DUARA: Round Natural Woven Milulu Mat

Bring true organic texture and character to your interiors with DUARA, a natural woven floor mat, ethically produced in Tanzania. These handmade floor mats are woven by women of the Iraqw tribe, who originally migrated to Tanzania from Ethiopia and live in the Manyara Region and Singida Regions of the Northern Tanzanian Highlands. Known as ‘Hhafta’ mats by the women who weave them, these mats are traditionally used as surfaces for grinding crops like maize onto, and also as mats for rolling out and sleeping on. The milulu reeds used to produce these woven floor mats are often found in swamps and riverbeds, but also grown specifically for basket weaving and mat weaving. Its leaves are cut, split and dried before the weaving work begins. By connecting this rural weaving group with access to the global interiors and retail markets, income earned from mat weaving enables women to support their families more sustainably throughout the year. Women who weave these floor mats use their earnings to pay school fees and healthcare bills and to make vital home improvements such as replacing their thatched rooves with more robust iron sheeting. Some families have even been able to build new homes from clay brick with their weaving incomes, and to invest in livestock like dairy cattle. Material:  MILULU GRASS Dimensions: 2 sizes available Small - 122cm x 122cm (4ft) Large - 152cm x 152cm (5ft) It is advised to use a non-slip underlay if positioning the mat on a slippery surface (laminated or stripped floorboards and tiles). Please note, as this is a handmade product, dimensions &colour may vary from those shown in the photographs.   HANDMADE IN TANZANIA