Cane Furniture of West Bengal

Siliguri in West Bengal is an important source of thin species of raw cane. The raw and robust cane for furniture making is however obtained from Arunachal Pradesh in the Northeast. Traditionally, the professional craftsmen from Bihar migrated to Siliguri and settled there to produce cane furniture items for local and upmarket use.

Canes of different diameters are used depending on the structure and purpose of the desired article. For binding and weaving, a split cane is used. Bent and decorative motifs that one attached on to the article are made out of thin cane rods.

Simple tools such as hammer, handsaw and dao/cutting tool are used to create sturdy cane furniture. The process of furniture making includes cutting the cane, bending it with heat and attaching with nails and binding. Lastly, sandpapering and varnishing is done to finish the item.

Cane furniture is created mainly to be used as either garden furniture or indoor furniture. Other articles made from cane are baskets, wall hangings, lampshades and lamp stands.