hand fan

hand fan

bisoin

EMB0160

Showmima learned to make hand fans at age 13 by copying a hand fan her father purchased at the market. She wraps thin splits of bamboo with wool and Korean thread in different color, and weaves the thread-wrapped splits into colour-blocked patterns, including flowers, geometric shapes or a human face. Each fan can take three days to make. Showmima taught her husband how to craft these fans . A bisoin is a type of simple hand fan, common across the Indian subcontinent. A flat, rigid surface ? usually made of embroidered cloth, or woven panels of cane or bamboo ? is affixed to a stick, which is placed inside a hollow bamboo tube. The fan is manually activated by rotating the tube in quick, circular motions. Rohingya women and girls make bisoin as a craft, embroidering them with colourful flowers and other designs. Bisoin are a traditional Rohingya wedding gift from the groom❜s family (and other well-wishers) to the bride. This bisoin is part of a collection made for the CMC by Showmima. Each fan is woven using thread-wrapped splits splits of bamboo. A decorative cloth border is attached to the edge.