Passing down the brocade weaving craft

The traditional brocade weaving craft of the M’nong and S’tieng people in Bu Gia Map commune was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2022 and 2024. However, attempts to conserve and uphold this heritage have continued to encounter numerous challenges for various reasons.

In this border commune, S’tieng and M’nong women still devote themselves day and night to brocade weaving, while also teaching their children and grandchildren to preserve their ethnic identity.

From passion to transmission

Amid the mountains and forests of Bu Gia Map, the traditional brocade weaving craft, also known as Tanh B’rai, of the S’tieng and M’nong people continues to be quietly preserved as part of the community's cultural soul. This product is a long-standing handicraft, the crystallization of indigenous knowledge, patient labor, and the local people's love of nature across many generations.

Together with local authorities, artisans such as Thi Y Ro (far left) in Bu Gia Map commune are contributing to the preservation and development of the brocade weaving craft. Photo: Truong Giang

Now 76 years old, Thi Y Ro (S’tieng ethnic group, Bu Dot hamlet, Bu Gia Map commune) remains attached to her brocade loom. For her, brocade clothing will continue to be preserved as long as there are people passionate about the craft. Fortunately, both her daughter and daughter-in-law know how to weave. Thi Y Ro shared that she learned weaving at the age of 19 or 20. Over more than 50 years, she no longer remembers how many products she has woven, as she would take out the loom whenever she had free time. The products were mainly used to make clothes for family members and sometimes exchanged with people in the hamlet. “The influence of my grandmothers and mother inspired my passion for brocade weaving, and I have passed this passion on to my children. I hope my children will continue passing it on to the next generation so that the brocade weaving craft will not fade away,” she said.

Due to old age, poor health, and poor eyesight, artisan Thi Y Ro no longer weaves as frequently as before, but mainly teaches her children and grandchildren. Having been taught brocade weaving by her mother-in-law, Thi Tuc said that learning the craft is quite difficult and requires real passion. The fabric materials are similar, but to create different products, the weaver must create different color combinations and patterns, resulting in unique product lines with distinctive motifs of the S’tieng and M’nong people.

Each finished product requires many days, even months, of meticulous work, demanding patience, memory, and delicate creativity. Thi Y Ro hopes that today’s younger generation will understand and preserve the traditional values of their ethnic group so that the colors of brocade fabric will continue to appear for many years to come.

Also in Bu Dot hamlet, Thi Pi Ot (67 years old) inherited her mother's skillful hands and began learning the craft at 12. She shared that according to tradition, brocade weaving is closely associated with S’tieng women. From an early age, girls were taught each step of the process by their mothers and grandmothers: growing cotton, spinning yarn, dyeing colors from leaves, roots, and tree bark, and skillfully weaving on handmade looms made from bamboo and wood. “My mother said that girls must know how to weave so that when they grow up and have their own families, they can teach their children and grandchildren about weaving. Everyone should know it so that our traditional craft will not disappear. Following my mother’s advice, I practiced weaving every day,” she said.

Thi Pi Ot is also known for her “versatility” in numerous traditional crafts, including brocade weaving, basket weaving, and making Can wine, a type of wine stored in a big jar and drunk with long bamboo straws. After decades of dedication to these activities, her main concern is the limited market for brocade products. “It takes a lot of time to make a brocade product, while raw materials are also becoming scarce, so the products are quite expensive, and few people buy them. This reality makes the younger generation less interested in learning the craft. So, I mainly weave because I love the craft, and occasionally someone comes to buy," she said.

Keeping the traditional craft alive

Brocade products of the S’tieng people are very diverse, including skirts, loincloths, blankets, quilts, shirts, scarves, and handbags. The patterns on brocade fabrics are not merely decorative but vividly reflect the community's life, nature, and worldview, including images of rice flowers, grains, human figures, mountains, forests, and animals. Among these, the traditional blanket is considered a valuable heirloom associated with marriage and the life cycle of women, carrying deep spiritual meaning. For this reason, S’tieng women in Bu Gia Map commune have long hoped that more young people of their ethnic group will learn about and love brocade.

Brocade fabrics are made by S’tieng women in Bu Gia Map commune with dedication and affection. Photo: Truong Giang

As someone working in tourism and closely connected with local ethnic communities for many years, Do Truong Giang, Deputy Director of the Center for Propaganda, Tourism and Rescue Conservation of Bu Gia Map National Park, said that the practice of brocade weaving exists in everyday life, within each family, village, traditional festival, and even in the forest, where natural dye materials are collected. This connection reflects the harmonious relationship between humans and nature, along with sustainable behavioral norms preserved by the community for generations.

“The preservation of the brocade weaving culture of the M’nong and S’tieng is always a priority for local authorities and relevant departments. Through various programs and specific activities, we are gradually preserving and promoting this traditional craft. Particularly, within the framework of the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas, we have organized demonstration and training classes for young people in M’nong and S’tieng families to continue preserving and promoting the brocade weaving craft,”

Tran Quang Binh, Vice Chairman of the Bu Gia Map commune People’s Committee

“Today, under the influence of modern lifestyles and industrial products, the traditional brocade weaving craft faces the risk of fading. However, in Bu Gia Map commune, many S’tieng and M’nong women continue to practice the craft, seeing it not only as a livelihood but also as a responsibility to preserve their cultural identity. I believe that with further encouragement and support, local people will be able to develop this traditional craft more effectively,” Do Truong Giang said.

Bu Gia Map is a border commune in a remote area of Dong Nai Province that faces many difficulties. About 75% of the commune’s population are ethnic groups, mainly M’nong and S’tieng people. Brocade weaving is considered one of the most distinctive cultural features of these two ethnic groups. Local authorities and departments are paying special attention to preserving the craft through many practical programs and activities. In particular, a Brocade Production Cooperative Group has been established, mainly comprising artisans and S’tieng women dedicated to maintaining the traditional craft. “We hope that handmade brocade products will not only create sustainable livelihoods for local people in the future but also be associated with the development of eco-tourism and community-based tourism in the Bu Gia Map National Park area,” Tran Quang Binh shared.

By Le Quyen – Translated by Minh Hong, Minho