Dongba paper making is which ethnic minority

Dongba paper making is a traditional craft of the Naxi people.

Dongba paper is a kind of special paper used by Naxi Dongba priests to record Dongba scriptures and draw Dongba paintings, and it is a very rare minority handmade paper. Dongba paper, as the name suggests, is the paper used for copying Dongba sutras.

This paper, thick, wear-resistant, insect-resistant, smooth, ivory-colored. After copying due to a long time in the burning fire in the house turned and was smoked, will become bronze color, there is an antique look.

Made of Lijiang mowers, a rare wild plant in the high mountains unique to the Naxi region, after dozens of handmade crafts handed down by the Dongba family, it is the thickest of all the handmade papers in China and is resistant to wear and tear.

Only thick Dongba paper can be used for writing on both sides among all traditional Chinese handmade papers. Because Yao flowers are slightly poisonous, Dongba paper is resistant to insects and moths and is preserved for an exceptionally long period of time, up to 800 to 1,000 years, which is said to be the life span of a thousand years by the Naxi folk.

Production Process

Dongba paper is made from natural raw materials, wild mowers, which are unique to the Naxi region and grow in the poster area of 2,600 to 3,500 meters, and the whole process does not create any pollutants. After the fresh mowers are picked, the black outer skin is peeled off, the white inner lining is dried and torn fine, and then boiled in water for two hours, the fibers of the bark become soft, as if they were animal fur.

After being pounded and made finer, it can be soaked in a wooden trough and stirred with the hands to disperse it. When the trough is picked up, the bark fibers will evenly cover the bottom of the trough. The bottom of the trough is snapped onto a flat wooden board and then removed, and the paper embryo adheres flatly to the board. Finally, it is dried and rolled out flat, and a piece of Dongba paper is ready.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Dongba Paper