Preserving K'Ho brocade weaving at the foot of Voi Mountain

Persevering at the loom

K'Tham is one of the few artisans in K'Long Hamlet who remain committed to traditional brocade weaving. At the age of 15, she learned the K'Ho people's traditional weaving techniques from her mother. Just one year later, she was able to weave proficiently on her own.

After more than 30 years in the craft, K'Tham has not only created a wide range of brocade products but also preserved the techniques, patterns, and cultural stories passed down by her mother.

According to K'Tham, brocade weaving requires patience and meticulous attention to detail. From arranging the threads and shaping the design to weaving patterns and motifs, every stage demands precision to ensure a harmonious composition.

For her, the loom has become an integral part of life. Each time she sits down to weave, memories of her mother patiently teaching her, thread by thread and pattern by pattern, return.

“My mother passed this craft down to me, so I want to preserve it and ensure that the traditional patterns and weaving techniques of the K'Ho people are not lost,” K'Tham said.

About 10 years ago, brocade weaving was relatively common in K'Long Hamlet. Most women in the hamlet knew how to weave, and many families maintained the craft as part of their traditional way of life.

However, the growing availability of industrially produced brocade items, offering a wider variety of designs, faster production, and lower prices, has made it increasingly difficult for handmade products to compete in the market.

Traditional brocade weaving requires considerable time, effort, and patience. As a result, fewer and fewer women in K'Long continue to pursue the craft.

Artisan K'Diem said that brocade products, especially traditional clothing, are now mainly worn during festivals. However, as festivals are not held frequently, demand for brocade clothing remains limited.

“Demand for our products is still unstable, so many women are no longer interested in pursuing the craft. If we had a better market for our products, we would have more motivation to continue weaving,” K'Diem said.

Seeking new ways to develop the traditional craft village

In 2023, the Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee issued a decision recognising the K'Long brocade weaving village as meeting the criteria for a traditional craft village.

The craft village is currently located within the grounds of the Don Bosco K'Long congregation, where more than 10 artisans remain engaged in the craft. The congregation provides materials and production tools, enabling the artisans to continue preserving their traditional weaving practice.

In addition to weaving fabric and making shirts and scarves, the artisans produce a wide range of brocade items, including handbags, baskets and backpacks, featuring diverse designs and patterns characteristic of K'Ho culture.

According to Father Kieu Long Ho, administrator of the Salesian Province of Don Bosco Vietnam, the congregation plans to invest in and renovate its facilities in the coming period, creating better conditions for women in K'Long Hamlet to continue preserving and developing their traditional weaving craft.

The congregation also plans to set up a display area for brocade products and introduce the weaving craft to visitors, allowing them to learn how to make traditional brocade items.

The proposed exhibition and product showcase space is expected to create more sales opportunities, provide artisans with additional income, and encourage them to continue the craft.

K'Long Hamlet benefits from its proximity to Elephant Mountain Pine Forest and several tourist attractions in Hiep Thanh Commune. This provides favourable conditions for the locality to combine traditional weaving with experiential tourism activities.

Nguyen Van Dung, Vice Chairman of the Hiep Thanh Commune People's Committee, said the locality plans to develop additional visitor experiences in K'Long Hamlet, thereby creating new market opportunities for brocade products.

According to Dung, allowing visitors to learn about and experience the weaving process firsthand and purchase products directly from the craft village would help further promote the value of K'Ho brocade. This approach could also contribute to creating additional jobs and income for residents.

K'Long brocade weaving faces numerous challenges, including unstable demand, increasingly intense competition from industrially produced goods, and a declining number of young people willing to carry on the craft.

Despite these challenges, women such as K'Tham, K'Diem, and other artisans in K'Long continue to persevere at their looms. Every thread and pattern they create carries not only practical value but also cultural traditions passed down through generations.

Preserving the traditional craft, therefore, requires more than maintaining weaving techniques. It also means creating sustainable markets for the products and finding ways to integrate the craft into modern life.

With more exhibition spaces, experiential activities, and a stable market, K'Ho brocade products would have greater opportunities to reach tourists and consumers.

This would also enable the women of K'Long to continue practising their craft, preserve the distinctive cultural stories of their people, and pass them on to future generations.