Cambodia is basically a flat plain surrounded by moderate mountain ranges. This plain was to a large degree underwater as few as ten thousand years ago, being then part of the Mekong Delta. Even today, much of Cambodia resembles a swamp, especially in the rainy season. The monsoons start normally after the Cambodian New Year in April and last into September or October.
When the rains subside, the plant responsible for the baskets made by Baskets of Cambodia begins to take shape. Its Cambodian name is “la peuk.” It is also known by its Latin name, calamas solicifolius. This plant is found growing wild over all of Southeast Asia and is especially prominent in baskets from Indonesia.
The reed is harvested most ideally at a thickness of about a quarter inch, still slightly green. After natural drying, it turns a light, clean yellowish hue--brighter than the baskets of neighboring countries, giving them a much cleaner appearance.
In September of each year, our villagers bike as far as fifty miles in order to harvest “la peuk” of the highest quality. It is then brought back to the villages to dry and begin to prepare.
The thread that ties the baskets together is cut from the long strands of reed. When the material is ready, local village women gather under bamboo huts and pass the day making various styles of baskets. Not only are the baskets made completely without electricity, but even the measurements are made by approximating hand or arm lengths.
By late spring, the sources of “la peuk” are usually exhausted and the rain clouds begin to circle. Soon the monsoons will begin again, and the percentage of submerged land in Cambodia will increase from 10 to 30% as the ground becomes saturated. Our shipments must be at the port in southern Cambodia before this happens, as the roads out of our growing areas often become impassable during the rainy season.