MANY Jamaicans will be unaware that their country was once a significant player in the global natural dyes industry.

In fact, in the 18th, 19th, and very early 20th centuries, enormous quantities of Jamaican logwood was exported to Europe as primary material in the manufacture of dyes for the garment sector.

The prosperity and growth of St Elizabeth’s capital, the coastal town of Black River, in the 19th century had much to do with the gathering and export of logwood. Historians say logwood trees were reaped in the upper reaches of the Black River Morass as well as points east and west of the parish capital and then transported downriver as well as by horse and mule carts to the Black River port.

The trade died after modern manufacturers found it easier and much- cheaper to use synthetic dyes.

Today, the logwood plant has value mainly for fence posts and as a source for the much prized logwood honey.

We are reminded of Jamaica’s logwood story by an article in yesterday’s Sunday Observer which tells of the ‘social enterprise’ entity Daughters of Indigo, which has embarked on an intriguing community enterprise to produce natural dyes.

We are told that “the two-year-old company uses the extracts from the plant Indigofera tinctoria, and its related species, to create a rich bluish-purple dye pattern on various types of fabric. The fabric is then used to create craft and household items from the natural materials”.

The dyes are being extracted from local plants such as logwood, yellow ginger, indigo, onions, and hibiscus. They are being used in “a signature line” of bed sheets, pillowcases, scarves, women’s outfits, place mats, napkins, and jewellery.

Ms Nicola Shirley-Phillips of Daughters of Indigo says the idea evolved from a workshop at which the value of indigo was demonstrated by an American natural dyes specialist.

Bright minds then determined that a project using natural dyes could be developed to help teenage mothers in St Thomas earn an income.

Obviously the project is in its infancy, and some teenage mothers have apparently moved on. Yet, we are told that a staff of five is finding a niche in the tourism sector. The company has received support from the JN Foundation, USAID, and the Social Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI).

We will have to wait to see if the project will survive and prosper. Yet it seems to this newspaper that the efforts by the Daughters of Indigo should serve as an inspiration for those struggling to make their way in these hard times. Rather than throwing hands in the air and giving up, Jamaicans should be creative, innovative and determined. Where there is the will, there is always a way.