Mulberry Square Homepage

Over the centuries in the mountains of northern Thailand, and Burma. The Karen Hill-tribe people found a remarkable bark that growing on the trunk of a broad-leafed tree of the end of the rainy season. So began the craft of making natural paper without destroying the trees. The Karen villagers called this the "Saa" tree or Mulberry tree in English.

The tree grows in cool and damp climate. The average Saa tree is about six to ten meters high, and separates into male and female gender. The leaves can be used as herbal to cure for insect bites.

The followings are features of the Saa tree,flower and fruit.

SAA TREE OR MULBERRY TREE

LEAF

FEMALE FLOWER

MALE FLOWER

FRUIT & SEED

HOW TO MAKE THE PAPER

For the last hundred years Hill-Tribe paper makers have been playing their craft in the mountains. They still using natural dyes and lay their paper in the sun to dry, as did their ancestors centuries ago.

The followings are step -by- step preparation for the making of Saa paper

1) Saa trees of about one to two years old with dimension of about 3-5 cm., are chosen.

          2) The tree is cut about 30-50 cm above the ground so that the stem
               can continue to grow.
          3) Peel the outer bark and dry in the sum or 2-3 days

4) Soak the dry peeled bark in the water for 24 hours

          5) Boil in hot water for 4-5 hours add wooden ash to
             raise the alkalinity

          6) Wash in water many time until clean

7) Pound the washed pulp with wooden hammer or pounding machine

          8) Chop and boil Okra in hot water then squeeze out the liquid and sieve.
          9) Dissolve the pounded pulp in to water
          10) Add Okra sap into the solution in order to disperse the pulp and
                smooth the texture of paper

11) Skim the pulp by using screen.

You can decorate with fresh or dry flower or other dry weed.

12) Dry in the sun
13) Peel the dried paper out from the screen