(CLO) On the roof of the stilt house, in traditional costumes, ethnic minority women in Kon Tum work hard every day at the loom. Not only do they create brocade products with unique cultural values, they also teach their children and grandchildren to pass on the weaving craft through many generations.
In order to preserve and revive the ethnic brocade colors, Jrai female artisans in Ya Tang commune, Sa Thay district (Kon Tum province) work hard every day at their looms, meticulously instructing their children, grandchildren and villagers on how to spin thread, weave...
Mrs. Y Roi (73 years old, Lut village, Ya Tang commune) is one of the artisans who has been preserving and conserving the traditional weaving craft of the nation. In Mrs. Y Roi's small house, there are many looms, colored threads, and very sophisticated brocade products created by her own hands.
“Since childhood, my mother and the other women in the village taught me how to weave brocade. My mother said that as a woman, I had to know how to sit at a frame, spin thread, and weave fabric. At that time, all Jrai girls knew how to weave brocade. At first, I was taught how to weave simple items like scarves and loincloths. After gaining experience, I had to do all the steps from going to the forest to pick fruits and tree bark to dye, mix colors, and weave traditional ethnic costumes,” said Ms. Roi.
Mrs. Y Roi spins and weaves cloth
According to Ms. Y Roi, it takes a lot of time to complete a brocade piece. Starting from the spinning step, the weaver needs to separate the cotton from the seeds, press the cotton, and beat the cotton to make it smooth and white. Next, the cotton is spun and the thread is pulled, and as it is pulled, it is rolled into a spool or circle…
In recent years, people in the village have had a modern life, so people have gradually replaced traditional brocade products with jeans, shirts... or ordered brocade from other places, causing the brocade weaving profession in the village to be at risk of disappearing.
Determined not to let the weaving profession fade away, Ms. Y Roi went to each house, encouraging each woman to return to the loom, but only received head shakes of refusal. After many days of persistently persuading and persuading the women in the village, a few agreed to start weaving again.
Beautiful and eye-catching brocade is being completed
Similarly, Mrs. Y Blui (residing in Trap village, Ya Tang commune) also passionately wanted to preserve the brocade weaving craft through the mother-to-child tradition, but she was disappointed when her children were not very interested in this craft. However, Mrs. Blui's efforts were eventually rewarded. After many months, her daughter and daughter-in-law were familiar with the loom and proficient in the basic steps of brocade weaving.
“Hopefully, brocade weaving will be preserved as a valuable asset of the Jrai people in general and my family in particular. To change my children’s thinking, I always take them to local festivals and explain the weaving process in detail so they can understand. That is also the way I attract my children to love and learn weaving,” Ms. Blúi confided.
Jrai women work day and night on their looms to preserve their traditional weaving craft.
Mr. Tran Van Tien, Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Sa Thay district, said: “Brocade weaving is a unique cultural beauty in the daily life of the Jrai people. In Ya Tang commune, brocade weaving is passed down and developed by women. To preserve and promote the craft in the locality, the Party Committee and government have actively promoted, mobilized, and encouraged artisans to teach the younger generation, especially children and grandchildren in the family.”
For nearly 20 years, Ms. Y Hen (65 years old, residing in Dak Ro Chot village, Dak La commune, Dak Ha district, Kon Tum province) has inspired and taught brocade weaving to nearly 300 women in and outside Dak Ro Chot village.
In 2013, with the desire to preserve and promote the traditional brocade weaving craft of the Ro Ngao people (Ba Na ethnic group), Ms. Y Hen pioneered in mobilizing women in the village to establish a brocade weaving group with nearly 20 members. For more than 10 years, the sound of weaving has been heard in every house. Mothers and sisters diligently weave dresses and shirts to serve family needs and sell for extra income, with each product costing from 500 to 1 million VND on average.
In addition to preserving national identity, brocade weaving also helps women have additional income, contributing to improving family life.
Sharing with reporters, Ms. Y Hen said: “Every year, the weaving group sells about 10 dresses and shirts. Although the quantity is still small, with the passion and responsibility to preserve the traditional craft, whenever we have free time, the women in the village sit down to weave. We always pay attention to every detail and pattern on the dresses and shirts to both enhance the value of the products and gain high appreciation from many buyers. From there, the products will be known by many people, and the traditional brocade weaving profession of the village will not be lost.”
In addition to encouraging women to join the weaving group, Ms. Y Hen and other weaving artisans in the village also guide and teach the younger generations about weaving techniques. According to Ms. Hen, brocade weaving is a measure of the ingenuity of the Ro Ngao girls, and she always wants to pass it on to her children and young people in the village to preserve the weaving profession. Thanks to the enthusiastic guidance of artisans like Ms. Hen, up to now, more than 80% of women in Dak Ro Chot village know how to weave brocade (of which, the age group of 15 - 25 accounts for more than 40%).
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nhung-nguoi-giu-lua-nghe-det-tho-cam-truyen-thong-o-kon-tum-post318059.html
Comment (0)