Efforts to preserve the M'nong R'lam brocade weaving craft

Brocade weaving in Vietnam is one of the professions that is currently receiving attention. In addition to stimulating tourism development in mountainous areas, it also has a positive impact on the restoration and development of traditional weaving of some ethnic minorities in areas across the country. Brocade weaving is not only limited to weaving and coloring techniques but also contains ethnic cultural values, as well as historical and social imprints.

Dak Lak is a place where many ethnic groups live together, they have created a unique traditional cultural space, in which, traditional brocade weaving of the M'nong R'lam people (Le hamlet, Lien Son town, Lak district) is one of the unique handicrafts in this land. However, in the renovation period, the ethnic groups here have mixed cultures and unintentionally lost their own identity. Realizing this problem, local authorities at all levels and dedicated people are joining hands to preserve this cultural beauty from the risk of being lost.

With a love and passion for brocade, not wanting the traditional craft to be lost, during a working trip to Lak district in 2023, Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Committee, Ms. H'Kim Hoa Byă, visited the weaving place of the M'nong R'lam people in Le village. When witnessing the people here diligently sitting at the weaving looms weaving fabrics with many patterns and motifs at the foot of the village's community cultural house, she decided to support them to preserve and develop this traditional craft.

M'nong R'lam people weave brocade at the Le village community cultural house (Lien Son town, Lak district).

By October 2023, she will work with the local community to allow people to use the village community cultural house as a place to weave traditional brocade. At the same time, she will support weaving materials (threads, silk threads) and find outlets to attract more people to participate in weaving.

As someone who always wishes that the brocade weaving profession of her people will be preserved and developed in today's modern context, when Ms. H'Kim Hoa invited her to teach the weaving profession to her people, Ms. H'Den Bkrong (Jun village, Lien Son town) immediately agreed. "I myself had attended a brocade weaving class at the Tay Nguyen College of Technology (Buon Ma Thuot city) so I am very proficient in the original patterns. Therefore, when invited to teach the weaving profession to everyone, she shared: "I am very happy, because there are still people interested in this traditional profession. This is an opportunity for me to pass on knowledge and traditional profession to my people. Knowing it alone is not as good as knowing it with many people, so I try to hold people's hands and show them how to do it, thereby contributing to preserving and developing my ethnic culture" - Ms. H'Den Bkrong expressed.

Since then, every day, the Le village community cultural house has always echoed with the sound of brocade weaving. Initially, there were only a few participants, but now it has attracted 13 people to participate in weaving regularly. Through that, the Le village Brocade Weaving Club was also established and chaired by Ms. H'Sen Hmok Du.

The head of the Le H'Sen Hmok Du Brocade Weaving Club shared: "The brocade produced not only has economic value but also the dedication of the weaver. Especially, when learning to make the original patterns of the M'nong R'lam people, although it is very difficult, the people here still work hard. Because for them, weaving each pattern, thread, and silk thread not only creates material value but also has the spirit of reviving the traditional cultural beauty of their people."

Preserving brocade weaving culture does not stop at the dedication of individuals and subjects, but in recent times, the local Party Committee and government of Lak district have made efforts to open up a new direction for the brocade weaving profession of the M'nong R'lam people.

Specifically, the District People's Committee has been implementing the OCOP product (One Commune One Product Program) for brocade. Currently, the Le village community cultural house has been allocated more than 90 million VND by the Lien Son town government to be renovated into a weaving place. The government and organizations at all levels are coordinating with relevant departments and offices to gradually remove difficulties and complete the criteria to meet the OCOP product standards for brocade.

Secretary of the Lien Son Town Party Committee To Tuan Anh said: "The locality will develop brocade in association with commerce, but not let the products lose their traditional cultural characteristics. To realize this desire, it is necessary to have appropriate conservation policies, cooperation from all levels of government and organizations in surveying, investigating, organizing, mobilizing, and creating resources to open brocade weaving classes..."

"In the coming time, the locality will find artisans to restore more weaving crafts, thereby forming traditional craft villages associated with tourism development. Taking advantage of the community tourism spots of Le and Jun villages, the locality will combine to build craft villages into destinations for tourists to experience making traditional products. From there, the problem of restoring and preserving the traditional crafts of the M'nong people in the face of the risk of extinction will be solved, people will have more income, and local tourism will also develop" - Mr. To Tuan Anh affirmed.

It can be said that the brocade weaving profession of the ethnic minorities in Dak Lak in general, and the brocade weaving profession of the M'nong R'lam people in particular, has a lot of potential for development. If there are policies and synchronous implementation combined with tourism, it will bring high efficiency, attracting ethnic minorities to participate in maintaining this traditional lifestyle./.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/no-luc-giu-nghe-det-tho-cam-mnong-rlam-20240923155413183.htm