zaNa (hemp)

[Geeta Bharathan]

On Mon, 18 Sep 2000, Hemananda.B.P wrote:

>  Modern kannada word for hemp is "gooNi".
>  gooNiciila=gunnybag
>  gooNinaaru=gunny fibre
>
> "N. Ganesan" <naga_ganesan at HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
> 'Hemp' (hibiscus cannabinus) is called "kONi" in tamil.
> Compare Tel. gOnu, gOgu, cf. gOGgura, Kan. gOgi (DEDR 2183).

Some botanical clarification:

Cannabis sativa (family Cannabinaceae) is source of hemp and marijuana

Hibiscus cannabinus (family Malvaceae) is source of Indian/Deccan hemp or
kenaf; its leaves are edible (make gongura=goGgura? chutney etc). I do not
know the vernacular for the fibre.

Corchorus capsularis and Corchorus olitorius (family Tiliaceae) are
sources of jute fibre that makes jute/gunny bags.

As far as I know jute fibre is saNal (=zaNal?) in current Tamil; bags
woven from saNal are kONi.

It is possible that these terms in Tamil (and other Dravidian languages)
were first applied to goGgura (native of penisular India), and later to
jute (native of northeastern India, esp Bengal). When?

What is the origin of "jute"? my English dictionary says it is from
Sanskrit via Hindi; my Hindi dictionary does not have jute in any form.
I can only remember the word "bori" for sack; it says nothing about jute.

I suppose the British must have been responsible for the spread of jute
across India?

--Geeta