XO. 58. — 1907.] NOTES OX CEYLON PAINTING. &C. 117 



the finger nail process. In fact,, the ornament can only consist 

 of concentric bands of colour applied to the different parts 

 of small (usually rickety) tables, chairs, tom-tom frames, 

 and walking sticks. The old Kandyan lac striped round 

 boxes (dbharana heppu). bed legs (enda kakid), &c. were hand- 

 some and substantial. Hones (kana lella) were also made by 

 lac workers, and consist of lac mixed with powdered 

 Jcurujidugala . properly corundum sometimes garnet. 



It will be seen that both kinds of lacwork differ fundamen- 

 tally from painting in that brushes are never used ; in this 

 respect the work differs entirely also from the lacquer varnish 

 work of Japan, with which it is sometimes compared and 

 confused. 



The technique differs also from that of the Maldive Islands , 

 where the lac apphed by turning is afterwards incised, a 

 process also characteristic of the well-known Sindh boxes. 

 Whether anything corresponding to the Kandyan niyapoten 

 weda is found in any part of India, I am not able to say. It has 

 at any rate a well-marked character of its own. 



4. — JIat Weaving by Kinnaras. 



The well-known Dumbara mats, called kalala or kalale, are 

 made by low caste people called Kinnarayas. The fibre used is 

 niyanda. obtained from the bowstring hemp," Sanserif via 

 zeylanica. The round green leaves are scraped against a log 

 (niyanda poruwa) with a wooden tool (cjeivalla) like a spoke- 

 shave. After scraping, which removes the fleshy part of the 

 leaf, the fibre is oiled and brushed, and is ready for use almost 

 at once. A part only is left white, while the rest is dyed red, 

 yellow, or black as required (see under ; ' Dyeing "). The 

 warp thread [halal heda) is spun like cotton on a spindle (idda) . 

 but the weft elements (nul heda) are not spun at all and 

 consist of parallel fibres. The loom is a low horizontal one. 

 something like that used in cotton weaving, but much more 

 primitive. There is no alwala, and the operator squats on 

 the actual mat supported by a few flat loos between it and the 



