The brocade products here have flourished, reaching beyond the village to domestic and international friends, creating stable jobs for local people and contributing to the preservation of the cultural identity of the ethnic community.
H’Binh, now 40 years old, has been devoted to Ma brocade patterns for more than 27 years. Her brocade products are highly valued for their sophistication, variety of designs, and preservation of the original cultural features of her ethnic group. She shared: “From a young age, I was taught brocade weaving directly by my mother, artisan H’Bach, and nurtured with a love for Ma brocade through traditional festivals. Later, after having my own family, I passed this love on to my children. Brocade is indispensable in the lives of the Ma people; women must know how to weave brocade. When young, brocade weaving was for making wedding offerings. After getting married, it was for sewing skirts, loincloths, or blankets for children and the family.”
Since joining the cooperative, H’Dot from Bu Sop hamlet has had a stable job. With an average monthly income of 6 to 8 million VND, her family’s life has improved. According to H’Dot, to meet market demand, members of the cooperative actively exchange and learn from each other, designing beautiful patterns suitable to trends, especially for foreign tourists. However, the cooperative’s principle is not to pursue quantity for profit; products must retain their authentic values, avoiding hybridisation or negligence.
More than anyone, Ma women are deeply aware that the brocade patterns of their people embody culture and traditional values. Preserving the weaving craft and bringing brocade products to domestic and international friends is also a way of safeguarding and promoting the unique cultural heritage of the community.
Since the age of 13, H’Thuy from N’Jrieng hamlet has known how to weave. By 18, she had mastered the distinctive brocade patterns of the Ma people. Today, after working on her fields, H’Thuy joins other women in the cooperative, diligently weaving. With her industriousness and skill, she produces brocade with distinctive colours and patterns. Her products are always in demand, bringing her a monthly income of 3 to 4 million VND. H’Thuy said that brocade weaving is a handicraft passed down from generation to generation among Ma women. Therefore, along with improving livelihoods, the Ma people are always conscious of preserving and promoting their cultural values, particularly by passing on the craft to younger generations.
After nearly seven years of operation, the traditional Dak Nia brocade weaving cooperative has created many positive values, with products reaching beyond the village. Currently, its brocade is not only consumed within the province but also sold to markets such as Ho Chi Minh City, Gia Lai, and Da Nang. Thanks to its distinctive colours and intricate patterns, some designs have been adopted by fashion designers into highly applicable products. For more than a year now, the cooperative’s brocade has also been ordered by an enterprise for exports to Japan.
Cooperative leader H’Binh said: “My members and I are always proactive in finding partners to connect product consumption, actively participating in traditional festivals, creating our own designs in line with market trends, and learning technologies to seek markets through social media for product promotion and sales. On average, each person can weave one piece of brocade measuring 50x150 cm per week, with selling prices ranging from 1.5 to 3 million VND. The products sell out immediately, thus creating jobs and stable incomes for members.”
According to Thach Canh Tinh, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Dong Gia Nghia Ward, the locality has recently implemented a project to preserve and promote the fine traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities in association with tourism development, under the national target programme on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. The local authorities encourage artisans to pass on their skills to younger generations.
The cooperative model has become a place for exchange and sharing of experiences, creating incomes and improving the lives of many Ma women, while preserving culture, promoting and supporting the consumption of brocade products, contributing to poverty reduction in the locality.
However, at present, the cooperative’s brocade products still face many difficulties, as raw materials are not fully guaranteed, the quantity of handwoven products remains limited, and sales rely mainly on intermediaries, resulting in low prices and the absence of a recognised brand.
Therefore, in the coming time, the locality has proposed that the province prioritise investment resources and support policies for ethnic minorities, gradually changing mindsets and encouraging proactive participation in preserving traditional values. It has also requested relevant agencies to soon upgrade transport routes connecting tourist sites so that the locality can soon restore inter-village tourism activities in association with the preservation and promotion of indigenous cultural values.
