Shinning wood bowl of Monba Ethnic Group

Because of environmental and historical reasons, the productive force level of t Moinbas has been in slow development. Farming tools include iron and wood ones, but they are very simple. Commonly used ones are wooden plough, wooden spade, wooden rake, sharp wooden stick, wooden fork, wooden mallet and wooden flail.

The area where the Moinbas live has very rich bamboo and wood resources. They are very good at weaving thin bamboo strips and rattan. Bamboo square box, bamboo hat, rattan basket, bamboo basket, etc, are all very sturdy and durable with elegant skills. Especially the traditional handicraft-wooden bowl has a unique style and dazzles the eyes, which enjoys good fame not only in Xizang but also in foreign countries.

There is an interesting legend about the origin of wooden bowl: long ago, people in the Tibetan region used clay bowl. One day, a Moinba carpenter went to the forest to cut trees, and he broke his clay bowl. The clever carpenter made a big wooden spoon temporarily for eating. Later people thought that the wooden spoon was light and durable, so they improved it to a wooden bowl and it was used widely.

Hard trunk, knot or stump of tung tree, mulberry and birch are chosen as materials and they are cut and scraped into a wooden bowl. Fine wooden bowl is made through 5 or 6 working procedures. The lines of the bowl are clear, the thickness is even, and bright red dyestuff is painted on the wooden bowl, which makes people be so fond of it that they will not let it go. It is said that when wooden bowl is used in drinking buttered tea, the sweet smell of the tea is very heavy. Besides, it is light and handy and is easy to carry about, which is deeply loved by Tibetans. The Mama village in the north of Menyu is a famous “hometown of wooden bowl”. Wooden bowl made by an old handicraftsman Ga’erbaibaima is famous near and far. In markets, this wood bowl is often taken by out comers to their home and collected as handicraft.