
Celebrating Indigenous Peoples

Photo © Le Anh Tuan
This Tuesday, August 9, is the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, an opportunity to recall their essential role in the preservation of biodiversity and cultural diversity in the world.

Celebrating Indigenous Peoples
Often on the fringes of society because of their difference, they nonetheless have a harmonious relationship with the environment and rich craft traditions, which they pass down from generation to generation. The root peoples, so named to evoke their proximity to the Earth, definitely have many things to teach us: reconnecting with nature, relearning how to use our hands... Why not follow their example? In this article, we highlight the women of the Lao and Cil ethnic groups of Vietnam.
Giot , a weaver from the Lao ethnic group, carries a hand-made bamboo basket.
Group of Cil in front of a house and a typical landscape of the village of Dung Kno, in Vietnam.
Let's take care of the Earth
Indigenous peoples, although they represent only 5% of the population, alone preserve 80% of the Earth's biodiversity, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations . Indeed, these peoples have inherited environmentally friendly cultures. In their animist religion, a cult is dedicated to divinities such as the sun and the river. They show us the way to reconciliation with the Earth.

The root peoples live from day to day, in harmony with the fauna and flora that surround them. They know which plants to use to vary their diet and to heal themselves. They use pesticides less because they know the benefits of insects on the balance of ecosystems and the food chain. Their agricultural practices know how to adapt to climatic variations; they are economical in natural resources and allow them to live self-sufficiently. Their houses and tools are made from natural materials, such as bamboo.

The women of the Lao ethnic group cultivate their land and take care of the local plant species that they need for their food as well as for their crafts. In particular, they grow yam , a plant rich in nutrients that can be used both for cooking and for dyeing textiles. The craftswomen dye and then weave in small quantities and at the rhythm of the harvests, in order to save as much as possible the plants available on their land. They do not take more plants than they need on a daily basis. The Cil, too, live thanks to the resources of the forest. They grow rice and coffee, fish, harvest honey, vegetables, drinking water, as well as medicinal plants.
Let's protect know-how
Women play a major role in many indigenous communities. They are the guarantors of the transmission of language, culture, customs and ancestral traditions. Women are respected as much as men; both share agricultural work and each has their place within the couple.
THE weaving is an activity specifically carried out by women. Lao and Cil weavers pass on their know-how from mothers to daughters; they hand-weave cotton fabrics, decorated with traditional patterns that convey their history.
Traditional hand-woven Lao ethnic patterns .
It is called "Dokmai", which means "flower" in Lao.
Despite this, these women from ethnic minorities are often victims of discrimination and violence, they are also excluded from political life, because of their ethnicity, their gender and their poverty. In addition, their artisanal know-how is in competition with low-cost textile products resulting from globalization. This is the reason why NGOs and associations provide them with social and economic support.

In this way, we support ethnic minorities in Southeast Asia by implementing weaving cooperatives and outreach activities. development . The aim is to improve access to education, health and employment for these women from disadvantaged backgrounds, and to guide them so that they can become more independent. As a result, the Dien Bien Phu cooperative, where weavers from the Lao ethnic group work, was created through a partnership with a local branch of Entrepreneurs du Monde.
In Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam, women of the Lao ethnic group own
ancestral craftsmanship: THE weaving and the vegetable dye .
Let's save cultural diversity
The so-called indigenous peoples actually represent a considerable number of ethnic groups, each with their own dialect and particular culture, although similarities can be found from one to another. In Vietnam, for example, the K'Ho, the Ma and the Lach are close to the Cil - the ethnic group of the weavers with whom we work, etc. A person of the Cils ethnic group understands only 70% of a K'Ho!
Moreover, these people have different ways of life and thinking from the Western trend. Neither materialistic nor envious, they are satisfied with what they have. There is among them a real sense of community, sharing and mutual aid. If someone is sick, it is the whole community that contributes to help them.

K'Gut weaves on his backstrap loom.
She would like to teach her daughter weaving one day; she hopes she will enjoy it!
Unfortunately, the root peoples are in danger. Some governments do not recognize the rights of these populations or the wealth they bring to society; they would like to see their country unified. Their culture and way of life are threatened by globalization, overproduction, deforestation, rural exodus, inter-ethnic conflicts, natural disasters… In addition, new generations sometimes abandon the ancestral traditions of the villages for modern city life.
Giving these people and their cause greater visibility in the media and on social networks can help them get the support they deserve and solve some of their problems through international aid. You too can help them on your scale, by consuming products from cooperatives or by making a donation to a NGO who supports them.
Did you like this article? Discover the Lao and Cil cushion collections without further delay!
We'll see you next week to continue this journey in Vietnam with the Cil people.