Since ancient times, the Hrê people in Ba Tơ ( Quảng Ngãi ) have known how to weave brocade for clothing and household items, but today only Làng Teng village (Ba Thành commune, Ba Tơ district) still preserves this craft.
PRESERVING TRADITIONAL CRAFT FOR THE VILLAGE
One day recently, a friend showed us some samples of Hrê ethnic brocade clothing, bracelets, and other items woven by the Hrê people. Surprised by the innovation and creativity, we assumed these were products woven according to designer patterns. However, upon closer questioning, we learned that the design and weaving of these unique products were actually done by a Hrê girl from Lang Teng village.
Hre girl in Teng village next to a brocade weaving loom. Photo: D.MINH
The village of Lang Teng has over 200 households and is located about 3-4 km from National Highway 24. Like many Hre villages situated along the peaceful Lieng River, Lang Teng has its own unique features. These include a cluster of stilt houses that recreate the life of the Hre village of the past, containing artifacts and paintings that record the daily life of the people of Ba Thanh commune, especially those of Lang Teng.
What's even more remarkable is that the women of Teng Village still practice the craft of brocade weaving, while women in other Hrê villages have abandoned this craft.
In recent years, the brocade weaving craft in Teng Village has become much more vibrant thanks to a determined and passionate young woman who is determined to preserve the traditional craft passed down from her ancestors. That woman is Pham Thi Y Hoa (34 years old). Not only is she preserving her forefathers' craft, but she is also ambitious about innovating Teng Village brocade weaving to expand its market reach.
Ms. Hoa and her innovative design of Teng Village brocade. PHOTO: Provided by the interviewee.
Without hesitation, Ms. Hoa learned weaving from elderly artisans and independently researched and designed brocade patterns, ensuring they retained traditional motifs while also being beautiful and modern. Importantly, she also aimed for her products to be well-received by the public.
Thanks to her efforts in preserving traditional crafts, Ms. Hoa has initially achieved considerable success. To date, she not only produces dresses and blouses but also a diverse range of products, such as tablecloths, scarves, ties, passport wallets, handbags, skirts, loincloths, notebooks, etc. Among these, her ties and scarves have received OCOP 4-star certification at the provincial level.
Products made from brocade weaving in Teng Village are sold on the market. PHOTO: K. DOAN
In 2023, Ms. Hoa's brocade scarves, tablecloths, ties, and vase placemats were selected by Quang Ngai province as gifts for the province's diplomatic events in 17 countries. In 2023 and 2024, her workshop produced 1,300 ties and 700 sets of men's dresses, shirts, and loincloths, generating over 1 billion VND in revenue. Approximately 30 workers in Teng Village are employed by her traditional weaving craft, earning between 3 and 5 million VND per month.
A TIME WHEN COTTON WAS GROWN AND BROCCOLI WEAVED
The elders in Teng Village often recount that in the past, the Hrê people's ancestors cultivated cotton here to weave brocade. Typically, around the end of spring, when the cotton bloomed white across the hills along the Liêng River, Hrê women would go and harvest it to make yarn for weaving brocade.
I remember once in Teng Village, we were told by the traditional brocade weaver, Mrs. Pham Thi Pot, that the villagers even dug up various forest roots, boiled them, and then soaked the fabric threads in them to create black and red dyes. The traditional clothing of the Hre people consists of women wearing a two-tiered skirt, a black apron, a headscarf, and necklaces and beads. Men wear loincloths, go shirtless, or wear short jackets… The main colors of the clothing are black and red.
According to cultural researcher and PhD holder Doan Ngoc Khoi, there are four groups of Hre people located in the mountainous areas of Quang Ngai province. Specifically, only the Hre group in Son Ha district (called Hre Nuoc Rin) and the Lang Teng group (called Hre Nuoc Lieng) practice brocade weaving; the Hre groups in western Ba To district and Minh Long district (Quang Ngai) are not found to have practiced this craft. To date, only Lang Teng village still maintains the brocade weaving tradition.
Modernized traditional brocade costumes hand-woven in Teng Village. PHOTO: Y HOA
Dr. Khoi said that the weaving of clothes and other products by the people of Teng Village is similar to that of ethnic minorities in the Truong Son and Central Highlands regions, but the unique feature of Teng Village is the traditional patterns on the brocade.
According to Dr. Khoi, to create the colors and patterns, they use roots and leaves of plants to mix into black and red dyes. These patterns depict natural life and nature, but without human or animal figures. Notably, the patterns of Lang Teng do not have repeating motifs; that is, the pattern band goes on endlessly without stopping or repeating, reflecting the progressive thinking of the Hre people in Lang Teng in the past. There, the black color in the patterns represents water, earth, human life, and all things; while the red color represents the spirits.
The brocade weaving craft in Teng Village has now adapted to the market. Because the villagers no longer grow cotton but use yarn and produce fabric according to orders, the products are more colorful and beautiful, but the traditional patterns are still deeply ingrained in the village's brocade.
In particular, over the years, to show their respect, the people of Teng Village always wear traditional brocade clothing during village festivals or when someone visits their ancestors. Ms. Hoa once refused to weave Teng Village brocade using machines, arguing that the soul of Hrê brocade in Nuoc Lieng lies in hand-weaving. It's not just about dedication, but also about preserving the cultural heritage of the village. (to be continued)
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doc-dao-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-lang-tho-cam-ben-song-lieng-185250405224152925.htm
Comment (0)