The exquisite beauty of Thai ethnic brocade

Nha Trang is the largest province, with 21 districts, 11 of which are mountainous. These include Khai Son, Tuong Duong, Khanh Quang, An Son, Thanh Khai, Nha Dan, Quy Hap, Quy Chau, Khe Phong, Thanh Chuang, and Nguyen Lu. Home to six ethnic groups, Khin, Thai, Do, Komu, Hmong, and Odu, it boasts rich cultural diversity. The Thai and Nha Trang have four suburbs, Thai Mewang, Thai Thanh, Thai Mewoi, and Thai Khang, As the largest minority in Nha Nang, the Thai play a vital role in securing the western highlands. Through migration and settlement, they created unique heritage, notably traditional brocade weaving. This ancient craft, passed down through generations, has become a shared community heritage. No research has yet confirmed the exact origins of Thai brocade weaving in Nha Nang. Yet legends and folktales abound with images of Thai girls weaving for loved ones and children. With skill and creativity, Thai women weave vibrant brocade, preserving their soul at every loom. By the loom I sit, threading silk with nimble hands, weaving longing into every pass of the shuttle. Black as earth, red for love, indigo-like foliage, yellow as bright sunshine. Brocade is woven from cotton or silk threads. Creating traditional brocade requires a process of From planting cotton and mulberry, raising silkworms, spinning, dyeing, to weaving and embroidery. Cotton is sun-dried, seeded, fluffed, rolled, spun into yarn, sized, dried, then wound into large spools. Silkworm cocoons are boiled to extract filaments, which are then wound onto small spools. The silk yarn is then sized, much like cotton, before being dried and wound into larger spools. Alongside fiber preparation, dyeing is a crucial step. The Thai people have a saying. For black, dye with indigo and bark. For red, use sapanwood. For yellow, use turmeric. After dyeing the threads to the desired colors, weavers mount them on the loom. Depending on the colors and motifs, weavers arrange threads and weave in different ways. With two weaving styles, plain weave and tight weave, Thai people in each region decorate fabric motifs differently. Like X, V, or diamond shapes on the loom, motifs are diverse, animals, sun, flora. Decorative patterns are mostly geometric, with stacked lines or joined borders, forming triangles, rectangles, or diamonds. On the brocade fabric, motifs are divided into main and secondary bands, shaped into plants, animals, or abstract forms. This reflects the weaver's perception of nature, breathing life into each motif. Thai brocade patterns here are rich and diverse. They weave all creatures and scenes from their lands, from fields, waters, farms, and forests into the cloth. These motifs adorn skirts, shirts, scarves, and blankets for everyday use. The Thai people of Quechua and Nayan province hope to add this craft to the National Intangible Heritage List. We wish to preserve and promote our weaving traditions and the unique brocade motifs of our Thai community. Surveys show only the Thai still practice brocade weaving in Nayan. Other ethnic groups typically trade or buy Thai brocade. Thus, Thai brocade became a key trade item among local communities. Traditional brocade is integral to Thai community life. It provides daily wear and household items like clothes, bags, and pew scarves. Ritual garments serve major life-cycle ceremonies, including birth, coming of age, weddings, new home rites, and funerals, or village festivals like Xi'an Ban and Xi'an Mewang, Bonsaw, Sang Khan, Hang Bua festivals, Xinjiang and Vang Temple festivals. Especially for shamans, traditional attire is required for rituals with brocade bags, caps, and head cords. This dress marks their sacred role. For the Thai, funerals are vital. Large amounts of diverse fabrics are used, including the finest, most intricate brocade. Women's morning skirts remain undyed, honoring tradition and filial piety. Thai Thanh wear black, Thai Mewang wear stripes. A swallowtail cloth is pinned on the back until the mourning period ends. Weaving bonds family generations. Mothers-in-law teach daughters-in-law. Mothers guide daughters in weaving. Grandmothers teach granddaughters to sew. It also unites the village community. Under stilt houses, they work and sing. Through brocade, traditional cultural values are passed from generation to generation. Moreover, cultural identity is reinforced in every community member. These enduring values are what brocade weaving brings to the Thai people of Nhan. Many villages have become renowned brocade destinations for domestic and foreign visitors. Notably, Hoa Thien in Mewang Chien Nam is among the oldest, most famous cradles of Thai brocade in Nhan. Villagers still maintain mulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing, and brocade weaving. For years, the village has established a cooperative to develop production. The cooperative invested in machinery, new designs, and value chains, attracting supportive projects and businesses. Its products are sold domestically and exported abroad in large quantities. Born and raised in Hoa Thien, I grew up surrounded by traditional brocade weaving. By age 13, I had already learned the craft and began teaching others. But there was a time when this traditional weaving nearly faded away. Cheap goods from China and local markets flooded in. In 1992, projects arrived in Hoa Thien to revive the weaving craft. They worked to preserve and safeguard traditional cultural heritage. Traders from Laos came to buy all those vintage textiles. The fabrics our elders once wove by hand. Using natural dyes that never fade. As an artisan, I realized that if I didn't pass on this craft to future generations, weaving would be lost, so I began training classes for the younger generation to preserve the traditional weaving craft of our people here. We sincerely hope authorities at all levels will support us so Hoa Thien brocade can reach more domestic and global markets, bringing income and stability to our community's livelihoods. Today, many Thai villages across Nean province are sustaining brocade weaving, proving its enduring vitality. Building an advanced culture with national identity is party policy. Thus, preserving Thai brocade weaving is vital and urgent. Through history's tides, ancestors passed this craft to us today. This heritage must be nurtured systematically to endure forever.