
Traditional motifs of the Ede ethnic group
Opportunity for Women promotes the textile know-how of ethnic minorities in Southeast Asia. The association helps weavers design their own catalog of traditional patterns, with the aim of creating new collections with contemporary colors. By developing and diversifying their activity, the craftswomen gain financial independence. Each week, we offer you on our blog an immersion in the textile culture of an ethnic minority. It's an opportunity to increase your knowledge while (re)discovering the history of your favorite cushion!
Ethnic group
The Ede are a ethnic minority from Vietnam m. They have a different culture from the Vietnamese and therefore have difficulty integrating while preserving their cultural diversity.
Children learn to speak their Ede dialect before learning Vietnamese! For example, “kkoih” means hello and “lak jac lu” means thank you.
The Ede community members live in matrilineal families, that is, ruled by women. Also, when men marry, they go to live with their wife's family.
Among the Ede, it is the women who weave from mothers to daughters.
Crafts are omnipresent in their daily lives: pottery, basketwork, weaving... In addition, music plays an important role in their culture: tales and legends are transmitted orally in songs, accompanied by the sound of hand-made gongs, drums and flutes.
The Ede were traditionally animists: they worshiped the spirits of fire, water, rice or soil. Thus, they have remained close to nature, even if some of them no longer have a forest nearby because of deforestation.
Bamboo musical instrument typical of Ede craftsmanship.
Origin The Ede weavers weave in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, in Buon A Le A (near Buon Ma Thuot). The traditional dwelling of the Ede is the house on stilts. Several houses / families are grouped together to form a “buon” (village in the Ede language).
History
These few traditional patterns have been hand-woven by Ede women for generations! Each pattern conveys a part of the culture of this root people. A rich heritage that continues to live on thanks to Opportunity for Women, which orders fabrics from weavers to design collections of decorative products. Historically white, black and red, Ede weavings are modernized here in contemporary colors.
New for 2022: Opportunity for Women laptop bags with Ede patterns
Meaning
What do these geometric patterns remind you of? Here's a hint: Ede weavers often draw inspiration from their surroundings, especially from elements of nature. Try to guess their meaning and then use the legends to help you unravel the mystery!
Can you guess the hidden meaning of these Ede patterns?
You may have noticed: two of these patterns have no translation into French... In fact, they bear the names of the Ede weavers who wove them! But what does “ Ami ” mean? When an Ede woman has children, she is called “mother of the eldest child” (Ami) or “grandmother of” (Aduon).
We hope that this article has allowed you to (re)discover Ede weaving and culture. From now on, you will see your cushion Hruh Hnue with a new eye!
Join us next week to meet a new ethnic minority in Southeast Asia and their traditional know-how.