Pro-Pueblo has boosted the local economy by teaching the people how to craft tagua. “Before tagua, most people had to survive on occasional employment in construction. They were often unemployed or underemployed,” says a representative of Pro-Pueblo. Similar stories occur in the province of Manabi. For example, in Sosote, a small village near the city of Portoviejo, many locals such as a husband and wife artisan team, have increased their income due to carving tagua crafts.
History:
A Well-Kept Secret
During the height of cut-throat competitive 19th century capitalist economy, a group of German traders zealously guarded their secret: not a gold mine, but a ‘vegetable ivory mine’ in the pristine Coast of Ecuador. The “Casa Tagua Alemana” had the monopoly on vegetable ivory which was used to make buttons throughout Europe from around 1850 until the early 1900’s. They had sites dotted throughout the Ecuadorian Coastal villages of Manglaralto, Puerto Cayo and Muisne, among others. The Germans mislead competitors to thinking they were bringing this raw material from Africa. This assumption was easily made due to the fact that German sail boats passed through the Straight of Magellan and skirted the African Coastline until they reached Hamburg. Italian button-makers were perplexed by the whereabouts of this mysterious factory and conducted several espionage missions. This is how Giovanni Zanchi set off for a 17-year fruitless mission in Africa. Finally, with the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, it became more obvious that the vegetable ivory was coming from South America. Zanchi hit the jackpot in Manabi, Ecuador, where he not only found the factory; but also found a wife. Since 1914, the Zanchi family has lived on tagua button production in Manta.
The tagua button industry thrived and was boosted during World War II, when US army buttons were made from Ecuadorian tagua. After World War II, plastic replaced tagua buttons to some extent. Fortunately, with the rise of haute couture in the 1970’s, fashion houses such as Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, and Valentino, Versace began to covet this elegant and resistant raw material for their chic collections.
So when did people start making vegetable ivory handicrafts? It’s like trying to decide which came first: the chicken or the egg. According to Cuvi in his book Crafts of Ecuador, it came after the button production. When tagua was transported on the train, some of it did not pass quality control and ended up in the Sierra city of Riobamba’s train station. It is possible that the tagua craft industry stemmed from these ‘rejects’, as the malleable and resistant raw material reached the hands of Ecuadorian artisans who began to make yo-yos and toy tea sets for local children. In the 1980’s, artists began to carve animal figurines inspired by Galapagos animals and by other native species. Since then, tagua crafts have come a long way.
Even today some details of tagua are still kept secret in order to prevent copying. Yet the general elaboration process is common knowledge. First, one must buy the tagua nut in large supply houses usually in Manta. Then tagua is dried, peeled by hand, and cut into semicircles. If one desires a natural look, at this point, the tagua nut is hand carved with little saw-like instruments and a disc. Little by little, an exquisite creation will emerge. Ten years ago most crafts remained at this point. However, in the last three or four years there has been an increase in the elaboration of dyed tagua jewelry. This is done by a careful dying process with aniline so that the colors will not bleed or fade. Once the tagua is colored, it is often combined with subtle elegance with silver and other natural materials. The creativity of Ecuadorian tagua artisans is endless! Artisans are proud of their products and comment enthusiastically: “Tell people to come visit us in Sosote, province of Manabi, on the way to Crucita. Not Manta! People always get it wrong. Come and visit our workshops and stores when you are on your way to enjoy Manabi’s beautiful beaches!” they explain with conviction: the conviction that tagua carving will continue to help support their family while protecting Ecuador’s fragile rainforest ecosystem.
Sources:
- Armstrong, W.P. 2001. “Vegetable Ivory: Saving Elephants and the Rain Forest” retrieved on Feb 2007 from waynesword.palomar.edu/wayne.htm
- Borgtoft and Balslev. (1993) Palmas Útiles Quito: Abya- Yala.
- Balsev. Palmas Útiles (1997)Quito.
- Cerón C. and Montalvo C. (1998) Etnobotánica de Los Huaorani de Quehueri-Napo, Ecuador. Quito: Abya- Yala.
- Cuvi, P. Crafts of Ecuador (1994) Quito: Dinediciones.
- Gómez. (1996) Palmas útiles del Ecuador en La Provincia de Pastaza: Manual Práctico. No #1. Quito: OMAERE.
- Proyecto SICA/MAG Banco Mundial 2007. “La Bonanza de la Tagua” retrieved on Feb 4 2007 from http://www.sica.gov.ec/agronegocios/
- www.propueblo.org.ec (Feb 5, 2007).
- Proyecto CORPEI-CBI “ Perfil de Un producto: Tagua. Expansión de la Oferta Exportable Ecuador. Julio 2003.” Retreived on Feb 8,2007 from http://www.ecuadorexporta.org.
Photographs:
Iván Ceballos
