Brocade in the Central Highland
Central Highland is a very special place with a green range of Truong Son mountains, with immense primeval forest, with dazzling white waterfalls and with original and rich culture. We can see and feel the natural & mysterious beauty anywhere at any times: from the Ede’s house which is “longer than a resound of a gong” to immeasurably high of communal house’s roof which look like a axe head carved in deep blue sky of Bana & Xe Dang people, from nice landscape of mountain & forest to the lissome dance of Bana’s people,…but above all may be the charming colors of brocade in Central Highland,…
As traditional culture of Central Highland, any girl will be tough by her mother the weaving skills in order to serve for her need and for her family in the future. The most beautiful skirts are wore in festival or important events such as weeding ceremony. In the festival ceremonies full of resound of gong, the girl with the most beautiful skirts is considered as the most assiduous and skillful girl.
A nice brocade with original patterns is created through hard work process from cotton planting, cotton rolling, hand spinning, dyeing and weaving. People in Central Highland use very simple loom but variable types, some are specialized in weaving skirt, blanket, some are specialized in smaller products such as brocade handbag, cloth band, loin-cloth,…
Stylized designs with fineness of colors mixing are little by little created under the skillful hands, embellished designs with many types: flower, bird, tortoise, gong, jar, elephant’s tusk…According to ethnic people in Central Highlands, black foundation means the land where they spend all the life whether they alive or even after dead; red color represents for the passion, the improvement, the aspiration and the love; the green is the color of trees, sky…; yellow is the color of the light & the harmony coordination between human and nature. Red and black are two most favorite colors for the Ede people; red, bright yellow on the black foundation are colors of Thuong people. The white color appears very random as the implicit of the living condition, plantation field, mountain & forest. Ko Ho & Lach people created products very thick, husky and “forest” type. People living in the south of Central Highland such as Cham, Chau Ro, S’tieng people use white foundation as main color as to mingle with the wave with a crest of sea foam. The most meticulous, impressive brocade that attracts most foreign tourists may be those of Ma people. If English, German & Belgium people love brocade of Ma & Ko Ho ethnic people, then Dutch & Japanese love brocade of Cham ethnic people.
Visiting Central Highland, you will enjoy the resound of gong, feel delight with the wine drunk out of far through pipes (ruou can) and you will never forget the quintessence of blue sky, immense forest, white waterfall filled with the brocade designs of Central Highland.
Photo: mytour.vn