& Finishing
Preface
The art of coconut palm frond weaving dates back thousands of years prior to written history and played a vital part in the lives of many peoples. Today, for many of us who practice this ancient art, untold hours of pleasure and the satisfaction of accomplishment are obtained by weaving coconut palm fronds into hats, baskets, epergnes, mats, and other useful and decorative items.
Having cruised the Bahama Islands extensively in my sailboat in the early 1960's and seen the abundance of coconut palms there, I was surprised to find the Bahamians did not weave articles from this tree. They plait strips from their native palms, especially one they call the "silvertop," and these strips are then sewn into hats, baskets, handbags, and other useful things.
One day in Florida, a guest left two coconut palm frond hats aboard my yacht the Black Dragon. About two weeks later, an irresistible urge compelled me to climb a coconut palm tree to cut a frond, and, after five or six hours of studying the hats, weaving and reweaving in experimentation, my first coconut palm frond hat was completed. Since then, many rewarding hours have been spent weaving numerous items, the weaving of which was learned by practical trial and observation, and by talking with those who could help.
To master the skills of coconut palm frond weaving without frustration, one should read carefully and completely all the instructions, not skipping the first stages in eagerness to make a hat immediately.
Many people who live where coconut palms grow are fascinated by this weaving but were formerly unable to locate a book describing the art. In this book all of the basic skills which I have acquired so laboriously are presented with the sincere hope that others may easily learn this ancient island craft and find in it many pleasant, satisfying hours.
WILLIAM H. GOODLOE
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Origin & History of the Coconut Palm
The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) is found growing on tropical shores all around the world. It is interesting to note that scholars do not know the origin of this tree, and there are differences of opinion concerning how the tree spread throughout the world. The Pacific coast of tropical America, New Zealand, Antarctica, Cocos Keeling Islands, and some islands of the Indian Ocean which no longer exist have been named by various authorities as the place of origin of the coconut palm.
Some authorities believe coconuts spread throughout the tropical world by drifting across oceans and washing ashore on the beach to start new coconut palm trees. Others say the coconut will not germinate after being in salt water for any length of time so it must have been spread by man. One purpose of the voyage of the Kon-Tiki was to prove that man could have carried the coconut from Peru to Polynesia.
In 1878 the coconut palm was brought to Florida. On January 9 of that year the Spanish barque Providencia sailed right up to the beach at Lake Worth (later to be known as Palm Beach). The ship was bound for Barcelona, Spain, from Havana, Cuba, with a cargo of 20,000 coconuts, hides, and wine.
The next few days during a long, noisy session of drinking wine, the captain offered the 20,000 coconuts to the settlers of Lake Worth. About 14,000 of these coconuts were planted from Boca Raton to Stuart, by the hiccuping pioneers.
When Henry Flagler came to Lake Worth in 1890 and saw the evidence of the Spanish party, he renamed Lake Worth "Palm Beach," and proceeded to make it world renowned.
The coconut palm will not survive in cold or dry places. It generally grows between latitudes 26 degrees north and 26 degrees south. This is confirmed in Florida where the northerly limit for the palm is near Palm Beach—latitude 26.6 degrees north. Coconut palms grew temporarily as far north as Jacksonville—latitude 30.4 degrees north; however, those north of the Palm Beach area were killed by cold weather in 1958.
The coconut matures on the tree in ten to twelve months. Under proper conditions a mature nut will begin to sprout in about four months. It takes about five years for the trunk to develop and three or more additional years for the tree to begin bearing coconuts.
The coconut palm grows approximately one frond per month and produces fifty or more coconuts per year. The bud sometimes grows at the rate of one inch per day. A coconut palm has twenty to thirty fronds (growing from twenty to twenty-five feet long in the tropics) with each frond having about a hundred pairs of leaves. Under ideal tropical conditions of temperature and rainfall a palm may attain the height of one hundred feet.
The coconut palm is the staff of life for many people living on tropical islands. They drink the coconut liquid, eat the meat, and extract oil (used in cooking, cosmetics, making soap, etc.) from the dried meat. The palm frond is used in making huts, hats, clothing, sandals, baskets, and mats. Sandals are also fashioned from coconut husks. They make rope, brushes, and mats from the fiber of the husk, commonly called coir. The sap is tapped from flower stalks and, when fresh, used as a drink (toddy), cooked into sugar (jaggery), fermented for palm wine, distilled for a fiery liquor (arrack), or aged into vinegar. The dried fronds and old tree trunks are used as fuel for fires.
Today there are very large coconut plantations in the tropical areas. The chief commercial products are copra (dried coconut meat, yielding oil), coir, charcoal, and desiccated coconut.
A typical large plantation may have thousands of cultivated acres and ship many tons of copra annually. Native workers can husk from 120 to 360 coconuts per hour.
The fresh coconut meat contains approximately 62 percent water, and when dried, less than 6 percent. Meat from 3,000 to 6,000 coconuts is needed to produce one ton of copra.
In summary, the coconut palm is the most useful of all palm trees. It has literally a thousand and one uses, for food, shelter, clothing, utility, household goods, handicrafts, and decorations.
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The Coconut Palm Frond
This book is devoted primarily to the weaving of articles using coconut palm fronds. Many other types of palms may be used for weaving; however, the coconut palm seems to be the most versatile. Once a person becomes proficient in weaving the coconut palm frond, his ingenuity and individuality will enable him to use other types of palms and palmettos.
Having the right raw materials is one of the most important requirements for weaving. There are innumerable variations in fronds, which you will recognize after weaving a few items. The leaves of fronds which have fallen to the ground or are growing near the ground have become brittle and usually have been damaged by the wind. The frond which grows upward in the exact center of the tree is very tender, with yellow or cream colored leaves which are too soft to make a good or lasting article. This center frond (called the bud) and the one next to the center should never be cut as cutting may kill or damage a tree. The most desirable palm fronds are the second or third fronds from the center. These fronds are young enough to have escaped damage from the wind, insects, and disease. In addition they are not easily broken while weaving, as they are still pliable.
The most arduous task of coconut palm frond weaving is getting the proper frond, which as you can surmise, is best accomplished by climbing a tree. After cutting fronds from the available low trees, all others may seem beyond easy reach. Some coconut palms rise to a hundred feet and climbing the tall ones is not for amateurs.
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