Ethic Minority, Viet Thai (Tai)
Tai Weavers, Hoa Tien Village
“Weaving a New Life is like Weaving a New Tapestry. With Careful Planning and Skilful Execution, you can Create a Beautiful and Meaningful Artwork of Life". Tai People Wisdom.
The Tai Ethnic People are known for their vibrant and distinctive Handloom Weaving Culture. Their Traditional Craft of Brocade Weaving has been preserved for many Generations, resulting in a wide variety of stunning designs.
Tai Women work long hours in the fields, and even longer hours at the Backstrap Loom. Their Weaving pieces are made using time-honoured techniques, with brightly coloured and Intricately Patterned Textiles that are infused with the Ideals of Nature Power and Cultural Identity. Tai Women know how to spin silk, spin yarn to weave fabric to create many products for family and friends. Tai Women have been known from Ancient Times how to grow mulberries to raise silkworms and to how grow cotton to provide yarn for weaving. This also shows that knowing how to Weave Brocade for Tai Women is the criterion for assessing the quality of Tai Women in Traditional Society from time immemorial.
That's why all young Tai Girls were carried by their Mothers on their backs to do jobs such as raising silkworms and weaving cloth; From 7 to 8 years old, they must be familiar with cotton, and yarn, and have started to practice Weaving, Spinning and Dyeing until 14. At the age of 15, they are familiar with Embroidery and Weaving. Until getting married, Tai Girls have mastered farming and have a certain knowledge of Traditional Brocade products, helping them to Weave essential items for themselves and their families. As a deep-rooted tradition, Tai Girls have to learn Bbrocade Weaving to make their wedding dresses. They construct the Looms themselves, and the Pattern designs are stored in their heads, not on paper. The Wisdom of New Weaving is like Creating a New Life. Weaving Knowledge is the irreplaceable dowry of Tai Girls when they return to their husbands' houses.
Silk Thread Making, Hoa Tien Village
To Weave a beautiful Brocade requires the Weavers to go through many stages. Weavers have to use materials created by themselves from growing mulberry, raising silkworms and growing cotton. Cotton, after being collected from the fields to make yarn, has to go through a lot of preliminary processing stages such as rolling, turning on and wrapping cotton, then spinning, slurrying and rolling yarn into a thread, spinning single yarn into double yarn and then prepare these yarns for dyeing.
When cotton is spun, depending on the Pattern on the Brocade, the Weavers use leaves, fruits, trees and tubers of different types to dye cotton and silk fibres to create beautiful and unique colours. Normally, cotton yarn is only dyed indigo or left naturally white. Other colours are used for decoration with silk thread. After the cotton has been dyed, people bring it to weave on bamboo or wooden backstrap looms. The fabrics when woven can form skirts, shirts, Pieu scarf, flower belts (Xai Hieu Boi), "Fer" sheets, fabrics to sew into blankets, mattresses, pillows, curtain edges, etc.
Silk Weaving is a Traditional Precious Craft of Tai People, Hoa Tien Village
Each Pattern is a combination of bright, dark, warm, and cool colours placed harmoniously against an opalescent background. This makes the Brocade created by the Tai People different from other Ethnic Minority Groups in Vietnam.
The main materials for Brocade Weaving are deep indigo-dyed cotton yarn and dyed silk. The Tai people use six colours in their brocade: blue, red, yellow, purple, white, and black. But the Patterns vary widely. The colour scheme is very important in Tai Brocade. Vivid embossed Patterns stand out against submerged Patterns that represent the Earth. The colourful embossed Patterns symbolize all things found on Earth, reflecting the Tai People's perception of the Universe. According to Tai People, you should use at least 20 different patterns weaving the Traditional Tai Brocade. For example, the most favourite images of plum, peach and apricot blossoms, wildflowers, animals and birds, are mixing with clouds in the sky, mountains, fields and rivers. Tai women are always thinking about their Patterns, their Wisdom and their Power, while working in the fields they always count the number of threads and how the threads should be arranged and how many threads and colours should be used. Each weaver has to think of the number of threads and colours needed to produce the desired Patterns. Some Patterns need 20 bamboo sticks to create a frame. Others might need as many as 100 or even more.
Tai Brocade is often decorated with Traditional Patterns, which represent their strong Spiritual Beliefs And Cultural Significance. Patterns of Dragons, Snakes, the Sun and the Moon, Monkeys, and Mystical Flowers, express desires and tell Legends of Life.
The Sun and the Moon Patterns of Tai People, Hoa Tien Village
Here are some Legends which are woven into the Rich Tapestry Of Tai People.
The Legend of the Sun and Moon
Once upon a time, in the mystical land of Vietnam, there lived a family with two beautiful sisters, Nang Ua Piem and Tao Hun Lu. One day, while the sisters were fishing at the stream, they found a ripe fig. They divided the fig in half and ate it. Shortly after, both sisters became pregnant. Their parents, fearing a scandal, put the two babies on two rafts and set them afloat down the river. The rafts drifted to a small village, where a kind woman who had no children of her own found them. She took the babies home and raised them as her own.
The boy, Tao Hun Lu, grew up to be handsome and brave. The girl, Nang Ua Piem, grew up to be beautiful and kind. When they were old enough, their adoptive grandparents told them the story of how they had found them. Tao and Nang immediately set out on a journey to find their parents. Along the way, they fell deeply in love. When they finally found their mother's house, they begged her permission to marry. Their mother, seeing how much they loved each other, agreed.
On the day of their wedding, Tao and Nang went into the forest to find mushrooms and fish for the feast. But as soon as they entered the forest, the sky darkened and thunder rumbled. A powerful force separated the two lovers, sending Tao to the east and Nang to the west. Tao became the Sun, and Nang became the Moon. Every month, the Sun and Moon meet at the horizon, but they can never be together. Their tears fall to the Earth, becoming the Rain at the end of the month.
The Legend of the Sun and Moon is seen as a story about the Duality of Existence. The Sun and Moon represent the opposite forces of light and darkness, masculine and feminine, active and passive. Their separation can be seen as a symbol of the separation of the Soul from the Divine. The Soul longs to reunite with the Divine, but it is trapped in the Material World, full of duality and conflict. The only way for the Soul to reunite with the Divine is to achieve Balance and Harmony within itself. This means integrating the opposite forces of light and darkness, masculine and feminine, active and passive.
Leghendary Tai Ethnic Brocade. Hoa Tien Vallage
The Legend of the Tailless Dragon Pattern
Once upon a time, in the mystical land of Mai Chau, there lived a poor farmer couple with no children. One day, the wife went to the stream to scoop fish. As she dipped her net into the crystal-clear water, she felt a strange pull. When she drew up her net, she was surprised to find a duck's egg nestled within it. She brought the egg home, curious to see what would hatch from it.
The next morning, the egg hatched into a baby dragon. The couple was overjoyed, and they raised the dragon as their child. The dragon was a kind and playful creature, and he brought much joy to the couple's lives.
One day, while the dragon was playing in the fields, he accidentally cut off his tail with the farmer's hoe. The dragon was ashamed of his taillessness, and he retreated to the stream, where he hid in sorrow.
The farmer's wife discovered the dragon's hiding place, and she comforted him with gentle words. She told him that his taillessness did not make him any less loved or valued.
The dragon was touched by the farmer's wife's kindness, and he vowed to use his strength and courage to protect the village from harm.
One day, a group of bandits invaded the village. The dragon bravely fought the bandits, and he defeated them with his mighty breath of fire. The villagers were grateful to the dragon for saving them, and they celebrated his victory with a feast.
The dragon continued to live in Mai Chau, and he became a beloved protector of the village. He taught the villagers how to farm and fish, and he helped them to build a thriving community.
The people of Mai Chau never forgot the dragon's sacrifice. They wove his tailless image into their textiles as a reminder of his courage and kindness.
The legend of the tailless dragon is a story of hope, resilience, and the power of love. The dragon's transformation from a tailless orphan to a beloved protector of the village teaches us that we are all capable of great things, regardless of our circumstances.
The dragon's taillessness can also be seen as a symbol of our imperfections. We all have our unique challenges and struggles, but these do not define us. What truly matters is our inner strength and compassion.
The legend of the tailless dragon is a reminder that we are all interconnected. We are all part of a larger community, and we have a responsibility to care for each other.
Tai People believe that dressing well is not only for themselves but also for the whole Ethnic and Cultural Community and the Divine, it is a reflection of their Cultural Lifestyle and their strong relationship between Wisdom inside Traditional Textiles and Community Life. This is a Unique Cultural Product, expressing the Beauty of the Soul and qualities of Thai Women, and is an expression of Folk Aesthetic Thinking that has been continued for Generations.
Meaningful Tai Patterns. Hoa Tien Village
Photos
Peter Cleveland https://www.facebook.com/peter.cleveland.353
