"Keeping the flame alive" of brocade weaving in Ban Cam Thuong

For generations, the Dao ethnic people in Ban Cam Thuong village, Ba Be commune, Thai Nguyen province have preserved their traditional brocade weaving craft. Many women here still diligently work at their looms every day, preserving each stitch to maintain the cultural essence of their people.

The Dao ethnic women in Ban Cam Thuong still weave cloth every day. (Photo: NGOC TU)

Ban Cam Thuong village currently has 107 households with over 500 inhabitants, all of whom are Dao ethnic people. No one remembers exactly when the craft of brocade weaving originated, only that it has been closely associated with the village for a long time.

In simple houses, beside rustic looms, intricately patterned fabrics and traditional costumes are still created by the skillful hands and patience of women.

Sitting by her loom in her house, her hands nimbly moving the shuttle, Mrs. Dang Thi Mui said that she learned weaving when she was 12 years old. In the past, almost all the girls in the village knew how to weave; by the age of 15-16, they were already proficient in the craft, and many even knew how to embroider from a young age.

To complete a scarf, Mrs. Mui takes about a month, while a whole outfit can take up to a year if she only works on it in her spare time. If she works continuously, each outfit still takes about a month to complete. There are days when she diligently spins yarn until late at night before resting.

Each year, Mrs. Mui spins about 4-5 kg ​​of yarn to meet her family's needs. Around May or June of the lunar calendar each year, she goes to the forest to find indigo plants to dye the fabric. However, indigo plants are becoming increasingly scarce, making the search difficult. The yarn processing is also very elaborate, and she has to choose an auspicious day to spin the yarn in order to prevent tangling and avoid bad luck.

Although the younger generation today is no longer interested in traditional weaving, Mrs. Mui still persistently teaches her children and grandchildren during the summer holidays. To this day, her daughter-in-law also knows how to embroider shirts, make scarves, and create some traditional ethnic brocade products.

From skirts, blouses, scarves, hats to leg wraps… all the products of the Dao people in Ban Cam Thuong are made entirely by hand. Each product contains cultural value, reflecting the unique identity of the Dao people here.

To complete a brocade product, women must go through many elaborate manual steps, such as: boiling the yarn, dyeing, spinning, weaving, embroidering patterns, sewing edges, attaching buttons, etc.

The exquisite hand-embroidered patterns are inspired by familiar images from everyday life, such as flowers, plants, and animals. There are no pre-made templates; each motif is remembered and recreated by the women through their experience and creativity, through every stitch and color on the fabric.

The elderly are both keeping the craft alive and passing on the traditional weaving skills to their children and grandchildren. (Photo: NGOC TU)

Ms. Ly Thi Hanh, born in 1969, is one of those who have persistently preserved the craft. She said that she learned weaving from a young age through the teachings of her elders. Previously, many households in the village maintained the weaving craft, but around 1998-1999, due to the increasing scarcity of indigo plants, many families stopped this work. In 2016, her family began replanting indigo plants and gradually restored the traditional craft.

According to Ms. Hanh, weaving a piece of cloth usually requires four women working together, each responsible for a different stage of the process. The weaving tools used today are still those passed down from their ancestors. The yarn is purchased from neighboring communes, processed, and then used in weaving. "The Dao people here can never forget this craft," Ms. Hanh shared.

In the spiritual life of the Dao people, brocade products play an important role, often used in festivals, holidays, weddings, welcoming the bride, or the coming-of-age ceremony for men.

According to local custom, boys who reach the age of 12 undergo a coming-of-age ceremony – a ritual marking their transition into adulthood. During this occasion, they are often given traditional brocade clothing as a meaningful gift. Girls, upon getting married, also typically receive traditional brocade outfits from both families.

According to Ly Thi Dien, head of the Women's Association of Ban Cam Thuong, the traditional brocade weaving craft here is deeply rooted in ethnic identity. However, currently, most products mainly serve the needs of families and have not yet developed into goods for tourism or commerce. Therefore, the weaving craft has not yet truly created jobs and a stable source of income for local women.

For the traditional brocade weaving craft to continue to be preserved and developed in Ban Cam Thuong, it requires not only the love of the craft from dedicated individuals but also the attention and support of all levels and sectors through appropriate mechanisms and policies.

The local people hope to receive support in terms of raw materials, product promotion, and opportunities for the younger generation to access traditional crafts, thereby preserving unique cultural values ​​for today and the future.

TUAN SON-NGOC TU

Source: https://nhandan.vn/giu-lua-nghe-det-tho-cam-o-ban-cam-thuong-post963779.html