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Mulberry Artisans of Thailand

Saa-paper is a unique handmade art form practiced in Thailand for over 700 years. It is obtained from the bark of the mulberry tree and originally was used as a filter when making lacquer wares.

Today, its uses are manifold, including for writing Buddhist scripts, making temple decorations during festival times, parasols, fans, and making kites.

Mulberry Artisans are sensitive to environmental concerns, ensuring their work has a minimal negative impact on the environment. For example, they use the bark from mulberry tree branches ( Broussonetia Papyrifera Vent ), which grows again very rapidly. They do not cut trees down to make any of their paper. They have also developed recycled and non-wood based papers from abundant local organic materials.

Men boil the bark in big open cauldrons to soften the fiber, then leave it to cool by soaking it overnight. Natural dyes are added if so required, and the fiber is beaten to a pulp. Depending on the thickness desired, the pulps are either spread in large vats or rolled into balls to then spread on bamboo frames with cotton screens. This part requires great skill and dexterity, so it is usually performed by the women in the family.

The frames are left out in the sun to dry, leaving the paper to from naturally. This means that in the rainy season (June to October), saa paper sourcing and production slows down considerably.