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Most people of Trashi Yangtse are well-known for Dapa (wooden bowl) making. It has become the source of livelihood for many of them. There are more than 30 shag Zops in Trashi Yangtse today.
Tashi, 39, from Bumdeling Gewog has learnt the art when he was just 15 years old. He said he could master to make all the 25 different wooden products at the age of 20. And today, he is doing a good business.
“If I invest Nu. 50,000 I can easily get Nu. 100,000 as profit. That does not include the work I do. So if I invest Nu. 100,000 I can surely get Nu. 200,000 as a profit,” he said wearing a smile on his face.
With the income that he gets by selling Dapas he said he could comfortably manage his life.
However, with the number increasing, things are not getting better. There are no enough raw materials in the locality. Now, they are looking beyond their Dzongkhag.
According to the District Forestry Officer in Trashi Yangtse, many craftsmen have started asking permits for raw materials from other dzongkhags like Wangdue Phodrang and Chhukha now. “There are very few people who ask for permit from Trashi Yangtse. Therefore, it is evident that timber available for Dapa production in Trashi Yangtse is now almost exhausted. With increasing number of craftsmen now, most have started exploring other Dzongkhags, some as far as Haa,” he added.
According to the craftsmen, getting permit to extract raw materials is not easy. “If we are to bring the raw materials from other districts, we have to get the permit from that particular district forest office. After filling the forms there, the officials there say they’ll send the forms to the concerned authorities but the permits arrive very late. It takes months and by then, it is monsoon. This causes lots of problems to us and our business,” said Tashi.
The art of making dapa is a profession that has been passed from generation to generation. Due to shortage of raw materials, Shag Zops like Tashi said they fear whether the younger generations would take up the profession.
“Youth of today can make Dapa but then they refuse to go to forest. It is easy and comfortable while making Dapa at home but to get the raw materials from the forest is very difficult,” said Tashi.
“We have to sleep in open air without proper blankets and with limited rations because we can’t carry much. So it is very difficult while entering the forests to get the raw materials and young, old and elders all refuse to go due to this kind of hardships.”
Most of the products made in Trashi Yangtse are brought to Thimphu for sale, mostly in handicrafts shops. Karma, 45, from Dawakha came to buy a Dapa for himself at the Craft Bazaar in the capital. But the price tag is beyond his means. “The price is very high and I thought I’ll come later. But, they do have good quality products. I usually eat in plastic plates. Dapa plays a very significant role in our culture and I thought I would buy one. But I couldn’t afford one.”
There are not many local buyers. The buyers, according to the shopkeepers at the Craft Bazaar, are mostly tourists. “Our main customers are the foreign tourists. The wood products are made from pine and maple. Products from pine are cheaper than maple. Tourists like to take good quality products,” said Karma Dema, a salesgirl at the National Handicraft Emporium.
This wooden bowls made of special wooden knots known as Zaa are highly priced. The price ranges from Nu. 90,000 to more than Nu. 100,000 depending on its size and flowering pattern locally called Woogtha.
