In union there is strength. This saying can be applied to one of our Coconut-based products – the Silhig Tukog. As they say, one midrib or tukog (in vernacular) cannot be truly useful, but when all midribs are put together, it can clean your background/lawn from dirt, falling leaves and trashes.
The “Silhig Tukog” as we call it in Bisaya or “walis tingting” in Tagalog, this broomstick made from the midrib of a #lubi (coconut) has been part of our daily life. Why? Because we use this broom almost every day. You can always see people sweeping their backyards using this. It is also cheap and can be easily sourced out. But if you have a coconut tree at home, there is no need to go to the market and buy one. All you need to do is to look for over mature leaves (yellow color) of a coconut tree.
It is pretty easy to make a “silhig tukog”. First, you collect 3-4 fronds from the tree, with the branches that turned yellow as the most suitable to cut. Then, you cut the leaflets from the frond using a machete. Next, separate the midrib from the leaflets using a knife. To make a broomstick, prepare as many sticks as you can. Take all the sticks and level them on a surface. You can tie them together using a coir rope and cut the top portion of the sticks using a machete since they are thin and soft. It is estimated that one bundle of sticks can be made in two hours.
Is there any palm tree more beautiful than the coconut? Gracefully reclining on the beach as if bending with the wind, its crown of pinnate fronds dancing in the breeze, there is no doubt of its physical beauty, yet the coconut has another kind of beauty, its intimate relation to humankind over history and even at the present through the uses found for it.
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