by Patricia Chourio

For the past 3 years, I’ve been on a journey to immerse myself in the world of traditional crafts. This journey was inspired by the incredible women artisans I met during my time living and working in SE Asia. Their resilience and their commitment to help preserve millenary techniques that were passed down from their ancestors through generations truly inspired me. Each technique, each pattern and dye tells a story of their past and their beliefs. Growing up in Venezuela, I was taught to appreciate the beauty and the value of handmade products. But it wasn’t until a few years ago when I had the opportunity to be more involved in this process and learn directly from artisans about the connection between them and their craft.

Artisans are the original storytellers, through their products they are communicating their ancestors’ stories to educate their children and generations to come. These stories of love and resilience are interwoven in their textiles. In order to help these stories come alive, they use the nature around them to make the most vibrant dyes and colors.  

One of the first women artisans I met in Hanoi, Vietnam was Tinh, a master weaver and expert in silk dyeing. Tinh is from the Thai group that settled in Nghe An Province, Central Vietnam. As a young child, Tinh fell in love with the loom and asked her mother to teach her how to weave. Thai women learn how to sew their own outfits by the time they are teenagers. She knew she had to share her traditions with the rest of the world, and she decided to start a cooperative to help support artisans in her village while also promoting the preservation of the Thai weaving and dyeing techniques. She moved to Hanoi and had her family ship her beloved loom built by her grandfather, it was a way for her to keep her heritage close. Throughout the years, Tinh has become an advocate for traditional crafts and women artisans in Vietnam. Her hope is that younger people in Vietnam and around the world learn to appreciate the beauty of traditional craftsmanship.

Tinh has mastered the art of natural dyes. Each color comes from plants, fruits and flowers that she finds in the forest and in her garden. 

Last year, I had the opportunity to travel to Luang Prabang, Laos to meet with artisans and learn more about the traditional crafts of Laos. I discovered that just like Tinh and many of the artisans I had met in Vietnam, artisans in Laos also use leaves and flowers to create dyes. I decided to learn from the masters and enrolled in a class about natural dyes at a local social enterprise called Ock Pop Tok. We used annatto seeds and jackfruit bark to dye silk napkins and indigo leaves to dye a scarf. This experience gave me a greater appreciation for handmade crafts and the talent of the artisans I’ve met.

 We can learn so much about sustainability from artisans. The most beautiful thing about this process to me is the connection between the weavers and nature. The ability to understand and preserve nature is developed as young children. Just like the weaving techniques they learn from their mothers and grandmothers, they are also taught how to communicate with nature. Each material they use serves a purpose. When making products by hand nothing is wasted and the techniques and processes involved are mostly environmentally friendly. 

Watching the weavers picking the seeds, using tree barks and treating indigo leaves, it’s like watching a couple from a distance having a lively and deep conversation. Smiling, bright-eyed and entirely invested in what the other person is saying. It’s a mutual understanding that can only be rooted in love. 

Mayan artisans have also used nature to dye their crafts, especially fruits, vegetables and even dead insects to achieve some of the most vibrant colors ever seen. Anita Cortez, founder of Atitlan Women Weavers Cooperative, has rallied her community to share Mayan culture. In 2014, she founded the cooperative to help preserve traditional crafts and to provide a new source of income for women in her community. She started the cooperative with only 5 women and in the past 6 years it has grown to a team of 27 women, the majority of whom are single mothers. Anita supports her family working at the cooperative and as a part-time tour guide. She also runs a business offering cooking classes for tourists.

The products made at the cooperative are dyed with beets, dried cochineal and coffee grounds among other materials. All of these materials are found in the kitchen of the cooperative or gardens around San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala. Mayan crafts are also known for their intricate patterns achieved by expert weavers in the region. Using a backstrap loom, women artisans spend hours and days weaving beautiful silk scarves or handbags made out of organic cotton yarn (cotton that’s grown in their own backyards). This process and the connection between the artisan and the product they make takes mindfulness to a whole new level. Since they are telling their stories through their products, artisans are spiritually connected to them. That is why when you purchase handmade accessories/ products and support artisans you become part of a movement that has a positive impact in the world and helps preserve traditions and stories from ancient civilizations. Stories of our pasts that will help us shape a more sustainable future.