Colors of the mountains

Ms. Kan Hung in La Lay commune - Photo: PTL

For the Pa Ko ethnic group in the middle of the Truong Son mountain range, in the western region of Quang Tri , brocade represents a rich imagination and the ability to observe life delicately, crystallized through the skillful hands of women. Brocade is also a memory of the origin, a connecting thread between the past and the future….

But due to war and modern fashion trends, brocade weaving is inevitably lost. However, the Pa Ko people are very lucky because there are still people who are passionate about the weaving profession that their ancestors worked so hard to build.

While Ms. Kan Hung is the one who has preserved the brocade costumes almost intact throughout her life, Ms. Doan Thi Nga and Ms. Ho Thi Chanh are always concerned and eager to return to the weaving profession of their ancestors. Although restoring the weaving profession is a long process and not without difficulties, because besides the investment in looms, materials and effort to learn the craft, the decisive factor is the determination and love of the weaver for brocade over time.

The life of the Pa Ko people in the middle of the forest still depends mainly on slash-and-burn farming, but the hardships and difficulties still did not stop Mrs. Nga from returning to weaving. More than 10 years ago, Mrs. Nga decided to spend time reviving her memories of her mother and grandmother's nimble hands by the fire in the stilt house.

“When I was young, I remember that on rainy days and at night, adults often took advantage of the opportunity to weave brocade, while children played innocently around the loom. Later, I happened to meet some people who still weave brocade like my grandmother and mother did, so I decided to arrange my time to learn the craft. I am proud that I have done something meaningful. On days when I am not working on the fields, I will weave at home and instruct many women so that the traditional brocade of our people will last forever…”, Ms. Doan Thi Nga confided.

With the enthusiastic help of Mrs. Nga and the support of the local government, women in villages such as Cu Tai and A Bung of La Lay commune have boldly joined the brocade weaving group, which is growing in number. The dedication of skilled people such as Mrs. Nga, Ms. Chanh and Ms. Chua has been rewarded.

Brocade products originating from the A Bung region on the Dakrong River both preserve the traditional cultural features of their ancestors - such as color combinations and decorative patterns - and innovate product designs to suit modern fashion trends, so they are increasingly favored by customers near and far. The traditional brocade weaving craft of the Pa Ko people here has truly revived and developed.

Ms. Doan Thi Nga has been involved in brocade weaving for more than 10 years in A Bung - Photo: PTL

Brocade of Pa Ko people is not simply fabric with many unique and harmonious colors, motifs and patterns that vividly reflect the world view, but also has important significance in spiritual life, customs and practices - a traditional cultural beauty.

On festivals such as the new rice celebration, weddings, mountain god worshiping ceremonies, A Rieu Ping festival... the brocade offering ritual is indispensable to express filial piety to the gods, grandparents, parents and those who have contributed to the village.

Weaving brocade is also a measure of a girl's skill and diligence before getting married. Therefore, in the Pa Ko family in the past, most girls had a loom and when they got married, they would bring it with them...

Over hundreds of years of preservation and transmission, the Pa Ko people have searched for materials to weave colorful brocades with unique patterns, motifs, and delicate lines. Each product has value in many aspects, both as an item to ensure daily needs, serving life, and being considered as wealth, showing prosperity, wealth, and more than that, they are works of art containing the quintessence, expressing unique characteristics in the cultural treasure of the Pa Ko people.

“Just like my time in the past, now is the time of our children and grandchildren - we will never forget brocade. Grandparents and parents will no longer be here, but brocade is a memory that lives forever, so we must preserve it like holding a child in our arms. I am very happy that now, thanks to machines, our children and grandchildren can weave brocade faster than in the past. I hope that the younger generation will create more valuable products, and weave beautifully because brocade is a part of the soul of our Pa Ko people”, Ms. Kan Hung said.

However, in order for the Pa Ko people's traditional brocade weaving craft to not be lost, in addition to organizing vocational training classes for the younger generation and forming voluntary weaving groups, the authorities at all levels and the cultural and tourism sectors of Quang Tri province also need to take active measures so that brocade can contribute to job creation, sustainable poverty reduction, and the preservation of the unique cultural identity of the Pa Ko people in the Truong Son range.

Phan Tan Lam

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/dat-va-nguoi-quang-tri/202508/sac-mau-cua-nui-4ba477e/