They not only contribute to preserving the weaving craft, but also enhance the value of the products, create sustainable livelihoods and income, and thereby showcase their ethnic cultural space.
Purely natural brocade fabric, meeting OCOP standards.
The "Brưng scarf" produced by businesswoman Dinh Thi Hai (born in 1986) in Kgiang village, To Tung commune, has become a distinctive local souvenir. Ms. Hai is the daughter of the distinguished artisan Dinh Thi Hien, the most skilled brocade weaver in To Tung commune.
Ms. Hai shared: “I was fascinated by the brocade blankets my mother wove since I was little. At 15, I started learning to weave and mastered it in just one year. Recognizing the potential of local brocade, in 2020, I boldly registered a business, gradually diversifying my products from dresses, shirts, bags, wallets to scarves.”
In 2023, Ms. Tran Thi Bich Ngoc, a civil servant at the Office of the People's Council and People's Committee of To Tung commune, along with artisans from Kgiang village, including the important role of Ms. Hai and her daughter, researched and standardized the process, and developed a production and business plan to develop the product in a way that is both commercially viable and promotes traditional cultural identity. The Brung scarf was born from this.
"Traditional brocade products such as loincloths, blankets, baby carriers... carry unique cultural values. However, weaving these products is time-consuming and expensive, and they are usually only used by ethnic minorities who are relatively well-off."
"We encourage artisans and women in Kgiang village to create small, compact products that are still aesthetically pleasing and practical, to attract different customer segments and expand the market for their products," Ms. Ngoc said.
According to Meritorious Artisan Dinh Thi Hien, the traditional brocade of the Bana people has many patterns, among which the Brung pattern is the oldest, most beautiful, and most difficult to create.
Those who can weave the Brưng fabric can weave all the other patterns. The Brưng scarves made by artisans in Kgiang village (150 x 50 cm, from 700,000 to 1,000,000 VND/piece) are woven entirely from natural cotton threads; the threads are dyed with natural materials.
Specifically, the leaves of the trum plant and roasted snail shells create the black color, the silk plant provides the red, the kơ trơng root gives the yellow, and white is the original color of the cotton fiber. The main color of the scarf is a black background, embellished with vibrant brocade patterns. Among these, the rhombus and the eight-pointed sun are characteristic motifs.
Ms. Hien shared: After harvesting, the natural cotton is sun-dried for a month to expand evenly, then the seeds are separated, the yarn is spun, dyed, dried, and woven. Making one Brung scarf requires about 5 kg of cotton.
In 2023, the Brung scarf became the first brocade product from Gia Lai province to receive OCOP 3-star certification. Following this, the Brung Brocade Weaving Club was established in Kgiang village with 15 members, maintaining its activities successfully for the past three years.
The Mnong daughter-in-law is passionate about "Jrai ơi" (Oh Jrai).
Born and raised in Dak Lak province, H'Uyen Nie (born in 1985, former Vice President of the Women's Union of Ia Mo Nong commune, currently working at the People's Council and People's Committee Office of Ia Ly commune) is a member of the Mnong ethnic group. She soon realized that many local women were quietly preserving the traditional weaving craft, but lacked markets and development direction.
"Previously, the brocade products made by the local people were mainly used during festivals and community activities. Because they were handcrafted, the price was high, so despite their great cultural value, they were difficult to sell and were mainly supplied to a limited number of well-off people."
"In that way, and if the craft is kept only within the village, brocade weaving is very likely to fade away, especially as the younger generation becomes less interested," H'Uyên confided.
In August 2019, Ms. H'Uyên established the Ia Mơ Nông Brocade Weaving Club, and subsequently went on to build the Kép Village Community Tourism Cooperative (formerly part of Ia Mơ Nông commune, now Ia Ly commune), linking cultural preservation with economic development to expand its scope and target customer base.
To date, this cooperative has 74 artisans, including women weavers, basket weavers, sculptors, and gong and drum ensembles. In November 2024, the cooperative's "Jrai ơi" brocade product received OCOP 3-star certification.
According to Ms. H'Uyên, "Jrai ơi" is an affectionate and familiar way of addressing someone, like an invitation, a call from the village. The Jrai ơi scarf is woven from natural cotton fibers (1.8 - 2 m long, about 0.4 m wide) with the characteristic colors of Jrai brocade such as red, black, green, and white.
Each scarf features motifs reflecting the daily life of the Jrai people, such as young men and women attending festivals, villagers performing traditional dances, pounding rice, and planting corn.
Artisan Rơ Châm Phảih (born in 1970) shared: “Since joining the cooperative, our products have become more widely known and are selling better. Not only domestic tourists but also foreign visitors really like Jrai scarves.”
***
Bahnar and Jrai brocade in general, and scarves in particular, are made using traditional methods that are truly meticulous – from planting and harvesting the cotton, processing the raw materials, weaving, and finishing the product.
But from that, a vast expanse of how the Bahnar and Jrai people interact with nature, their community relationships, and the level of cohesion in their work is revealed… A small, simple scarf carries the unique cultural heritage of an entire ethnic group, something that industrial products lack.
The value of the scarf is the culmination of many labor-intensive processes. Understanding this meticulous process will make you appreciate the simple, pure beauty of the product even more, and foster a deeper love for the Bahnar and Jrai people of Vietnam.
Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/chat-thuan-khiet-nang-tam-tho-cam-post580100.html
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