Legacy in blue

For more than 40 years, Wongduan Udomdechawate’s nimble fingers have been busy weaving the beautiful silk cloth and indigo-dyed cotton that have become synonymous with Na Wa district in the northeast province of Nakhon Phanom. A former nurse, the 76-year-old Wongduan today spends much of her day at Wat Phrathat Prasit Community Enterprise passing on her skills and knowledge to the women and girls in this mainly agricultural area in the hope that they will continue a tradition that dates back more years than she can remember. 

Like other women of her generation, Wongduan learnt the hand-weaving techniques from her mother while she was still a child. She recalls with pride the day in 1972 when His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Her Majesty the Queen Sirikit visited Wat Phrathat Prasit to present Kathin robes to the monks. “My elder sister and I were among the six villagers chosen to present our silk to Her Majesty,” she says.

The Queen was impressed by the shimmering pineapple-patterned silk and shortly after named Baan Na Wa the first hand-weaving group under the Foundation of the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand, better known as the Support Foundation.

In 1978, Wongduan gave up her nursing career and returned home, joining a small group of weavers in producing the indigo-dyed fabrics for Support. The group gradually grew, going from its 25 founding members to 90, making improvements to both its management system and quality control and, in 2005, formally registering itself as Wat Phrathat Prasit Community Enterprise. 

The group’s hard work has paid off too and last year, Wat Phrathat Prasit Community Enterprise was selected by the Queen Sirikit Sericulture Centre (Sakon Nakhon) as a smart farmer model for sustainable development.

Thanks to the continued development in the design and production process, Na Wa’s indigo-dyed fabrics have steadily increased in popularity, gaining more buyers and making a name for themselves among foreign tourists. 

 “Our enterprise has been recognised by leading firms and today we produce indigo-dyed clothes for Jim Thompson and Lemon Farm,” Wonduan says.

In addition to developing the weavers in the group, Wongduan also invites students from various universities to practise the weaving process, allowing them to stay at her home at no charge. 

“I intend working as a master weaver for as long as I can. I am very proud to be able to help the poor earn extra so they can enjoy a better quality of life. I also want to transfer our heritage to the young generation so that the tradition of hand-weaving is preserved and this career can be further developed in the future,” she says. 

Like Wat Phrathat Prasit, Non Rua Samakkee Farm Women’s Group in adjacent Sakon Nakhon’s Phanna Nikhom district is famous for the natural indigo-dyed fabrics. 

Waree Chaitamat, 72, is head of the group and like Wongduan, a Support master who constantly develops the production process.

She also works hard to create new patterns and products to meet evolving market trends and today the group offers a wide variety of goods including clothes, scarves, shawls and sarongs, both in the original blue and in other shades obtained by mixing the dye with other natural products. 

“Our weavers produce the indigo-dyed fabrics at their homes while Non Rua Samakkee Farm Women Group serves as a centre for coordinating orders and sales,” she explains. “We provide training and also maintain quality control through the entire production process, thereby ensuring that all products meet the same standards.”

The secrets of natural indigo dying – kram as is known locally – have been passed down through the generations. Today Sakon Nakhon is home to more than 20 communities experienced in indigo dyeing and pattern creation. 

The cottage industry continues to enjoy growth, not least because indigo-dyed cotton is very popular as the demand for all things organic, chemical-free, and natural expands worldwide.

Considered the “king of blue”, indigo-dyed cotton has a beautiful deep blue colour that doesn’t wash off. The traditional process of indigo dyeing does not require any chemicals, which means the dye does not damage the fibre of the fabric and so the clothes last longer.

In addition to their twin roles as community businesses and learning centres, both Wat Phrathat Prasit Community Enterprise and Non Rua Samakkee Farm Women Group are becoming popular destinations for cultural tourism. This is being further promoted by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, which has entered into a partnership with Pid Thong Lang Phra Foundation under Royal Initiative (The Royal Initiative Discovery) and the Association of Domestic Travel Agents to create meeting packages, offering members of public and private organisations the opportunity to experience project development under the royal initiatives in all regions of the country after their meetings. 

Such initiatives underline that even in a fast-growing digital society, Thai wisdom and knowledge heritage is as proudly preserved as it ever was. 

 

Just drop by

+Wat Phrathat Prasit Community Enterprise is at Moo 4, Tambon Na Wa, Na Wa district, Nakhon Phanom. If you’re driving, the GPS coordinates are N 17.485010, E 104.098016. Call (042) 551 094 or (087) 220 2260

+Rua Samakkee Farm Women Group is at 218, Moo 13, Tambon Hua Bo, Phanna Nikhom district, Sakon Nakhon. Call (084) 355 0490 or (082) 1071109 or e-mail [email protected].