raffia

, raphia

1. a palm tree, Raphia ruffia, native to Madagascar, that has large plumelike leaves, the stalks of which yield a useful fibre

2. the fibre obtained from this plant, used for tying, weaving, etc.

3. any of several related palms or the fibre obtained from them

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

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References in periodicals archive

In Afikpo, the following tools can be identified: Ogu (hoe) used to dig clay: mma (small knife) and mgbisite (sharp edged tools derived from the hard back of the raffia palm frond or bamboo) for scraping the wall of the pot; oba (calabash shell); okwukwo (roundish smooth stone) and ukwuagba (flat tool derived from the shell of a fruit) used for smoothening and burnishing; mkpisi (various sizes of pointed tools usually derived from broom sticks) designed for the application of incised decorations and ogboro aru or ohihiha (a damp dried leaf) used as a sponge in shaping the rim of the pot; Nkoite (a long stick or bamboo) used to carefully pull the wares from the fire pitch to the surroundings of the fire place.

Production of clay vessels: Ali, Vincent Egwu discusses traditional pottery production by the women of Afikpo and Ishiagu in Southeastern Nigeria

Leaves of the raffia palm are folded into tiles for roofs.

Africa's non-timber forest economy

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