Esparto

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Distribution area of esparto grass (Stipa tenacissima)

Esparto, halfah grass, or esparto grass, is a fiber produced from two species of perennial grasses of north Africa and southern Europe. It is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry, and espadrilles. Stipa tenacissima and Lygeum spartum are the species used to produce esparto. Stipa tenacissima (=Macrochloa tenacissima) produces the better and stronger esparto. It´s an endemic plant of the Western Mediterranean (growing in Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Lybia). The Spanish name for the plant is "atocha", a pre-Roman word, probably Iberian. "Esparto" or σπάρτο in Greek may refer to any woven products of sedge or broom including cords and ropes.[1] This species grows forming a steppic landscape, esparto grasslands, which covers large parts of Spain and Algeria mainly.

Esparto history

Esparto leaves have been used since milennia. The oldest baskets of esparto dating back 7.000 years ago were located in a cave of South Spain (Cueva de los Murciélagos, Albuñol, Granada). Now, this collection is in the Spanish Archaeological Museum of Madrid. There are many esparto remains in archaeological settlements since the Neolithic. Rugs, ropes, clothes, etc. Iberians used esparto rugs to cover room floors. For Greeks, Carthagineans and Romans, esparto was the best raw material for boat ropes. During centuries, esparto grasslands have been managed for people to boost esparto harvest, due its economical value. In South Spain, there is a "Esparto culture", a deep knowledge about the many uses of this fiber, inside the traditional identity in these communities. After Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), esparto was declared "national fiber", even there was a National Esparto Service. The opening of markets to other fibers and plastics produced the fall of esparto industry.

Esparto basketry

To harvest esparto leaves, people use a stick, made with wood, iron or bone (the last one in archaeological contexts) pulling up a handful of leaves. Normally, people don´t use esparto just harvested. These leaves have to dry, under the sun they become yellowish. This is the raw esparto, used for different basketry techniques. Another way to use esparto is crushed esparto. This one have to be in water during one month, after that period, have to be dry and crushed. This is stronger and easier to weave. The main techniques are: Plaited esparto: people weave a long strip of raw esparto or crushed esparto. The artifact is made sewing this strip in different ways. Every kind of plait have a different name. For example, in Spanish, "pleita" (with raw esparto) or "recincho" (with crushed esparto), but, there is a rich Spanish vocabulary linked with esparto knowledge, specially talkin about techniques and pieces. Strands could be from 5 to 31 or more, always odd numbers. Coiled esparto: just sewing in spiral a bunch of esparto leaves, every turn over the former one. Twinning esparto: similar to wicker basketry Cofin braiding: a typical stitch to made "cofines", a swallow basket used formerly in the olive oil mills to press the olive mass. Snail basket stitch: this is a special stitch to make snail baskets, a specific basket to pick snails. Espadrilles: the former peasant shoewear of South Spain.These are made with crushed esparto. There are many complementary techniques to end the baskets, square braids, cord edging, crown sinnet, points, etc.

In the finest pieces, all the leaves have to be with same size and diameter, always in paralel.

A special esparto basketry piece are the esparto canteens, waterproofed with pine tar, they were used to keep water. Shepherds in the mountains of South East Spain used to made these canteens with crushed esparto. In the Archaeological Museum of Cartagena it´s a Roman esparto canteen, two milennia old. Other esparto artifact have been slingshots. In Ancient times, it were used as a war weapon, but, in a peaceful way, have been used by shepherds to hunting or herding.

A wide strip of plaited raw esparto, named "pleita" in Spanish, is the traditional mold for Manchego cheese.

Normally, esparto basketry haven´t been a profesional basketry. Shepherds, plowers or people of the countryside used to plait esparto in rainy days or in times not suitable for working.

Most craft tools and artifacts in the Southern Spanish countryside for farming and livestock were made with esparto, such as containers/sacks for carts, horses and donkeys, harvesting baskets, and items for the home. There is a huge variety of items, many of which are well known and have a specific use, but others are the product of a special personal need or a free creation, such as toys for children or animals. Every kind of basket has a special name that describes its use. For example, a "cesto rosero" is a basket used traditionally to gather saffron flowers. There is a rich Spanish vocabulary linked with esparto artifacts. Very often, the same piece receives different names, changing with the region. Mainly, this vocabulary belongs to the Castilian and Catalan dialect of Valencia.

Have been very important the esparto ropes. Ropes could be made with raw esparto, crushed esparto or raked esparto (after crushed). A special rope was used to tie cereal bunches in harvest time. Other were used in vernacular architecture to tie reeds to the timber in roof building.

<J. Fajardo, A. Verde, D. Rivera, C. Obón & S. Leopold. 2015. Traditional Craft Techniques of Esparto Grass (Stipa tenacissima L.) in Spain. Economic Botany 69>

Esparto paper

Esparto grass is known for its use in papermaking. The fiber makes a high quality paper often used in book manufacturing. First used in Great Britain in 1850, it has been extensively used there and in Europe, but due to transportation costs, it is rarely found in the United States. Most paper made from esparto is usually combined with five to ten percent wood pulp.

The "Spanish" grade is usually regarded as the higher-quality, while the "Tripoli" grade, from Africa, is the lesser in quality.[citation needed] The fibers are fairly short in relation to their width, yet do not create any significant amount of dust. Because of the short fiber length, the tensile strength of the paper is less than that of many other papers, but its resistance to shrinkage and stretching is superior, and the paper is a well-filled, dense paper with excellent inking qualities. It also has very good folding properties.

Some manufacturers of rolling paper may use esparto, which might lead to a slightly higher carcinogen level when burned. [1].

Other uses

The old leaves, which are under the plant, were used to do the traditional torchs of South Spain, named "hachos". Also, it are used for beekeepers to produce smoke and taking the honey. Shepherds wove a provisional spoon with esparto leaves to eat curdle.

Weaving a trip of plaited esparto (Luis Mondejar, Albacete)
Esparto canteen (author: Daniel García, Albacete)

Gallery

References

  • J. Fajardo, A. Verde, D. Rivera, C. Obón & S. Leopold. 2015. Traditional Craft Techniques of Esparto Grass (Stipa tenacissima L.) in Spain. Economic Botany 69
  • Pardo de Santayana, M., Morales, R., Aceituno, L. y Molina, M. 2014. Inventario Español de los Conocimientos Tradicionales relativos a la Biodiversidad. Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente
  1. Definitions for σπαρτίον and σπάρτον Henry George Liddell; Robert Scott [1940], A Greek-English Lexicon; Machine readable text (Trustees of Tufts University, Oxford)

External links