A few years ago, I wanted to give a very special present to a VERY special person, mentor and friend: Jeannette Stark (Starkette Havanese).  Aware of her love for CH Cookies and Cream, I thought that a great way to honor the first Havanese BOB at Westminster would be a sculpture done by a local artisan.  I was lucky enough to know and have worked with Domitilo Chichiliano, one of the very best Wounaan artisans from the Darien Province of Panama. 

As it was a surprise, I asked Jan for pictures of Cookies -giving her the weirdest reasons-, but just got one-sided ones...  I had to rely on her descriptions of the other side -her markings- so Domitilo could work on her.

I sat with him with my Havanese Yearbooks, photos of Lola, Charlie and Candela -who were the only ones with me at the time-, the real models, and the tiniest picture of the great Cookies.  Domitilo fell in love with the Havanese, and he went home to work on my "commission". 

A couple of weeks later, he was back with the first Havanese sculpture made of vegetable ivory.  He used the same material and skills that he had learned from his ancestors, to bring Cookies to life from the heart of a tagua nut.  He did it with so much love and care, you could feel it.

I sent my present to Jan, with a story explaining what it was.  This is what she said:

But: What is a Tagua?

Tagua and Animal Ivory

Because of its close resemblance to animal ivory the nut of the tagua palm has had a long history as a useful product . Before the invention of plastics tagua was used in the making of buttons and other common items such as jewelry, dice, chess pieces and cane handles. In fact, some expensive "ivory" pieces from the Victorian era were actually made from tagua nuts.

Tagua products are experiencing a comeback in an effort to protect endangered species such as elephants, whales and walruses that have been a source of animal ivory . In one year a tagua palm produces the same amount of "ivory" as one female elephant. The tagua nuts, however, are harvested by hand without harming the tree.

Tagua and the Tropical Rainforest

In addition to protecting animal ivory, tagua products help preserve tropical rainforests by providing a sustainable income for forest peoples. Renewable rainforest products such as tagua can help prevent the degradation of forests into low quality farmland and cattle pastures. The sale of tagua products also helps forest peoples make the transition to a cash economy when they are unable to survive in a completely traditional lifestyle.

The tagua palm is a small understory tree of 20 to 30 feet that grows in damp areas of moist tropical forests from Panamá to Peru. There are several species of tagua palms and they often grow in colonies to the exclusion of other vegetation. The tagua nuts grow in large armored clusters with each cluster containing many egg sized nuts. The nuts are at first of a jelly like consistency and edible but eventually harden to resemble animal ivory. Tagua nuts are eaten by forest animals such as agoutis, squirrels and pacas.

The Tagua Initiative by Conservation International is one example of a successful project that has reintroduced tagua as a commodity of global importance. Tagua buttons are now being sought after by socially conscious clothing designers and the Tagua Initiative has sold over 75 million buttons to apparel companies such as the GAP, Banana Republic, J Crew and Patagonia.
 

Tagua in Panamá

In Panamá, the sale of tagua products provides income for forest peoples such as the Wounaan and the Emberá of the Darién Rainforest. They have refined their traditional carving skills to develop an art form that is becoming a collector's item all around the world.

Tagua carvings generally depict the animals of the rainforest home of the Wounaan and Emberá.  Some carvers, however, are experimenting with less traditional designs.  Carving has traditionally been a means of artistic expression for the men of these tribes.  Common household utensils of wood are often decorated with fanciful animal or human forms.  In addition, the "bastones" or spirit sticks used by the shamans in their ceremonies have always been lovingly carved from cocobolo wood gathered from the rainforest. 

In Panamá, tagua carving by indigenous artisans has been promoted by Art Galleries, The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Panama Audubon Society. A few years ago a well known Wounaan tagua carver won third prize in a UNESCO craft competition. Tagua carvings from Panamá are now much sought after by collectors of fine ethnic art.

Darién Province

The Darién National Park and the Comarca Emberá-Drua (a semi-autonomous indigenous area) are two areas that have been set aside in Panamá to prevent further environmental destruction and to protect the remaining homelands of the Wounaan and the Emberá. UNESCO has declared the Darién National Park to be a World Patrimony and a World Heritage Biosphere.

Species protected in these areas include jaguar, ocelot, Bairds tapir, the harpy and crested eagles, parrots, macaws and toucans. The Cana Field Station located in the Darién National Park is one of the 10 top birding locations in the world. Extractive industries are held at bay while sustainable rainforest products such as tagua provide an incentive to safeguard these biologically and culturally important areas for future generations. The indigenous forest peoples who live in these areas have been to recruited to help protect them.