\"Calabazas de esparto\" a unique piece of Spanish basketry

Introduction According to Joan Coromines, the Spanish word “calabaza” is of pre-Roman origin, possibly Iberian, and related with “galápago” (turtle) and “caparazón” (shell) (Coromines, 2008). For this reason, the popular name for this piece of basketry, which we have documented in Nerpio and Yeste (Albacete province) and la Puebla de Don Fadrique (Granada Province,) is an archaic Spanish term for gourds (Lagenaria siceraria) cultivated for use as canteens. The name was then extended to include the American species of the genus Cucurbita (pumpkins and squashes) used as a food in Europe since the discovery of America. Both genera of the Cucurbitaceae family are known as “calabazas” in Spanish.

This is a basketry piece traditionally made by shepherds and used to store water when tending sheep in the pastures. We encountered these gourds in the mountains of Albacete and Granada (SE Spain), although in the past they were probably much more widespread, at least throughout the mountains of Southeastern Spain. People have traditionally cultivated gourds (Lagenaria siceraria) to use as canteens. Often, these gourds were covered with esparto braids, using different techniques (knot switch, plait, etc.). But, the “calabazas de esparto” are canteens made solely with esparto. Basketry for liquids is not just confined to esparto. The same piece, made with straw or willow and water-proofed with pine tar , was common in North Central Spain, mainly in Castille (Kuoni, 2003, Fontales, 2013).

Figure 2. Willow canteen (barrila) (Ethnography Museum “Piedad Isla”, Cervera de Pisuerga, Palencia). Figure 1: Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) half-covered with esparto to use as a canteen.

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In the Archaeological Museum of Cartagena, there is a similar piece made of esparto grass and dating back to Roman times (Figure 3).

The crafter begins by making a bundle with a few esparto leaves, which are then wrapped with the leaf threaded to the needle. These leaves are slowly sewn together into a tight spiral to make a flat disk, threading a new esparto leaf every 2 or 3 centimetres until the desired diameter is reached. The side wall is then woven to give the canteen a bowl shape. Esparto is more pliable when moist.

Figure 3. Left, Roman canteen covered with esparto found in Cartagena (Cartagena Museum, photo by Carlos Fontales). Right, same piece, same technique, 2000 years later (Yeste, Albacete). Figure 4. Detail of stitching.

Technique The raw material used is pounded esparto grass. This is prepared by soaking in water for one month. During this time, the leaves ferment, losing the pectins which bind the fibres. The esparto is then dried and pounded with a wooden mallet, thus softening and enriching the fiber. To make a “calabaza”, a needle is used to thread the tip of one esparto leaf. According to María García, from Elche de la Sierra (Albacete province), a special stitch is used called “punto de ojal” (buttonhole stitch) in Spanish. Thanks to Juan Beteta from the town of Yeste (Albacete), we have been able to preserve the knowledge necessary to make this unique piece. Juan is the last known craftsman who still makes these canteens, using a technique which he learned from an old shepherd from Yeste known as “manos de seda” (silk fingers).

In the centre turns of the side wall, the crafter must leave a hole in order to weave a mouthpiece. Belt loops are also woven into the sidepiece and a handle or belt is then added. After this first piece is made, the second flat disk is woven and sewn to the first. In the canteens which we have studied, the handle is made with a thin 8-stranded rope (forming a square) or a braid of 5 strands (recincho or crineja in Spanish). In some cases, the sides are reinforced with a wide braid made with 7 strands of pressed esparto. In another case, the inside of the flat disks are reinforced in the middle by a short cord which joins the two faces.

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Figure 5. Basketry technique. Beginning spiral and half-finished piece.

Once the “calabaza” is finished, it must be water-proofed with pine tar (“pez” in Spanish). To do this, the pine tar has to be melted and slowly poured into the canteen, spreading the tar along the inside surface. The pine tar must not be too hot, otherwise the esparto may burn. Once the tar has solidified, the canteen is water-proofed. Pine tar was made in “pegueras”, which were tar ovens located on slopes in open areas. These were filled with pine heartwood (“tea” in Spanish), a raw material from which pine tar was obtained following a process of dry distillation by fire.

Figure 6. Juan Beteta.

Acknowledgements Many thanks to the people who have participated in this project: Juan Beteta from Yeste, Paco Moreno from Nerpio, Isaac García from La Puebla de Don Fadrique (Granada). Very special thanks to Juan Beteta who taught us this technique, which we have reproduced in the Esparto Workshop of the Folk University of Albacete, where Daniel García, Alfonso Mansanet and others have made new pieces.

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Calabazas de esparto are an ancient part of the Spanish basketry and are part of the culture of Esparto, unique intangible heritage of the Western Mediterranean

References

Figure 7. Calabaza de esparto made by Daniel García (Esparto Workshop, Folk University of Albacete).

Coromines, J. 2008. Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana. Ed. Gredos. Kuoni, b. 2003. Cestería Tradicional Ibérica. Ed. del aguazul. Fontales, C. 2013. More than baskets. Spanish basketry. Texts: José Fajardo and Alonso Verde Design: Miguel R. Brotons Pictures: Carlos Fontales, Paco Moreno and José Fajardo

Figure 8. Calabaza from Nerpio (photos, Paco Moreno).

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