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Co Tu women keep weaving to protect the group's tradition

Before knowing how to weave with cotton yarn, Co Tu people used tree bark to make clothes and loincloths. Costumes made of tree bark had a profound influence on dress practices and are a defining factor in the traditions and styles of costumes of the Co Tu people in particular and ethnic minorities in general. The weaving craft of the Co Tu people was established a long time ago. The cotton tree (kpay) originally grew in the forest. The Co Tu people brought it back to grow on the fields and popularized and domesticated it into the current native cotton tree with several names such as Kpay plang, kpay lao, kpay plung, which scientists call “upperian cotton” or “cotton of grass.” After harvesting cotton, they process it and dye it to make raw materials and put it on a loom to create products. The loom of the Co Tu people is a type of frame held by the foot and woven by hand with separate parts. It become a loom only when spinning the yarn in.

Currently, Cong Don brocade weaving village in Zuoich commune of Nam Giang district is still a place where cotton farming and weaving are still practiced in the traditional way. With skillful hands, local women have created many different products and categories.

Each product has a certain use and aesthetic value. Brocade fabrics, whether large or small, are special because of the creative imprint of the weaver. It is possible to distinguish Co Tu brocade products through the following specific types such as Aduong cloth, shirt (adooh), robe (aday), loincloth (h'giăl or g'hul), skirt (hdooh)...

Thanks to the weaving craft, the Co Tu ethnic costume is preserved in most villages. In August 2014, the traditional weaving of the Co Tu people was listed as one of the national intangible cultural heritage elements. This is not only the honor of the Co Tu ethnic group, but also the pride of all ethnic groups in the mountainous Quang Nam province. It also a good opportunity for the Co Tu people to preserve and promote their traditional weaving craft.

Translated by Trung Thanh