Start-up from indigenous culture

Nowadays, many young Ede people are choosing a career path that is closely linked to their national identity. Not only does it bring in a stable income, each product they make also contributes to preserving and spreading traditional cultural values in a modern way with its own unique mark.

Growing up in a cultural space associated with weaving looms and colorful patterns, Ms. H Loang Mlo (29 years old, Buon Ma Thuot ward) gradually realized the absence of brocade in village life. Not bringing in income, the looms just sat in the corner of the house, few people mentioned the old profession. From that concern, she began the journey to preserve brocade in a creative and new way.

Thanks to their unique designs, the outfits at Ms. H Loang Mlo's shop (Buon Ma Thuot ward) are loved by many customers.

She went to artisans in the village, bought hand-woven fabrics and then started designing them into fashion products such as ao dai, wedding dresses, vests, etc. “Many people still think that brocade is something heavy, rigid, and only suitable for festivals. Therefore, I want to make items that everyone can wear to go out, to work, to parties; both beautiful and comfortable while still preserving the soul of our nation. When culture is no longer in a glass cabinet but steps out into life, it can truly be preserved,” Ms. H Loang shared.

Although she did not attend a professional design school, she gradually perfected each product from the knowledge she learned, practical experience and feedback from customers. Traditional patterns such as stilt houses, animals, leaves, etc. are still clearly present on each outfit, but are delicately colored and made of materials such as elastic, silk, velvet, etc. to suit the needs of customers. Some designs are also decorated with stones, pearls, feathers, etc. to create a unique highlight without losing their identity.

To make brocade more accessible to the community, in addition to retail, she also opened a service for customers to rent costumes for weddings, cultural events, and experiential tourism ... Costume rental prices range from 50,000 - 1 million VND/set; purchase prices range from 350,000 - 3 million VND/set depending on the material and design. In addition, she has also built a system of collaborators across provinces and cities such as Lam Dong, Dong Nai, Hanoi... so that customers can easily access and experience the traditional costumes of the Ede people.

From the rich mountain and forest flavors of meals by the fire of the stilt house, Ms. H Lech Byă (37 years old, Krong Pac commune) has cherished the desire to open a restaurant with the rich flavors of the Ede people. For her, cuisine is not only a story of taste but also the memories, culture and soul of an entire community. “When deciding to open a restaurant, the thing that troubled me the most was the taste of the customers. Traditional Ede cuisine is often spicy, salty, and bitter, so not everyone can eat it. Therefore, I have researched and adjusted the dishes to be more harmonious while still keeping the typical ingredients such as bitter eggplant, betel leaves, cassava leaves, yellow ants... so as not to lose the soul of our ethnic cuisine ", Ms. H Lech Byă confided.

Ms. H Lech Byă (Krong Pac commune) serves diners traditional dishes of the Ede people.

After a period of testing and perfecting the recipe, she opened two restaurants in Krong Pac commune and Buon Ma Thuot ward. In just over a year, these two locations have become familiar destinations for many diners inside and outside the province. Every day, both of her establishments welcome about 300 - 400 guests to enjoy more than 30 typical dishes of the Ede people in the space of a stilt house decorated with jars of wine, bamboo baskets, colorful brocade scarves... Each meal not only has the rich flavor of the mountains and forests but also gives diners an interesting experience of the cultural life of the Ede people.

Ms. H Lech Byă’s business also contributes to creating livelihoods for many people in the village. Instead of importing goods from the market, she prioritizes buying wild vegetables, tubers, fish, and weaver ants brought from the fields by people; both to have a source of clean, fresh food and to help many disadvantaged households have an additional source of income.

With their sensitivity and deep love for their roots, many young Ede people have been finding a solid place for traditional culture in the midst of modernity. Without making a fuss, they quietly renew their approach, breathing new life into it so that the values of their ancestors are not only preserved but also spread and continue to accompany the future.

Thu Thao

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-du-lich-van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202507/khoi-nghiep-tu-van-hoa-ban-dia-f8b15c6/