Cambodia – Prohut tree used to color silk in Cambodia is endangered

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Location: Siem Reap – Cambodia

Language: Cambodian

Voice: Natural

Duration: 00:07:28

Source: A24

Restrictions: A24 Clients

Dateline: 2022-01-14

Storyline:

The Cambodian Prohut (Garcinia Vilersiana) is a wild plant that grows in forests and is very useful for weavers and silk makers because the bark can be boiled to a yellow color to soak cotton or silk, the color is also known as “Prohut Color”. Nowadays, the Prohut tree is a rare species that is rarely seen growing due to forest encroachment for farming or due to the chemical color used in the market today. The Prohut tree has other benefits, as its bark can be used as a natural remedy to treat some diseases, or it can be ground and turned into a powder that is mixed with other substances to be applied to the skin, so it becomes smooth and shiny.

Shot list:

–           (SOUNDBITE) Mr. Im Sokrithy (Deputy Director at Angkor International Research and Documentation Center):

” Prohut is a wild tree that grows mostly in the tropics, especially in Southeast Asia. This kind of tree has brought a lot of benefits to the Cambodian people. “

–           (SOUNDBITE) Mr. Im Sokrithy (Deputy Director at Angkor International Research and Documentation Center):

” People in Southeast Asia use their shells to create colors, and in Cambodia, people call it the Prohut color. “

–           Various shots of silk coloring with Prehute color

–           (SOUNDBITE) Mr. Im Sokrithy (Deputy Director at Angkor International Research and Documentation Center):

” To this day, Cambodians still use this color for silk dyeing. And the dark yellow color made from the bark of this tree is the color that in the pagodas used to soak the Buddhist monk’s robe in the past, but now they use chemical colors instead. “

–           (SOUNDBITE) Mr. Im Sokrithy (Deputy Director at Angkor International Research and Documentation Center):

” Prohut flowers have a fragrant scent that blooms during the Khmer New Year in April. The Khmer people in the villages soak the Prohut flowers in water and leave them until the afternoon to leave the water fragrant, and they take the water to bathe their parents for religious ceremonies. At present, they are still doing it for any village or district that still has the Prohut tree. “

–           (SOUNDBITE) Mss. Midori (Managing Director at Institute of Khmer Traditional Textiles):

” This tree grows in areas with hot and humid climates, and it also grows in Japan, mostly on the island of OKINAWA. “

–           (SOUNDBITE) Mss. Midori (Managing Director at Institute of Khmer Traditional Textiles):

” In Cambodia, the bark of Prohut can be used as a natural medicine to treat diseases. But for Japan, it is used only to create color. Japanese people love this kind of natural color. “

–           (SOUNDBITE) Mss. Midori (Managing Director at Institute of Khmer Traditional Textiles):

” Because the Prohut tree is very useful for the production of colors for dyeing silk, as well as other benefits, that is why I planted this tree here for future use. “

–           (SOUNDBITE) Mss. Midori (Managing Director at Institute of Khmer Traditional Textiles):

” The silk which colored by Prohut color is very high quality, we can use it for a long time and it is brighter and more durable, and it is suitable for all level of people. Japanese people like to use Khmer silk produced by our factory because Japanese people like to use products that are made naturally and do not use chemicals. Therefore, let the Cambodian people and the team continue to produce more of this product to meet all market needs.”

–           (SOUNDBITE) Mrs. But Ryna (Collor Expert at Institute of Khmer Traditional Textiles):

” For different natural colors, it is very easy for us to find, but for the prohut, it is very difficult to find. We had to go into the forest to climb the mountain to find this kind of rare tree to get its bark for creating the Prohut color, and this kind of tree does not grow near the village. “

–           (SOUNDBITE) Mrs. But Ryna (Collor Expert at Institute of Khmer Traditional Textiles):

” To create the color of prohut, we just take the bark without cutting the tree, but for other color resources especially dark yellow color, if we want to use it to create color, we have to cut the tree. the color of the Prohut after soaking it, and when we use it or wash it, it does not fade, moreover, the longer we use it, the softer it is.”

–           (SOUNDBITE) Mrs. But Ryna (Collor Expert at Institute of Khmer Traditional Textiles):

” When I was a child, I used to see old people take the bark of Prohut and grind them into powder and mix them with other things to apply on the skin to make it smooth and shiny. “

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