Ede people preserve the soul of brocade, opening a way to escape sustainable poverty

Currently, Tong Bong Brocade Weaving Cooperative (Ea Kao Ward, Dak Lak Province) has 45 members, all of whom are Ede people with an average income of 4-5 million VND/month. In addition, the cooperative also creates seasonal jobs for about 100 women in the area.

Ms. H'Yam (right) introduces brocade costumes.

Ms. H'Yam Bkrông, Director of the Cooperative, said that the products of the Cooperative are increasingly diverse: men's and women's clothing, handbags, ties, tablecloths, scented seed bags, backrest pillows, ao dai, children's clothing... produced in a closed process from weaving, sewing, embroidery to finishing the product.

Ms. H'Yam shared that the cooperative was established in 2003, at that time, she had to go to the villages to mobilize skilled women to participate. Initially, there were only 10 members, of which 3 members contributed capital. Two artisans were invited to guide and pass on the profession. The early days were the most difficult days for the members of the cooperative. At that time, the cooperative was supported by the Provincial Women's Union with 200 million VND to buy raw materials, weaving frames... From 2016, the cooperative boldly borrowed capital to invest in 5 more weaving machines and yarn folding machines, shuttle winding machines, yarn winding machines... to serve production, but still maintained the unique cultural features of the Ede people.

In the early days, to find an outlet for the product, for many years, Ms. H'Yam traveled to many provinces and cities to introduce the brocade products of the Ede people at tourist areas, tailor shops, souvenir shops, etc. Gradually, the products of the Cooperative were welcomed by everyone. Currently, the products of the Cooperative have a position and stable output in the market inside and outside the province.

Ms. H'Yam confided that in the early days, all the products sent were returned because of many defects, unattractive designs, and inability to compete with the market. Many people were discouraged and wanted to quit the job. After that, the women sat down together to find ways to overcome the difficulties.

Ms. H'Yam said that patterns are a unique cultural feature that creates the value of ethnic minority brocade products. The main colors on Ede brocade are black and red, but there are many types of patterns. The more elaborate the motifs, the longer it takes to create. To weave beautiful patterns, it requires perseverance, meticulousness, and skillful hands of the artisans. The cooperative uses hand-woven brocade patterns to combine on costumes, handbags, etc. to suit consumer tastes.

In 2013, Tong Bong Brocade Weaving Cooperative was awarded the Third Class Labor Medal by the President in the movement "Women help each other develop the economy , reduce poverty sustainably in the period 2002-2012". The Cooperative was also awarded a Certificate of Merit by the People's Committee of Dak Lak province as the leading unit in the emulation movement in 2019...

Many households in the village participate in community tourism.

In 2024, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dak Lak province held a ceremony to announce Tong Ju village (Ea Kao ward) as a community tourism destination. Recently, Tong Bong Brocade Weaving Cooperative has attracted many tourist groups to visit and experience the culture.

Buon Tong Ju currently has nearly 470 households, more than 2,000 people, of which the Ede ethnic group is the majority. Over the past 2 years, many households in the village have voluntarily implemented activities to welcome guests to experience traditional folk culture such as making musical instruments, making rice wine, enjoying cuisine, music, etc.

Wishing to preserve the traditional values of their ancestors, there are currently 20 households in the village participating in developing community tourism. They have attended training courses on community tourism and food hygiene and safety. Households identify tourism products and gradually get used to welcoming domestic and foreign tourists to experience cultural characteristics.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nguoi-e-de-giu-hon-tho-cam-mo-huong-thoat-ngheo-ben-vung-post1772017.tpo