Backstrap Weavers: Making contact, talking to women, exploring venues

IN LATE 2008, I began to have regular contacts with members of the Montagnard community. My first interest was in the individuals I met in Daniel Woodham’s daytime ESOL class held at Montagnard Dega Association (MDA) in Greensboro, NC, and in my husband's evening class. This gave me a regular connection to this remarkable community. As a periodic volunteer, it was easy to share and make friends.

As my interest in the lives of my new friends grew, they responded by sharing accounts of their lives in Vietnam and traditional arts such as weaving. As a trained studio artist, painter and printmaker, I could appreciate their technical knowledge and visual abilities. Since I also had a strong background in crafts and world art, I began researching Southeast Asian textiles, loom technology, and ethnography. I began talking to Americans who had worked with refugees, to American artists, craftsmen, and curators — anyone in the area who might have covered the same ground before. My conversations with Montagnards deepened, especially talks with women. I sought exposure for the weavers, investigated the feasibility of commercial sales and a sustainable business model. Eventually I realized that an ESOL component would be necessary for the weaving to survive in America.

Later, I had the opportunity to learn formal documentation skills through the Community Folklife Documentation Institute (funded by the North Carolina Arts Council and the NC Folklife Institute) which included digital photo and film training.

Montagnard Dega Association banner, MDA office, Greensboro, NC by unknown Montagnard weaver.

Shoulder bag, part of Green Hill Center for NC Art’s Traveling Trunk
show used in school visits, created by unknown Montagnard weaver.

Kwol Ksa, a Montagnard Koho woman, brought in many artifacts and woven items during ESOL class. She was one of the women who helped me understand the complexities of her community and the challenges women faced in continuing to weave.

Woven textiles brought to class by Kwol Ksa

Loom and warping board brought by Thomas Eban and Ju Nie at our first meeting in the MDA parking lot.

One of many examples brought by Thomas Eban woven by his wife, Ju Nie

Example brought by Thomas Eban woven by his wife, Ju Nie

ESOL students were asked to don traditional clothing for documentation purposes. Some brought items from home; others modeled examples provided by Y Siu Hlong, executive director of Montagnard Dega Association.