Weaving their way to a bright future
Traditional handwoven fabrics gaining popularity, writes Phusadee Arunmas
Chanphen Aramsirirujivet, 54, a weaver from Rang Bua, Chom Bung, Ratchaburi, sees bright prospects not only for higher income but also for the traditional way of life of the Thai Yuan community and its long-established handcrafted treasures.
Mrs Chanphen earns as much as 20,000 baht a month, a surge from 8,000-10,000 baht a month last year, thanks to the growing popularity of traditional handwoven fabrics.
She is a member of an all-female Thai Yuan group, which has practised the traditional weaving technique known as Teen Chok for more than 20 years.
Teen Chok weaving (also known as Tin Chok or Teen Jok textiles) is a form of decorative discontinuous supplementary weaving that has been practised for hundreds of years. The “pick and pull” technique is popular with local women’s groups, networks, societies and formal education programmes, preserving the heritage of handmade textiles.
It is particularly famous in Nan province in the North, where the tradition is still upheld in many households.
Thai Yuan is the name the people used to call themselves during the Lanna period. Documentary evidence shows that the Yuan were moved to Ratchaburi during the reign of King Rama I, when the monarch gave the order to attack Muang Chiang Saen in Chiang Rai to fend off a Myanmar attack.
Most Yuan can be found in Khu Bua, Ang Thong, Don Rae, Chedi Hak in Muang Ratchaburi, and Nong Pho in Photharam.
They are skilled cartmakers and skirt weavers. Unfortunately, very few of their traditions have withstood the test of time, except for an annual ceremony held before the start of Buddhist Lent. For this ceremony, the older generation don traditional costumes to pay respects to, and feed, the spirits of their ancestors.
Mrs Chanphen attributes the growing popularity of traditional fabrics to the government’s plan to promote traditional weaving in a bid to raise incomes for local communities while developing new tourist destinations and preserving traditional arts and culture at the same time.
The project is also in line with the Pracha Rat (People’s State) policy which is meant to bring together the state, the public and the private sector for the long-term sustainable development of the country.
The initiative aims to strengthen the economy at the grass-roots level and empower local communities and local enterprises.
Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn said this year marks the auspicious occasion of the 84th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit — the royal patron of handicrafts. The Commerce Ministry and the Support Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand (SACICT), the agency tasked with promoting Thainess globally through handcrafted products, has come up with the “Craft Destination: The Weaving Streets” project in a bid to preserve the heritage and commercialise arts and crafts as well as promote Thailand as a regional craft-trading hub.
The SACICT has opened seven weaving routes in 29 provinces where Thailand’s weaving heritage is still very much alive: the Upper Northern Route (Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lamphun and Chiang Rai), the Lower Northern Route (Sukhothai, Uttaradit, Phrae and Nan), the Central Route (Uthai Thani, Chai Nat, Suphan Buri, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Phetchaburi), the Upper Isan Route (Khon Kaen, Kalasin, Sakon Nakhon and Nakhon Phanom), the Lower Isan Route (Nakhon Ratchasima, Buri Ram, Surin and Ubon Ratchathani), the Upper Southern Route (Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Krabi and Trang) and the Lower Southern Route (Songkhla, Pattani and Narathiwat).
The seven routes are not only roads to textile showrooms but also represent paths of unlimited learning, sophisticated wisdom and the economic pathways of the communities, according to the SACICT.
The organisation has created awareness of communities along the seven routes by working with several communities to prepare them for the market through various training courses conducted by the Department of Business Development.
The training sessions include basic accountancy, cost calculation, pricing, setting up an e-commerce channel and knowledge about exporting, as well as product story-telling and showroom design.
The woven textile of each region has its own identity. The North is known for its Pha Yok, Pha Jok and Mo Hom fabrics. The Central region boasts both cottons and silks. The Northeast is celebrated for its Mudmee, Phrae Wa and indigo-dyed fabrics while the South is rich with cottons and batik.
The different textiles reflect the climate and character of each region and local beliefs. In these differences lie the hidden value of arts and crafts. Together with consumer-influenced factors, these handcrafted treasures can generate a great deal of income for each community.
The government’s policy of promoting economic development from the very foundation in a bid to stimulate local economies on a sustainable basis will make it an interesting and lively year for Thai textiles.
“Local weavers’ lives are now much better with higher income. It is now easier for us to sell handcrafted products, particularly in the form of fabrics, than in the past,” says Mrs Chanphen.
“But we’re asking government to run more campaigns to encourage Thais to wear more traditional costumes. This will benefit the traditional weaving industry in the long run.”