fverac September 30th, 2007
Unique in the world, this tropical beauty that delays of 14 to 15 years to reach the maturity, grows in the thickness of the forest, under the sun of Ecuador and it has not been exploded agriculturally given its nature of delayed maturity. When it is tender, the fruit also called mococha, stores in its interior a milky substance with flavor to the Coconut able to calm the thirst of the farmer and to fortify it for its long daily days. When maturing, tagua becomes so solid like ivory, and it can be only worked with tools special.
.jpg "Semiformal necklace and pendants, for the day and the night. Made with woven leather macrame and separators of bronze. Slices marmoleada, nuts and eggs are of exotic ivory, vegetal ivory (Tagua)")
With the great hidden treasures, tagua hides jealously between the forests mountainous located in sites difficult access, where only it is possible to be entered on board of small canoes used for work of extraction and transport of material throughout the shores of the rivers soon to be lead in the back of a mule until the storing centers.
However, the existing difficulties are diminished when tagua finally is put under a transformation process capably to be turned in precious and matchless pieces of art that remain unalterable through time.
Tagua is also known with different names:
Vegetable Ivory Nut or Tagua Nut (English)
Corozo Nut (English Briton)
Binroji Nut (Japanese)
Coquilla Nut (Brazil)
Steinnuss (German)
Homero or Pullipunta (Peru)
fverac September 27th, 2007
Two events of great importance during the second decade of century twenty changed the panorama of the negotiators in the history of tagua. The first it was the invention of the boats mechanically driven by helices that moved to the old ships impelled by wind; and the second was the opening of the Panama Canal, which opened the doors of new continent to the world. Consequently Ecuadorian tagua was left in disposition of all the producers, that operated this resource and they invaded the market with buttons, whose quality prevailed with absolute leadership on the use of any other material for this application in the world-wide seat.
In addition, during the II World War, this product was used in manufacture of industrial clothes and by the Navy of the United States for others instruments. Tagua already was used 200 years before in elaboration of figurines, pipes, games of chess, etc.
fverac September 24th, 2007
Tagua or vegetal ivory is the dry fruit of a species of own palm of the equatorial tropic (South America), that reaches a height from 20 to 30 feet, whose botanical name is: Phytelephas Macrocarpa Palmae. This dry fruit has the size of a nut of 40 centimeters of diameter approximately, whose color varies from bluish to amber and hangs in a palm similar to which they produce coconuts. It has different sizes and forms, thus we have small, medium and great with weights from 1,6 or 2 ounces small sizes until of the 2,4 or 3 ounces greatest. Tagua is one jewel of the nature that to the being processed into the hands of capable craftsmen is used in a huge number of applications obtaining forms and designs with quality of export.
It grows in wild form in forests called taguales. Tagua, Corozo or Vegetal ivory, is the cellulose almond complex of the seed of Phytelephas of white color, eburnian, hard, heavy, smooth and opaque that acquires shine when is polished, odorless, insipid; but it is not elastic nor incorruptible like true ivory.
The commercialization of tagua in Ecuador began around year 1865 with a first shipment to Germany, where the use of this product in the manufacture of buttons of high quality for clothes of high seam had been discovered.The powerful “German Tagua House”. exclusive supplier for Europe and the rest of the world for over 50 years, discovered in America a great source of tagua. This findings induced it to establish storing centers along of the Ecuadorian coasts, from where the material was transported on board of merchant sailboats which sailed from Ecuador through Straits of Magallanes, advancing by the African coasts and finally to disembark in Hamburg.
The discovery of the Germans around the exuberant mine of Ecuadorian tagua was a secret carefully kept during all these years, giving like result a period of monopoly, given the mistaken belief that vegetal ivory had the same origin of ivory animal: Africa.
fverac September 22nd, 2007
After tagua has passed through diverse processes of routine, like cleaning, drying, cutting and polishing, we obtain the ivory to process beautiful handicrafts.
Tagua Handcrafts, of very varied forms and sizes, are very precious in local international markets as well.
.jpg "Tagua, Exotic Ivory Handcrafts")
Tagua blanks (circular forms to produce buttons) they have diverse sizes: the small ones weigh 1.6 ounces, approximately; the medium ones oscillate around 2.0 ounces and, finally, the great ones weigh 2.4 ounces.
fverac September 19th, 2007
The processing of the fruits begins with the sun drying, once they have been collected. It is custom of our farmers to water or to scatter the product and spread it over tendals (cement floors) for several days of drying. During this process, tagua matures until it arrives at the point to eliminate the rind and, once extracted the pulp, still it has left a very fine rind of black color, that soon is taken to the tendals so that it loses the remaining humidity.
The consistency of tagua is proportional to the drying time increasing the quality and duration of ivory. The plants tolerate the humidity well. Generally, at the time of winter it rains five months per year. This is the reason why it becomes necessary to expose tagua to the sun frequently: to dry it totally and then, to be able to classify it by sizes. Shortly, it will be put thru their respective process of washing and drying.
The cut of the fruit varies in agreement with certain technical considerations and it is perform when the fruit is mature. Later, the drupe is extracted and it is cut in two parts.
For the total loosening of the pulp it is required of eight to fifteen days. This task also can be made immediately after the cut, by using the appropriate tools.
fverac September 15th, 2007
In order to use the leaves of tagua, the agriculturists carry out the pruning of the plant three or four times to the year. Prunings of the branches or leaves must be performed with precaution to avoid the defoliation of the plant, which would be detrimental for the development of the plant itself as well as for the fruit.The heavy and wide leaves are used to cover the houses of the farmers. These leaves are known like “CADY”, and cords, ropes are obtained from this product.
fverac September 12th, 2007
The beginning of Tagua’s trading
Ecuador initiated the international commercialization of tagua around year 1865 with a first shipment to Germany, where the use of this product in the manufacture of buttons of high quality for clothes of high seam had been discovered.
In the next decades, something more about the application of tagua (exotic ivory, vegetable ivory) original of Ecuador was learned. In several industries, tagua was turned into buttons, trinkets, pins, toys, figures of miniature, cards of chess, fists of cane and many products of daily use.
TAGUA PRODUCTION
The plantations of tagua in the country are located in mountainous and humid zones that go from 600 to 1500 meters above sea level, in the province of Manabí, mainly.
The plant grows in wild form, which means that the plantations were not programmed nor seeded. The plantations have extended in spontaneous form from the seeds that fall to the ground and are dampened in rains during winter.
The process of development of the plant lasts 15 years until obtaining its first fruits, when it begins to throw the cluster, whose main characteristics are their great size and that it is born from the armpits of the leaves. In addition, Tagua requires of certain amount of light, from its initial states to its maturity.
fverac September 8th, 2007
ORIGINS.- In tropical and humid mountains of Ecuador exists a singular plant called Tagua, also known as Exotic Ivory or Vegetable Ivory after their morphology to palms. Although botanically is not a Palmácea, it belongs to the family of the Ciclantáceas. Their scientific name it is Phytelephas Aequatorialis. Phytelephas comes of the greek Phyton=plant and Elephas=ivory. Which means: plant of ivory or vegetable ivory.
Tagua grows in wild forms of the forests called “taguales”. Tagua, Corozo, Ex
otic Ivory or Vegetal Ivory, is the cellulose almond complex of the seed of Phytelephas of white color, eburnean, hard, heavy, smooth and opaque that acquires shine when is polished, odorless, insipid; but it is not elastic nor incorruptible like true ivory. The plant takes of 14 to 15 years from seedtime until collecting first fruits and it produces interruptedly every year for even centuries. It offers 3 harvests per year approximately. It is calculated that a specimen of two meters of high does not have less than 35 to 40 years of age. The ciclantáceas well developed can produce 15 to 16 heads annually, also known as mocochas. In each mococha are collected approximately 20 seeds (nuts) of fruit.
fverac August 23rd, 2007
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fverac August 21st, 2007
Measurements of all figures are indicated in format (height)x(front)x(depth). Example:
Flying Dragon:
Measurements: 1.57×2.56×4.72in.
Front: 1.57 in.
Height: 2.56 in.
Depth: 4.72in.
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