Muong tribe banks on traditional craft

 In the late afternoon light, the sun is gradually sinking, reflecting off the dark clouds and the surrounding mountains. A few fluorescent lights have been switched on in the stilt houses in Luc Village, Hoa Binh Province.
Bui Thi Hanh, 34, from the village in Lac Son District, is preparing a dinner for her husband and kids and talking about her life before and after the art of traditional weaving become a profitable venture for her family.
Ten years ago, Hanh’s family struggled to make ends meet when their main source of income came from farming a 360sq.m rice paddy and another 1,000sq.m of land for other produce. There certainly was not enough money to send her two children to school.
Ever since the traditional weaving of Lac Son was revived, her family’s life along with the lives of many others in the district were greatly improved, because they were able to get good profits from selling their goods.
"Actually, our Muong ethnic group has been well-known for our weaving for more than 100 years. However, for a long time, we have only woven products for our own families. In the last ten years, this has began to change as we started trading more amongst each other and with visitors to our markets. We consequently gain much profit to improve the daily life of people in our area," Hanh says.
Everyday, Hanh still works in the fields like most residents in her area. At night, when all of her compulsory tasks are finished, she quietly sits down on a loom to make sophisticated weavings.
"I am a farmer, so I don’t quit my farming works. Weaving is done only when I have leisure time, when everything that can be done for our fields and animals is finished or can not be done due to bad weather." Hanh readily admits that the traditional weaving brings in more money for her family than farming does. She also confirms that each craftsman may earn at least VND1 million ($55) per month despite the relatively small amount of time spent working on her craft.
Hanh receives extra income, because she is skilled enough to make a special tool used to create patterns on woven products. Sales of this tool bring in an additional $270 per month; this is a huge sum of money for the average farming household.
The lure of extra income is causing more Muong households to start weaving products to sell. Yen Nghiep Commune, home to approximately 1,000 residents, has 300 weaving looms in operation. Luc Village is the most active unit in the commune with 200 looms and has the best reputation in the region for its products.
Like many other ethnic minority groups, the Muong people in Lac Son create beautiful works with bright, cheerful colours and sophisticated patterns. Despite commercialisation, the products still stand out for their distinct patterns, which reflect the exceptional ancient culture of the Muong people.
Symbols, images, and archetypes appearing in many Muong legends are woven into their products. On the two most often traded goods – cap vay (a belt for female’s dresses) and mat pha (a blanket cover), craftswomen express their traditional beliefs with patterns including peacocks, dragon, stag or the chu dong tree (a tree representing wealth).
A cap vay is 2m x 15cm and takes only a few hours to make, while a mat pha is 20m x 40cm and takes about five days.
Hanh and the other women in Lac Son sell the many products they create in their free time in regional markets or sell them to other provinces.
"We receive many orders every time it turns cold. In autumn, winter, and spring, especially when Lunar New Year holidays are coming, our spare time is completely dedicated to weaving, because the demand increases everyday," Hanh says.
On regional market days, a craftswoman can expect to make between $135-550.
The craftswomen in Lac Son do not have contracts to sell their products, but sell directly to individuals or sell to clients who make bigger orders and then sell to others. There is no guarantee that their products will be bought, so there are concerns about how many products to create and the stability of the market. Muong people have no government support currently to seek out and access markets for their products.
Older craftswomen find it stimulating to pass down their experience to younger generations. "For a fresh learner, it takes one day to learn how to weave. Making co is more difficult, and may take seven working days to become skilled. In Lac Son, there are many 10-12-year-old girls making co without any mistakes. They are our pride and hope for a dazzling future of the traditional career," Hanh shares.
Men are starting to learn the craft along with their mother, sisters and wives to help out the family economically; when a woman is busy with product orders, husbands step in and take on more of the farming responsibilities.
Traditional weaving has come to be one of the esteemed activities amongst the Muong people in Lac Son. Craftswomen, such as Bui Thi Hanh, have become well-known for their talents. Bui Thi Lan, 46, has been certified as an expert in the teaching of making co by the Vocational Training Centre of the province. Lan goes to every commune to share her knowledge and experience with others. Her endeavour is expected one day to be repaid by the strong growth of the regional handicraft.
In the eyes of Hanh, the return of traditional weaving in her community marks a milestone in her once-poor life. Now, she looks at her little family with a smile of contentment, feeling touched for the happiness that she has helped create with all her efforts.