Reviving a brocade region

(Baonghean) - This time of year, the women of Xieng village, Mon Son commune (Con Cuong) are entering the weaving season, because the wedding season, holidays, and festivals are approaching, and the demand for brocade products is very high. The whole village is bustling with the sound of shuttles and laughter, evoking the peacefulness of a land on the border...

The Muong Qua fields have passed the harvest, herds of buffalo and cows leisurely graze. In the cold of early winter, men take advantage of plowing the fields waiting for the planting season, women are also busy with side jobs during the off-season to have more income, to support their families. Some people take advantage of going to the forest to collect firewood, pick bamboo shoots to sell, some go down to the stream to catch fish and shrimp, some go to work for hire, go to the market...

As for the women of Xieng village, when they are off from farming, they do not have to work hard in the forest, down to the stream or run around looking for a living, because for several years now, the traditional brocade weaving profession has helped create jobs, increase income, and improve their lives.

Brocade weaving products of Mon Son Handicraft Cooperative (Con Cuong).

The elders of Xieng village often say that their village used to be the center of Muong Qua region, the place where the mandarins and the village chiefs lived. Because the village has a beautiful location, with its back leaning against a high mountain range, its face facing the vast fields, and next to it is the gentle Giang River. The Thai girls of Xieng village are often beautiful, well-behaved, diligent and hard-working, and everyone knows how to weave and embroider.

Working in the fields during the day and working hard at the loom at night has helped the girls have a supple body. Muong men always wish to marry a Xieng village girl. In addition to wanting to marry a beautiful, virtuous, hard-working and diligent wife, the men also enjoy the dowry of pretty blankets, pillows and mattresses woven by the skillful and delicate hands of Xieng village girls. Thus, the weaving profession has been passed down from generation to generation, from mother to daughter, grandmother to grandchild, and the traditional costumes of Thai women have become a unique cultural feature.

But, there were times when we thought that the profession passed down from our ancestors would disappear because people no longer preferred to wear traditional costumes. This situation happened not only in Xieng village but also in all Thai villages. That was when industrial fabrics flooded into the village, with rich designs and colors, and affordable prices, very convenient for women.

Because, in order to complete a brocade dress, if the materials are available, it will take at most a week, while clothes on the market only need to spend a moderate amount of money and can be bought at any time. Then the time spent weaving the dress can be spent doing other things with higher income, buying several sets of clothes. So, the loom in front of the porch has not been used for spiders to spin webs for a long time, many houses have dismantled it and placed it on the floor, the sound of the shuttle has gradually disappeared since then.

The old people are very sad because their children and grandchildren are no longer interested in weaving, nor are they very interested in traditional clothes. They are also sad because these things are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. They have to run around everywhere to buy new clothes for their children and grandchildren's weddings. This is a great sin against their ancestors and grandparents!

Brocade weaving booth of Mon Son Handicraft Cooperative (Con Cuong) attracts visitors at Mon Son Festival.

Women in Xieng village, from the elderly to the young, many want to revive the brocade weaving profession but do not know where to start. Fortunately, at that time, Ms. Ha Thi Hang (born in 1966) is a person with passion and enthusiasm for the traditional brocade weaving profession, so she stood up to mobilize the women in the village to establish a weaving group. Then the weaving group was upgraded to Mon Son Handicraft Cooperative, the core members are still Xieng village women. In addition to brocade weaving products, the Cooperative also sells specialties such as bamboo rice, cool fish, black pork to serve tourists and festivals. Joining the Cooperative, each member has an additional nearly 1 million VND per month from taking advantage of their free time to weave, embroider skirts, and on festivals and when many tourists come, that amount of money is even higher...

Winter has come, the sound of shuttles and laughter has dispelled the cold that is “knocking on the door” of every house in the border village. Xieng village currently has nearly 180 households, of which about 50% of families own looms. The brocade weaving profession has brought women here a significant additional source of income, helping to cover family life, aiming for stability and development.

The Handicraft Cooperative has invested in building a house near Pha Lai Dam to display products. Items such as silk scarves, handbags, wallets, and phone cases made of brocade are chosen by many tourists. For them, these are typical products of Muong Qua land, the culture of the Thai community in Pu Mat - Giang River.

Before we left Xieng village, Ms. Ha Thi Hang announced another good news: "In the near future, the province will come to assess and recognize Xieng village's brocade weaving craft village. Hopefully everything will go smoothly to encourage people to preserve and develop the traditional craft." Hope to return here on the happy day of receiving the craft village title, and see the weaving profession revive in the "brocade land".

Cong Khang