10 Indian Forest Records. [Vol. "Vi 
as the other bamboos are too hard. From this bamboo long, thin strips 
are cut off between the nodes, the central portion only being used, as the 
inner and outer layers are too hard. These hni-laung are boiled in 
water for about a day, and may, on the following day, be split up into the 
thinner strips which form the foundation of the article to be made. The 
Burmese cup shown in Plate III may be taken as an example. A wooden 
mould, of the size and shape of the cup to be made, is taken, and on the 
base of this are placed crosswise 4, or in the case of large articles 5, thin 
strips of the split bamboo, and the basket work is woven with these as a 
foundation, from the middle outwards, thin narrower strips of bamboo 
being employed for this work. After an inch or two of this close work 
has been finished, other thin flat strips are woven in to strengthen the 
walls of the cup, the total number of these flat strips being, for large 
articles, as many as 20. When the bottom is finished, the strips are 
turned over and the walls continued on the mould, and when these have 
been carried to the required height, the top and bottom edges of the small 
basket thus obtained are finished off with narrow slips of bamboo. A 
thin coating of thitsi is then given to the basket, which is put in the sun, 
and then into an underground cellar for five days. The mould with the 
basket on it is then placed on a rough lathe, and a second coat of thitsi 
forced into the fabric, while it is being turned, by means of a tool with a 
turned-over blade called a thangyeik (see Plate IV). A coating of fine 
red sand is then given, then another coat of thitsi, then thitsi and finely 
powdered cowdung, then thitsi and paddy husk. The cup is constantly 
turned and treated inside and out, and rubbed with cloth and the fingers, 
until the whole cup has received a hard dull rough-looking coat. It has 
now been prepared for its coating of good thitsi, which forms the base of 
the lacquer work. This is usually applied 5 times, several days often 
elapsing between the applications. The thitsi is well rubbed in on the 
lathe, the cup is then put in the sun, and is later put in the underground 
cellar. After this has been done a number of times, the cup is covered 
with a hard, black, shining coat, but the process may take as long as a 
month. For cheaper wares, fewer coats of thitsi are given, but the 
constant placing of the article in the cellar is required to ensure that a 
well-dried and thoroughly hardened coat may be obtained. The artist, 
who is responsible for the main design, is now called in, and draws this 
on the hard surface, with a long pointed steel style, without preparation 
or guide lines of any kind. A paste is made of 10 parts by weight of 
thitsi, 10 parts of vermilion finely powdered, and 2J parts of shansi (a 
vegetable oil obtained from the Shan States). This is thoroughly rubbed 
into the design three times, with an interval of several days between 
each application, the box being put in the sun and in the cellar where 
[ 106 ] 
