i think it's interesting to note the origins of the plants (and in the case of cochineal, insects) that these inks are made from, especially because it places these colours into their material context. the understanding of colour as a product of time and place - whether organic, mineral, or synthetic - and a temporary intervention that shifts and changes through time like a living being is common among contemporary natural dyers and inkmakers. when you make ink you do so with the knowledge that the colour you get when you first make the ink is not necessarily the colour you will get in a week, a month, a year, a decade, and so on. the ink can only exist because the plant or mineral or insect it derives from exists/existed in this time and place, and because we exist/existed to make the ink and use it in this time and place. this is an incredibly basic idea but it gives meaning to the sight of cochineal, buckthorn, and indian mangrove ink side by side, as this could only exist in the postcolonial context.
cochineal is derived from the scale insect dactylopius coccus, which is a parasite that lives on cacti of the genus opuntia native to the southwestern united states and mexico. the history of cochineal is tightly wound to the history of colonialism in mesoamerica, between the pre-colonial mixtec using it to paint codexes on deer skin and the spanish conquistadores establishing a monopoly on red dye that was their second most valuable export industry from mexico. much of the wealth amassed by the spanish colonial project in mexico was gained through the exploitation of cochineal as a dyestuff. 'a perfect red' by amy butler greenfield details this history if you're interested in learning more about it.
common buckthorn (european buckthorn, rhamnus cathartica) is the plant from which many historical pigments in europe and west asia are derived: sap green, stil de grain yellow, dutch pink, french pink, and so on. it was commonly used in medieval manuscripts up through the 18th century in france and england. when combined with indigo pigment, or when alone and adjusted for the pH, it is one of the only ways of achieving a true grassy green with naturally-derived pigments in the western european context. this green tends to fade with exposure to light and air, and it's a noted phenomenon in the paintings of many european artists from this time period that many colours we see as yellow or blue now were probably once a bright grassy green. in the present day it is a highly invasive plant in north america where it spreads aggressively and chokes out native plants, and there are ongoing efforts to reduce its impact on local ecosystems.
indian mangrove (or spurred mangrove, ceriops tagal) is less known in the west but no less important. it is native to eastern and southern africa through tropical south asia (maldives, india, sri lanka), southeast asia, the pacific islands and australia. it forms an important part of the ecosystems in tidal zones of these regions, preventing soil erosion in coastal areas and protecting against monsoons and floods. it is at risk of overlogging in many of these coastal areas, especially those affected by tourism development like in bali, indonesia. the heartwood is a common heritage dyestuff throughout this region, and most famously known as a popular source of red and orange-rusty-brown in southeast asian batik and in leather tanning. it is also an important wood for house construction in its native region, and in the philippines it is used to make a type of wine. it has many names, ex. tengar putih in malay, isinkaha in zulu, and tagal in its scientific name is derived from tagalog.
these three materials being made into inks and used together could only happen in a world in which one person could feasibly access the raw materials for all of them, which could only happen in this postcolonial context. how much history is carried in a single colour, how many lives and places are involved in its creation? there is so much context to every bottle of ink that goes beyond the colour itself, and any material that can create a strong ink likely has an equally complicated history
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