Located on the right bank of the tranquil Cái Bé River, the village of Tà Niên, known to the Khmer as Crò-tiêl, has for generations resonated with the rhythmic clacking of looms weaving mats. More than just a consumer product, Tà Niên mats symbolize the fusion of diligent labor and refined folk aesthetics. Through the ups and downs of history, the craft village has steadfastly preserved each sedge fiber and each pattern, as if safeguarding the very cultural memory of this southern riverine region.
Traditional crafts still evoke a sense of nostalgia.
The mat weaving craft in Vietnam has a long history, closely associated with its founder, the scholar Pham Don Le, from Hoi village (now in Thai Binh province). After learning mat weaving techniques from Guilin (China), he improved the loom, developed the cultivation of sedge, and spread the craft throughout the country. From there, craft villages like Hoi and Nga Son gradually spread as Vietnamese people migrated south, sowing the seeds of the weaving craft in new lands.
In Ha Tien (formerly Kien Giang), a place once a meeting point for Vietnamese, Chinese, and Khmer people, mat weaving quickly took root. According to many theories, the name "Ha Tien" may originate from the Khmer word "Kro-tiêl" (mat) combined with the word "Pem" (river mouth), a vivid testament to the close connection between this land and traditional crafts. Among them, Ta Nien stands out as one of the typical cradles with its vast natural reed beds, providing abundant raw materials for mat weaving.
Ta Nien mats are renowned for their durability, harmonious colors, and exquisite patterns, closely associated with the legend of the national hero Nguyen Trung Truc. In particular, the "Longevity" character pattern woven onto the mats carries a deep cultural and local spirit. Throughout the 20th century, Ta Nien mats participated in numerous prestigious fairs both domestically and internationally, from Hanoi and Saigon to Marseille (France), contributing to the introduction of Vietnamese culture to the international community. These mats, bearing the name Ta Nien, even won a gold medal at the 1985 National Fair, a source of pride for Kien Giang during its flourishing period from the 18th to the end of the 20th century.
However, after Typhoon No. 5 in 1997, the mat weaving craft began to face difficulties. Changes in consumer tastes, a shortage of successor labor, and rural industrialization led to the gradual decline of the craft. Nevertheless, in each old loom, in the memories of the local people, the mat weaving craft still smolders like a flame waiting to be rekindled...
The breath of the Tà Niên era permeates every strand of reed.
The main ingredient of Ta Nien mats is sedge, a plant that grows naturally in coastal mangrove areas and belongs to the Cyperus family. The sedge stalks are 1-2 meters long, light green, slender, and the tips spread out like a crown. Locals take advantage of this natural growth to harvest up to three crops per year, cultivating it for 8-15 years on a single plot of land.
To make the mat durable, the craftsman uses additional "fabric" fibers spun from jute plant bark, acting as a framework to support each slat. Jute spinning wheels, sharp knives, and simple wooden looms have accompanied the Ta Nien craftsmen throughout their lives, weaving countless mats for use in everything from rural markets to luxurious homes.
The mat-making process begins with splitting the sedge. After harvesting, the sedge stalks are sorted, split in half, the inner core is removed, they are smoothed, and then sun-dried continuously for 2-3 days. Sunlight is crucial; without it, the fibers will become dull, easily broken, and the quality of the mat will be reduced. After drying, the sedge is dyed; each bundle of sedge is soaked in boiled colored water to ensure even dye absorption, and then dried again.
The weaving process is the most important. A mat loom requires two people: one to operate the shuttle, threading the yarn through the frame, and the other to weave, pulling the tension bar to create a tight bond between each reed fiber. Each pair of mats usually takes 4-5 hours to weave, while the "lẫy" mat – a high-end, intricately patterned mat – can take 5-7 days to complete, weighing nearly 10kg and lasting up to 7 years without deterioration.
Ta Nien mats are also very diverse, ranging from common, quickly woven mats; medium-sized mats with uniform materials; to custom-ordered mats with meticulous attention to detail at every stage. Based on weaving techniques, the mats are divided into three main categories: woven mats (high-end, durable, waterproof); dyed mats (simple colors, quickly woven); and printed mats (woven with white rush, printed with patterns after completion).
Once a source of livelihood for hundreds of households in Vinh Hoa Hiep commune, Ta Nien mats were widely sold through traders, orders, or directly within the region. Even before 1975, Ta Nien mats were exported to markets such as Malaysia, Japan, India, France, and Germany.
Despite its former glory, the Ta Nien mat weaving craft faces many challenges today, such as raw material shortages, the decline of traditional crafts, and a lack of enthusiasm among young people to continue the tradition. But in the old houses, the looms still hum, and somewhere, there are still artisans quietly keeping the flame of this heritage alive.
Preserving a traditional craft village
Not only is Ta Nien mat weaving a source of pride for its economic value, but it is also renowned for its inclusiveness, allowing everyone from the illiterate and manual laborers to people with disabilities to work in the craft. It is a place of refuge, a place that preserves family and village traditions.
However, times change. The fields of reeds that were once abundant have gradually disappeared. Consumer tastes have shifted towards more convenient products such as rubber mattresses, bamboo mats, and plastic mats. The traditional woven mats, high-tech products with intricate patterns and the highest quality, are almost never ordered anymore. The remaining artisans now only weave mats during their free time between farming seasons to earn extra income. The entire craft village is quietly struggling, barely making a profit, with production remaining at a minimal level.
The craft is easy to learn but difficult to preserve. Although the mat weaving process isn't overly complicated, creating truly beautiful, durable, and appealing products requires meticulousness, creativity, and dedication from the weavers. Unfortunately, the craft is still passed down through families in a "father-to-son" fashion, lacking organized structure and the proper attention needed to develop it into a true craft village.
The decline of Ta Nien mat weaving serves as a wake-up call for many other traditional craft villages. In the context of integration and modernization, without practical support policies and well-structured cooperative and production-consumption linkage models, once-renowned values like Ta Nien mat weaving can easily be erased.
Preserving the craft means preserving the village! To preserve Ta Nien mat weaving, the entire community needs to work together, from local authorities, the industry and trade sector, businesses, to cultural organizations. Clear directions are needed in the planning of craft village development, connecting traditional handicraft products with tourism, trade, and community cultural education .
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/tu-tieng-ca-ben-dong-cai-be-den-chieu-lac-ta-nien-144304.html
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