Bandung city is full of uniqueness. Various kinds of crafts are here. Starting from decoration, to clothes. That is why people call it as Paris van Java. Apart from being a fashion city, various handicrafts are often found in Bandung. One of them is the art center for carving cow bones in Kampung Pasir Tukul, Cileunyi, Bandung. While in Bandung, you can get a closer look at the art work made of cow bones.
The artists here are able to turn bovine chunks into high-value art. Used bones, some people consider useless. However, from the hands of these craftsmen, they produce smoking pipes, key chains, miniature statues, carvings, and keris sheaths. It takes special skills to make handicrafts from cow bones. They turn cheap bones into hundreds of thousands of rupiah sale works. While in Bandung, you can buy unique cow bone crafts as souvenirs.
The bones they used are from beef restaurants. The leg bone part of the cow is a material that is often sought after. If it gets wet, they dry it and clean it from the remaining meat. The key to making cow bone crafts is to be careful and patient. By those passion, they worked on various kinds of complexity with pleasure. Pattern making is the next process. In fact, the senior craftsmen were able to cut bones without a pattern. Their imagination is able to change the bones into certain shape.
They have to envision the bones in order to fit into a craft. The most difficult thing when determining the carving area with the marrow holes. The bone carving area is only limited to hard bones which contain a lot of calcium. No more and no less. Fit engraving makes proper bone crafts. Mini saws, knives, chisels, to manual drills are their daily equipment. To make one smoking pipe does not exceed half a day. However, carving a statue can take more than a day. The complexity is determining the selling price of the craft.
After the carving and shape formed, continue to the finishing stage. To make it smoother, the carving are going to sanding. Without staining, the original texture and color of the bones are retained. The distinctive color of brownish white bones is the uniqueness of this cow bone carving craft.
The beef bone handicraft center in Cileunyi has been around for decades. Precisely starting from 1970 until now. For more than half a century, Pasir Tukul village has become a center for cow bone handicrafts.
This cow bone craft has been widely known. The marketing also leads to big cities. Jakarta, Bogor, Banten, Surabaya, Solo, and Bali are the market of this craft. The craftsmen from generation to generation pass on cow bone carving products.
You can come directly to this carving art village by taking an hour’s drive from the center of Bandung city. There, you can also order the carvings as you wish. Of course, the prices given are more varied but affordable. One cigarette pipe costs 30 thousand rupiah. Meanwhile, intricate carvings cost around 500 thousand rupiah.
The cow bone craftsmen are committed to keeping their jobs. They hope that there will always be cow bone craftsmen. Until cow bone souvenirs can be enjoyed by the wider community.
–sh
