| caption: |
pounding leaves to make indigo dye for bark belts |
| text: |
In front of the Angban two small boys pound indigo leaves (wu-niem) with wooden mallets and a flat stone. They are used for making a dye, with which the bark belts are painted. The belts are made of the bark of the tree be-ou, they are called shing-het (shing = waist). Bark belt = be-ou shing-het. Cane belt = wei-lep shing-het. The indigo leaves are not mixed with water, but pressed out after being properly pounded, the natural juice is used as dye. |
