Giang A Hanh's products have won the favours of many customers, including restaurants and hotels. (Photo vov.vn)Theancient craft has waned gradually, disappearing as people pay less attention topreserving it.
Manybamboo and rattan products such as wicker baskets, bags and hats that used tobe very common in every household are now being dominated by plasticitems in markets.
Fortunately,Giang A Hanh, a young man from Lao Chai commune, Mu Cang Chai, is making acontribution to not only restoring and developing but also promoting thebamboo weaving craft as a highly valued cultural feature of the ethnicminority.
Hanhhas a love and determination to recover his ancestors’ traditions,and is a successful craftsman making artistic bamboo and rattan wovenproducts for domestic markets, winning the favour of many customers includingthose from hotels and restaurants in the cities.
Aftergraduating from a pharmaceutical school in the northern province of ThaiNguyen, he could not find a job in cities, so decided to return to hisnative village of Ho Nhi Pa to start a new career.
Ittook nearly a year of struggling and unemployment until 2019 when he found hispassion for wicker basketry, one of the oldest arts and crafts in hisvillage, using environment-friendly and easy-to-find materials.
Hedecided to attend a vocational programme provided by localsenior craftsmen in the commune, with an ambition to develop the Mông’straditional weaving craft. He has paid much attention to studying the selectionof materials to produce high-quality products.
“Youngpeople like us should learn from our predecessors and promote our group’straditional crafts,” said Hanh.
Thecraftsman chooses suitable materials to create various kinds of wickerworkssuch as rice papooses, big baskets, trays and stools with typicalcharacteristics of the Mong.
Hanhsaid revitalising the weaving craft is difficult because he is a young man andhas not always been familiar with such a craft, which is known as beingeasier for women as it demands perseverance and ingenuity.
"Butthe bigger the challenge, the stronger my determination is," he said.
Luckily, Hanh isaccompanied by his father Giang A La, one of the most skilled craftsmen inthe village, who taught him how to create products with new designsand high quality.
"Theweaving craft is facing a decline so I want the children to restoreand keep it up. By doing it, not only can it help them preservetheir ancestors' craft but also provide them with a sustainable income,"La said.
Heis among many elderly in Lao Chai commune trying to push their children topreserve the heritage since they realised it could disappear. The seniorvillager says he is trying to support his son and other young men indeveloping the craft and marketing their products to a wider customer base.
Withhis help, Hanh has become good at making souvenirs as new andattractive products for tourists at Mu Cang Chai local tourism spots.
Overthe last two years, particularly before the fourth outbreak of the COVID-19pandemic, Hanh’s bamboo woven products have been sold at cultural festivals andbought by many restaurants and hotels.
“I’veused his products which are of good quality. We can use or display themfor decorative purposes,” says Hang A De, the owner of Thu De homestay inMu Cang Chai.
Hanhsaid that every day he tries to improve his product quality anddesigns. He wants visitors to Yen Bai, a land of terraced paddy fields, toremember and become more acquainted with its local handicrafts.
TheMong people make up 90 per cent of the inhabitants in Lao Chai commune. Theirlives depend largely on forestry and agricultural production, which used to beassociated with traditional crafts.
Inmany traditional occupations of the Mong community here, bamboo and rattanweaving is a long-standing craft of the local people.
Theymake many things from bamboo and rattan such as containers, household utensils,and worshiping items. They use different varieties of bamboo and rattan fordifferent kinds of products.
Withhelp from people like Hanh, this craft is sure to be preserved for futuregenerations./.
VNA
