'Keeping the fire' of weaving in Diem village
(Baonghean.vn) - In recent years, the rattan and bamboo weaving profession has been bringing stable income to ethnic minorities in Diem village, Chau Khe commune (Con Cuong). Not only that, the profession also contributes to preserving and promoting the cultural values of the nation.
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Diem Village, Chau Khe Commune, Con Cuong District, is located in the middle of the forest, on the Vietnam - Laos border. There are more than 150 households, mainly Thai and Dan Lai ethnic people living here. Taking advantage of raw materials from the forest with rattan and bamboo, Diem villagers have created daily life items such as baskets, trays, crates, and tubs, etc. and sold them everywhere. However, there were times when the products could not be sold, so many people in the village had to change jobs to make a living. Photo: Dinh Tuyen |
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Faced with that reality, with the desire to preserve the village's traditional craft, the elders and villagers constantly learn and improve their products, while at the same time, researching new designs and diversifying products. Photo: Dinh Tuyen |
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Currently, woven products from Diem village are gradually appearing at major trade fairs and exhibitions from the province to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City... and especially, there are now orders to countries such as Japan, France, Germany... Photo: Dinh Tuyen |
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Although she is 64 years old, Ms. Luu Thi Hai's hands are still skillfully weaving rattan threads to create beautiful products. Photo: Dinh Tuyen |
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Natural materials, natural dyeing and completely handmade weaving have created the difference of the bamboo and rattan products of Ban Diem. They use forest roots and trees such as: phang tree, sang vi tree, brown root, turmeric root... to dye the bamboo and rattan fibers before weaving them into products. Photo: Dinh Tuyen |
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| The extremely unique patterns in each product are the patterns on the costumes of the Thai ethnic people here, so in addition to their practical value, the products also have aesthetic value and are favored by consumers. Photo: Dinh Tuyen |
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Mr. Vy Hung Thien (Thai ethnic group) said: To have a satisfactory product, the craftsman must be very careful from the stage of selecting and processing raw materials. The products Mr. Thien often makes are rattan chairs, rattan trays, baskets, etc. "To make a rattan chair from the stage of selecting rattan, bending, weaving and finishing, it takes me 3 days and it takes up to 5 days to complete a rattan table. On average, each month gives me an income of 3 million VND, there are peak months when it can reach 4 million VND, with that income level enough for my family to spend and cover living expenses. I always want to be able to preserve and promote the identity of the craft village in my village, because in recent years, rattan and bamboo weaving has brought a stable income for the elderly like us", Mr. Thien shared more. Photo: Dinh Tuyen |
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| From a profession at risk of extinction, bamboo and rattan weaving has now brought a good income to the elderly in Diem village. With skillful hands and endless creativity, the elders in Tra Lan have created sophisticated bamboo and rattan products. Not only providing a stable income, the weaving profession also contributes to preserving the national identity. Photo: Dinh Tuyen |
