THE CHUNGA (STRAW BASKETS)
Within the rainforest of Panama, there are many plants and trees. One of the most important to mention is the chunga palm, or in the Embera dialect "jiwa". It is a palm tree that grows very tall and has many thorns.
The chunga is widely used for its leaves and also for its trunk, which serves as a pole in a traditional Embera house. The Embera women, as a legacy of their ancestors, have learned to weave beautiful baskets with the fibres of the leaves.
How to obtain and work with chunga fibres:
First the heart of the chunga plant is cut and collected. Then the Embera women bring the leaf home and put it in water so that it does not dry out in the sun. One leaf has four fibres.
After all the fibres are obtained, the chunga is cooked to remove the natural green colour. After cooking, the leaves are put in the sun to dry. The ladies leave them overnight to turn white with the dew from the open air.
Then they can create many different colours. The red colour comes from achiote (Bixa orellana), the yellow from yuquilla (Schefflera gleasonii), and the black from cocobolo wood and black earth. All these colours are obtained by firing the fibres with the material. These colours do not rub off and do not stain.
After having all the fibres, the ladies start weaving. A basket can take from 3 to 60 days, dedicating 6 to 8 hours a day. The quality is determined by the weaving.
