The special story in the brocade of the Muong people in Com hamlet

At the age of over 60, Mrs. Bui Thi Huong in Com hamlet (Tan Lac, Phu Tho ) is one of the few people still diligently preserving the traditional brocade weaving profession of the Muong ethnic group.

Mrs. Huong and Mrs. Mia brought cotton rolling tools, looms, etc. to the fair to directly introduce the process of making a brocade fabric using traditional manual methods. Photo: Binh Minh

We met her at a fair introducing OCOP products, regional specialties taking place in Hanoi . She sold products and brought cotton rolling tools, looms, etc. to directly introduce the process of making a brocade fabric using traditional manual methods.

“No one knows when this profession began, but it was passed down from our grandparents and parents, and the next generation continues to do and maintain it,” said Ms. Huong.

The process of making brocade products is quite elaborate. Muong people grow cotton for raw materials. After about 6 months, the cotton will be harvested and dried.

Next is the preliminary processing stage, Muong people use hand rolling tools to separate the seeds, the cotton is "turned" (beaten hard) to loosen, rolled into small clusters called "con" to make it easier to hold and pull the thread.

Ms. Huong said that on average, each kilogram of cotton that is rolled and seeded only yields about 3 ounces of cotton. Photo: Binh Minh

"On average, each kilogram of cotton seeded can only produce about 300g of cotton buds. This can only be done in sunny weather, but it can only be done in the rain," Ms. Huong noted.

From the cotton "seeds" that have been fluffed, the worker spins them into threads and rolls them into skeins.

Before weaving, the yarn is washed and soaked in water for about a week to make it soft and durable. The yarn is divided into two types: warp and weft. For warp yarn, to make it hard and durable when weaving, the Muong people cook rice into porridge to starch the yarn; then roll it into a roll, thread each thread through it, then put it on the frame, and put it on the shuttle. The weft yarn does not need starch, just wash it, let it soften, and then put it on the loom.

To dye the yarn, the Muong people use natural materials. Black is dyed from indigo, yellow is dyed from turmeric, blue is dyed from hairless palm trees...

On traditional handlooms, warp and weft threads are woven together to create brocade fabrics with many delicate patterns.

“There are about 50 types of patterns left by our ancestors. Patterns in the shape of diamonds, hearts, duck eggs, ducks, flowers, leaves, mountains… All are related to nature. Each product is a story, a profound cultural message,” Ms. Huong proudly shared.

Typical cultural symbol of the Muong people

Traditional brocade weaving is considered a cultural symbol, a unique feature of the Muong people.

According to Ms. Mia, each brocade product of the Muong people is a story, a profound cultural message. Photo: Binh Minh

Citing the traditional skirt of Muong women, Ms. Bui Thi Mia, Deputy Director of the Dong Lai commune brocade weaving cooperative, described: In the past, Muong people distinguished social classes through the patterns on the waistband of their skirts.

Society was divided into three classes. Lang was the highest-ranking noble class, ruling over the entire Muong region. Au was an assistant to the Lang, serving as a servant and manager of affairs. Nooc was a poor people.

For the Lang class, the patterns on the waistband of the skirt were often very elaborate, sophisticated and had symbolic meanings of power. Typical patterns included images of sacred animals such as dragons, phoenixes, peacocks... Weaving these patterns required high techniques, a lot of time and effort. The waistband of the skirt was often woven with silk thread, an expensive material, with bright colors (red, yellow, blue), high color fastness.

For the European class, the skirt waistband patterns were often shaped like fruits such as Chinese jujube, Chinese plum, and rattan fruit...

As for common people, the waistband pattern was often simply a leaf shape, easy to weave; the main material was cotton (easy to find and cheaper than silk); often black, white, and blue colors were used.

Each brocade product of the Muong people contains patterns that require meticulousness and patience. Photo: Binh Minh

According to Ms. Mia, to weave a complete piece of fabric, especially to “pick” the right traditional patterns, the craftsman must diligently count each thread and tie each pattern. If just a few threads are off, the whole pattern will be distorted. Without patience, this job is impossible.

She quoted a poem describing the characteristics of the traditional brocade weaving craft of the Muong people: "Mountains and rivers have many shapes and forms.

Count each thread to make each pattern

The thousand-year-old traditional profession

Descendants keep the glorious reputation.

To prevent the thread and loom from breaking

Proud of the traditional profession that bears the cultural identity of the nation, deep in the minds of people like Mrs. Huong and Mrs. Mia, there is still a growing worry.

The entire old craft village now has only over 50 households practicing the craft, mostly middle-aged. The risk of the traditional craft disappearing is present.

Ms. Mia started learning brocade weaving at the age of 12, taught by her mother and grandmother. After nearly 50 years of working in the profession, Ms. Mia cannot help but feel sad that "in her old age, she still hasn't seen the younger generation catch up like her, what a pity."

Mrs. Huong also lamented: “This job is hard but doesn’t make any money. I myself mainly live on farming, and sometimes I only earn a few million dong a year from brocade weaving. Therefore, few young people are willing to study. We encourage them, but they just want to work for the company.”

In 2023, people who wanted to preserve the traditional brocade weaving craft of the Muong people came together to establish the Dong Lai brocade weaving cooperative (formerly Tan Lac district, Hoa Binh province, after the merger, it belonged to Tan Lac commune, Phu Tho province).

Com hamlet's brocade weaving craft has been recognized as meeting 3-star OCOP standards. Photo: Provided by the character

Not long ago, the brocade weaving craft of Com hamlet was recognized as meeting 3-star OCOP standards after having to meet many strict criteria from traceability to manual production processes. The cooperative grows cotton, raises silkworms, weaves fabric - closing the entire process to preserve the local identity.

However, to prevent the profession from being forgotten, there is still a need for proper training courses for young people and practical policies to support those who keep the profession so they can make a living from it...

“Young people cannot be expected to love their profession when it does not bring in enough income to live on. We must let people make a living from it so that we can preserve it and pass it on to our children and grandchildren,” Ms. Mia mused.

The traditional brocade weaving craft not only creates colorful fabrics but also preserves the soul of the Muong people - a community with a long history and rich culture. Preserving the brocade weaving craft is not only preserving a craft, but also preserving the cultural identity of an entire ethnic minority that is facing the risk of being lost.

Vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/cau-chuyen-dac-biet-trong-tam-vai-tho-cam-cua-nguoi-muong-o-xom-com-2445476.html