16026 brief on field visits souvenirs

Brief on Field Visits to Thư ng Hóa, Trong Hóa and Dân Hóa Souvenir Development Phong Nha, 9th of June, 2012 Content Figures ¡Error! Marcador no definido.ii Background Objective of the Field Visits Methods 3.1 1st field visit 3.2 2nd field visit 3.3 3rd field visit Findings 4.1 1st field visit 4.1.1 Thư ng Hòa Commune’s People Committee building 4.1.2 Mò O Village: Border Police 4.1.3 Yên H p Village 10 4.1.4 Băn Ôn Village 13 4.1.5 Hát Village/ Phú Nhiêu 14 4.2 2nd field visit 17 4.2.1 Trong Hóa Registration Office 17 4.2.2 Trong Hóa Commune’s People Committee building 18 4.2.3 Khe Roong Village 19 4.2.4 Kaing Village 22 4.3 3rd field visit 26 4.3.1 Dân Hoá Registration Office 26 4.3.2 Dân Hóa Commune’s People Committee building 26 4.3.3 Y Leeng Village 28 4.3.4 Bai Dinh Village 30 4.3.5 K’Ai Village 31 Brief Summary and Next steps 33 Bibliography 33 i List of Figures Figure First impression of the Dân Hóa Commune: slash and burn Figure Map of the Field Visit Area I Figure Map of the Field Visit Area II Figure Map of the Field Visit Area III Figure Images taken in the village head household of Yên H p 11 Figure Images taken at the household of Ông Mành 12 Figure Images taken at the household of Mr Tran Quy n 13 Figure Images taken close to or at the household of the village head of Phú Nhiêu 14 Figure Images taken at the household of Mr Bong 17 Figure 10 Informal Meeting at the Trong Hóa Commune Building 19 Figure 11 Khe Roong Village, and H Nhâm, his wife and his grandson 20 Figure 12 Kaing Village, the village head Liên and his wife São 23 Figure 13 Food distribution in K Ai village 26 Figure 14 At the CPC building in Y Leeng 27 Figure 15 Bai Dinh Village 31 Figure 16 In K’Ai village 32 ii Background With regards to the GIZ’s main intervention areas in the tourism component of the ‘nature conservation and sustainable management of natural resources of the PNKB NP Region’ project, i.e the development of the bufferzone/ the integration of local livelihood activities into tourism and the sustainable development of tourism, handicraft/ souvenir development has been identified to hold a medium to high potential to facilitate and/ or strengthen income opportunities for bufferzone communities and thereby to provide alternative, legal ways for income generation Furthermore, as the STDP and surveys of visitors to the PNKB NP Region and of souvenir vendors (rf baseline) have pointed out, there is a great lack of locally produced souvenirs/ handicrafts and of diversity of souvenir offerings, which has potentially led to failures in local knowledge exploitation and in increasing visitor expenditures in the Region To date, many products are purchased out of the Provinces’ borders, or are even imported from outside the country While the GIZ is in the process of developing an action plan for intervention, the ADB (with ilumtics) as well as the Van Xuan Handicraft wholesaler have initiated similar initiatives in the bufferzone area Objective of the Field Visits This brief follows up on three field visit carried out to the Thư ng Hòa, Trong Hóa and and to the ðan Hoa Communes (in the Minh Hoa District) on the 25th of May (Figure 1) While the field visit was part of the FIPI’s consultancy trip to this zone in the scope of the Bufferzone Development Plan, the opportunity was specifically used (1) to gain a first overview and understanding of the area, (2) to establish first contacts to local people, and (3) to spot potential souvenir handicrafts/ products and producers for later intervention Three Communes were visited during the 25th of May, the 31st of May and the 6th of June: the (1) Thu ng Hịa, (2) the Trong Hóa and the (3) Dân Hóa Commune, all located in the Minh Hoa District in the north western borders of the National Park (1) The Thu ng Hóa Commune has a population of around 3.000 people, spread in 650 households/ 10 villages of which around 170 (25%) are considered to be ‘ethnic minority households’ (around 750 people) Many of these belong to the Ruc (Chut sub group) (2) The Trong Hóa Commune has a population of around 3.500 people, spread in 640 households/ 16 villages The Commune is considered to be 100% ‘ethnic’, i.e all villages comprise of ‘ethnic minority households’ only As pointed out in the STDP, the area particularly suffers from a limited availability of agricultural and forest land, from limited inter communal or inter villages infrastructural development and features a high poverty rate of almost 95% Most of these belong to the Khùa (a sub group of the Vân Kiéu) and to the Máy (sub group of the Chut) (3) The Dan Hóa Commune has a population of around 3.300 people, spread in 670 households/ 12 villages Like the Trong Hóa Commune, Dân Hóa is considered to be almost 100% ‘ethnic’, i.e almost all villages comprise of ‘ethnic minority households’ only According to the Communal authorities, ethnic minorities largely include Bru – Van Kieu (Khuà subgroup; ~50%) and Chút (May and Sach subgroups; ~35% and 10% respectively) Again, the area was pointed out in the STDP to partially lack sufficient infrastructure and inter linkages between villages Strikingly, slash and burn methods of land cultivation as well as clearances of timber stretches by state forest enterprises were most visible in this Commune Figure First impression of the Dân Hóa Commune: slash and burn Methods 3.1 1st field visit A number of villages were visited in the Thư ng Hóa Commune (rf Figure 1), namely Mó O or Ơ , Yên H p, Băn Ôn and the Hát Village (Phú Nhiêu) Figure Map of the Field Visit Area I While there was a formal meeting held with local authorities (like the local Commune Secretary) and representatives from, amongst other, the Women’s Association, the Farmer’s Association and the Youth Union, in the morning of the day in the Thư ng Hòa Commune’s People Committee building (+FIPI+GIZ: Thinh, Ngoc Anh, Anna), the afternoon was utilized to venture into the villages No specific (formal) survey was prepared in advance to the visit Yet, a consultancy report (ilumtics, 2012) and the earlier prepared ‘Lao Brief’ helped in delineating information most relevant to the project team, including the history of the owner, the use of the product, the production needs for the handicraft and the sales environment Example questions evolving during the household visits were: What is your age? What is the family’s/What is your background (including education)? How many members does your household have? What are the household’s main sources of income? What item(s) you produce? What raw materials you use for the item(s)? Where you get these raw material(s) from? How you process the raw materials? How long does it take you to collect the raw material? How long does it take you to process the raw material? How long does it take you to produce the handicraft? What are the estimated costs involved in the production of the product? What is the functionality of the product? What is the durability of the item? What is the history of the product (since when produced, by whom produced, usage)? Since when you produce the item(s)? Is it only you who is able to produce the product? Are there also young people involved in the production of the item(s)? Do you have any physical disabilities (e.g eye sight, back etc.) Do you already produce items for further sales? If yes, with whom you already work together with? Could you imagine producing higher and more frequent quantities for sale? Would you consider working with raw material that is brought to you from elsewhere? Would you be motivated to produce for sales? Images were taken throughout the visit from the handicrafts Slight limitations arose which could be improved upon during succeeding field visits: while producers were very willing and open minded to tell about themselves, it was noticed that a recording device could help in better catching emotions and stories Furthermore, slight translation errors might have arisen due to local/ ethnic accents in Vietnamese 3.2 2nd field visit Three villages were visited in the Trong Hóa Commune (rf Figure 2), namely the village in which the Commune building is (La Trong 1?), Khe Roong and Kaing Figure Map of the Field Visit Area II While it was initially planned to split the GIZ team (Chau, Ngoc Anh and Anna) and Vân (from the NP) up into two groups when being at the Commnue, this idea had to be abandoned on site due to rains and the lack of a second vehicle Upon arrival in the Commune, the team received kind advice from the registration officer as well as from the Commune authorities in the scope of brief, informal meetings Likewise to the 1st field visit, a list of sample questions helped to delineate the most relevant information from potential producers/ visited households Images were taken throughout the visit from the handicrafts Similar to the 1st field visit, limitations arose which could be improved upon during succeeding field visits: a recording device was, unfortunately not taken along either and slight translation errors might have arisen due to local/ ethnic accents in Vietnamese However, the leader of the Youth Union kindly accompanied us to indicate specific households for potential collaboration as well as for translation (from Khua accent to Vietnamese and vice versa) 3.3 3rd field visit Three villages were visited in the Trong Hóa Commune (rf Figure 2), namely the village in which the Commune building is (La Trong 1?), Khe Roong and Kaing Figure Map of the Field Visit Area III  Locals often need to witness benefits first hand before attempts to replicate are being made, and clear instructions are needed when producing (e.g quality, size, patterns etc.)  Moreover, if material can be provided, then it is perceived to be easier and faster for villagers to produce handicrafts  While the months from June – October were considered to be a busy time for villagers due to the harvest, there is spare time left in the remaining months Very often time can also be made during the months of the harvest, depending on the motivation of the single producer Mr Sai, the Chairman of the Youth Union, kindly accompanied us to two households in the afternoon Meeting the ‘Officials’ ☺ Figure 10 Informal Meeting at the Trong Hóa Commune Building 4.2.3 Khe Roong Village We were very lucky to meet H Nhâm and his wife Xuân Only by chance, we were introduced to their grandson H Sai, who currently is the Chairman of the Commune’s Youth Union and whom we met in the nearby village Enquiring of whether or not any households which still produce traditional handicrafts could be recommended to visit, H Sai was the one taking us by his hand and leading us to the Khe Roong Village where his grandparents live today (Figure 9) As is the case with the many households in the bufferzone of the National Park, we were warmly welcomed with bright and curious smiles While ascending the ladder into the house, we were already able to spot handicraft material ready to use and stored on a shelf attached to the ceiling We were overwhelmed by the abundance and diversity of handicrafts produced by both H Nhâm and Xuân Albeit their age (both around 80 19 years old) and their little agonies of ageing (both have increasingly difficulties with their eye sight and their hearing), they still seemed very actively and happily involved in producing handicrafts They currently live in a household of four, i.e the couple and two of their ‘many’ grandchildren H Nhâm and Xuân married 60 years ago and they have five children (two boys and three girls) of which three live nearby One of their sons left to make his living a little further away, while one of their daughters got married to someone living in the neighboring Thương Hoa Commune Whilst it was easy for H Nhâm to assert the number of children they have, it deemed more difficult to name the number of grandchildren First contemplating a little, he quickly concluded: ‘many’ (~13) The couple only moved to the Khe Roong village three years ago Formerly from the Do village, a small and secluded village on the western side of the Commune, the local population was resettled east, close along the HCM Highway Even though the accessibility of the village may have improved and even though the government takes care in sustaining the villager’s living, H Nhâm and his wife miss their ‘home’ and their daily life, where they used to live off from shifting cultivation A great advantage though now arises for their family, who is now able to see them on a more frequent basis Khe Roong Village Ho Nham, Xuan and Ho Ho Sai Figure 11 Khe Roong Village, and H Nhâm, his wife and his grandson 20 At a very young age H Nhâm was already able to produce and constantly improve on his handicraft making skills However, his family never produced for commercial sale but rather for personal use or for neighbors In the following, there are a number of images taken from the many products found in his household Note: Production times may not exactly reflect the time that has been worked on the product itself, but rather estimates of the days when the producer has been crafting on the product in his/her spare time Mâm cơm Production time: top part around three days, bottom part another three days, whole mâm cơm around 15 days including the collection of material Material used: bamboo and rattan Used for: meals, rice/dishes put in the middle Sales for around: 300.000 350.000 VND A Dăng (=chũng chũng) Production time: around four days, including the collection of material Material used: bamboo and rattan Used for: collecting fruits/ field work Sales for around: ? Mattress Production time: around one month Material used: wild pineapple leaves Used for: sleeping/ sitting Sales for around: from 250.000 VND Other: mainly produced by women, good quality product (lasting more than 20 years) 21 Tip Production time: around days Material used: bamboo Used for: keeping rice (for meal times) Sales for around: ? Ka Trang Production time: four days, including material collection Material used: bamboo and rattan Used for: used as the first basket to separate the rice Sales for around: ? Cá Thũng Production time: ? Material used: bamboo Used for: carrying rice from the field to the house Sales for around: 250.000VND Production time: four days, including material collection Material used: bamboo and rattan Used for: used after the Trang to further separate the rice Sales for around: ? Other: A chói: for hunting forest animals Nets: month to produce the net, only produced by women, for fishing 4.2.4 Kaing Village The first common thing one is obliged to when entering a village, is to visit and make friends with the village head Fortunately, the village head of the Kaing village, Mr H Liên, was mild tempered and invited us in his house Soon, it turned out that he is not only representing the local community, but also busily producing handicrafts himself H Liên who is around 60 years old and his wife São, who is around 50, are well acknowledged in the local community which is part of the Khuá ethnic group They raised eight children, four sons and four daughters, and now have 20 grand children Liên learnt about handicraft making from his father when he was small and since 22 practiced his skills as well as he has passed on his knowledge to his own sons All are able to produce the ‘A Dăng’ (=chũng chũng); all girls can weave mattresses and nets (for fishing) Besides producing handicrafts in his spare time, the family lives mainly off the cultivation of cash crops like maize or cassava on the slope as well as of growing fruit trees/ plants like mango or pineapple Kaing Village Lien Sao Figure 12 Kaing Village, the village head Liên and his wife São Kaing village was founded only in 2007 and, thus, likewise to the Khe Roong village, is a fairly newly established community While Liên’s parents lived in a neighboring village which once belonged to the same Commune as Kaing village, these Communes were divided into two areas in 2003: the Tr ng Hóa and the Dân Hóa Commune While the neighboring Commune was not very fond of having ‘communal border’ villages remaining from the Khuá ethnic group, the village was resettled in the Kiang village in the Tr ng Hóa Commune Albeit the many changes that have taken place in the life of these people, the group is holding tight to its cultural traditions Besides the high quality and the diversity of handicrafts produced in almost every household, there is still some specific marriage customs existing A number of rice baskets and a chicken, for 23 instance, need to be handed over by the broom to the bride’s family upon the day of the marriage Subsequently, broom and bride will need to spend three nights in the front room at the home of the bride’s family house… And there is many more traditions which need to be explored while here However, the number of rice baskets at a household will always give you a good overview over the number of married daughters a household has Commonly, if there is any produce readily available which has not been locally sold or given away, it is sold at the market which always takes place on the 3rd, 13rd and 23rd, and the 8th, 18th and 28th of the lunar calendar It was generally also interesting to note that, due to limited availability, plastic is increasingly replacing rattan Once again, a number of images were taken from the many products found in the household visited: Mâm cơm Production time: around 10 days Material used: bamboo and rattan Used for: meals, rice/dishes put in the middle, bottom part good for keeping greedy cats Sales for around: 400.000VND Other: lasts between 10 15 years, color is bought Colorful A Dăng (=chũng chũng) Production time: spare time of days Material used: bamboo and plastic Used for: meals, rice/dishes put in the middle, bottom part good for keeping greedy cats Sales for around: 60.000 VND Other: prepared by Liên’s son who is 37 years old, color is bought 24 Ka Production time: one whole day Material used: bamboo Used for: used for the field, for carrying crops like cassava Sales for around: 200.000 VND Other: only woven by men Tip Production time: ? Material used: bamboo Used for: keeping rice (for meal times) Sales for around: ? Other products: Wooden toy car Made out of wild pineapple leaves: Small size: 100.000 VND Medium size: 150.000 VND Mattresses 25 4.3 3rd field visit 4.3.1 Dân Hoá Registration Office During the initial registration procedures with the border police, the officer provided some general information on the livelihood activities of the people living in the Commune:
villagers mainly grow maize, rice, cassava, however, there is still a lack of expertise in rice cultivation
he pointed out the activity of the state forest enterprise
emphasized the governmental food support for the ethnic minorities in the villages (rf Figure 13); villagers are supplied with rice, milk and soap
highlighted the importance to create visible benefits and continuous support as well as the difficulties in triggering attitudinal changes with villagers Figure 13 Food distribution in K Ai village 4.3.2 Dân Hóa Commune’s People Committee building As was the case with the two preceding field visits, the team, again, went to the CPC’s building for introduction of the objectives of the field visit and for the attendance to potential households The team was warmly welcomed by Mr ðinh Phuy Luân, the Head of the Dân Hóa Commune (CPMU), by Mr ðinh Duy Ngân, who is working within the Social & Cultural Division board, by Mr Khá from the CPMU and by the Chairman of the PCP (Figure 14) 26 Figure 14 At the CPC building in Y Leeng The following information was shared:
as pointed out earlier, the ethnic minorities present in the area are mainly of Bru – Van Kieu (Khuà subgroup; ~50%) and Chút (May and Sach subgroups; ~35% and 10% respectively) origin May reside largely in the villages of Ka Ai, K’Vang and Bu Rút (?); Sach live, amongst other, in the Bai Dinh village; Khuá are, amongst other, in the Y Leeng village
emphasized the historical background of the Commune
pointed out the existence of waterfalls in the Ka May (?) village
also supported the idea of CbT development and would be glad to provide help, if permissions are obtained
produced is largely only for self consumption or for the exchange of goods
perceive high potential with the introduction of handicraft production to younger generations; hold a strong believe in the capability of the locals; support the idea to establish producer groups; if training is provided they believe that villagers can easily adopt and learn fast since they have the knowledge base; recognize the added value to raw material, if training is received
highlighted the possibility of close collaboration for long term developments
so far, the Commune has not received any kind of enquiry for the development of handicrafts
little is being sold at the local market (rf 2nd field visit for dates of the local market), but there is little exchange with locally produced handicrafts taking place
it is largely elderly people producing handicrafts
a few selected villagers from the Commune went to a study tour and learnt how to make smaller, vase like handicrafts in the past
a few villagers have the capability to engrave initials into the weavings 27 4.3.3 Y Leeng Village The CPC’s building can be found in the Y Leeng village (populated by the I Rem, a subgroup of the Chút) which is located along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, going to Cha Lo, which marks the border to Lao The village did not seem to be much different from other places along the road at first sight, however, when we walked to our first household visit, this place unclosed its own charm: the houses are built on stilts, there were many little trails connecting the household premises and people were curiously watching the foreigners walking by Getting to know Phô Phin, we felt very lucky: 67 years of age, he still produces a great variety of handicrafts, amongst these: Róc róc Production time: ~ per day Material used: bamboo (lat: small bamboo) Used for: catching smaller fish Sales for around: 7.000 VND per unit A Ru (=Ruông) Production time: ? Material used: bamboo (lat: small bamboo) Used for: catching bigger fish (Giang) Sales for around: 70.000 VND 28 Ka nhăng (A Dăng) Production time: ~ days Material used: bamboo (lat: small bamboo) Used for: fruit collection Sales for around: small: 60.000 VND, big: 70.000 VND Other: only worn by women, name can be individually engraved Ka Pa Production time: one morning session material collection, one afternoon for weaving Material used: rattan Used for: carrying knifes, used in the forest Sales for around: 40.000 VND Other: rattan very rare, only used by men Lăn Production time: ? Material used: Bamboo (lat) Used for: fishing Sales for around: ? Măm Cơm Production time: days Material used: bamboo and rattan Used for: eating Sales for around: small: 400.000 VND, large: 500.000 VND Other: bottom part requires good technique 29 All his life long, Phiu has been living in Y Leeng With the age of 16, he learned to weave as an autodidact, observing and imitating other villagers He has three children, two at the age of 48 and 50 and a straggler at the age of 31, and seven grand children The household is comprised of five people: Phiu and his wife as well as one of their nephews and two nieces While weaving is more of a passion for Phiu and while handicrafts are used to exchange goods among villagers, the household makes its living from raising chicken, pigs and cattle, and by cultivating jackfruit, bananas, maize and cassava Pho Phiu Y Leeng 4.3.4 Bai Dinh Village Subsequently, the team visited the Bai Dinh village (mainly Sach), which is another 10 15 minutes car ride towards Cha Lo, where we were warmly welcomed by Mr Dinh 30 Chu and his wife Whilst we were presented with a variety of handicrafts (Figure 15), Chu’s household is a sad example for the extinction of knowledge and expertise on handicraft making Due to problems with his eye sight and a ceasing physical flexibility, Chu was forced to stop weaving around 10 years ago (Note: The products shown to us have been made more than 15 years ago) Although they have nine children, no one of them ever cared for learning weaving Dinh Chu and his wife in front of their house Figure 15 Bai Dinh Village 4.3.5 K’Ai Village In K’Ai village, the team met its, so far, youngest handicraft producer: H ð c, a 32 year old family father of three children, aged three, nine and ten Though the produce of ð c was not necessarily different from what the team had seen to date, his skills for detail were particularly striking He learnt to engrave smaller patterns at the age of 15 from his brother in law in the T Rà village where he was also brought up (rf Figure 16 for the delicate pattern in the rice basket) 31 Doc Doc’s Doc’s home Figure 16 In K’Ai village 32 Brief Summary and Next steps Observations, Opportunities and Threats: Villagers mostly produce only for own consumption or for the exchange of goods among villagers Busier months during the harvest time (though there would still be spare time), but a lot of potential for weaving activities in the remaining months Partially problems with accessibility in the rainy season (e.g if river crossings, gravel/back roads) Search for material, especially for rattan, increasingly becoming difficult and, thus, sometimes being replaced by plastic Age of the producers: mostly elderly men Willingness and open mindedness of villagers as well as of authorities for CbT and handicraft development (to keep in mind:) o Summary of the households and potential collaboration (matrix)? o Keep ideas in mind: cultivation of rattan in the future? Create greening areas? Produce in the rainy season? o Something symbolic for a brand name, e.g ‘comes from the heart/made by heart’: Luom (heart), create an example o Start preparations for market assessment, partially with the products bought during the field visits o Action plan development (provide at least options: one short term and one long term) o Collaboration with ilumtics and Van Xuan Handicraft o Potentials for community based tourism development Bibliography Ilumtics (2012) Sustainable tourism development in the sub Mekong region 2009 2013 Consultancy report, compiled by Trang Hi u Tư ng, Lê Qu c Hoàn, for the Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism STDP (2010) Sustainable tourism development plan 2012 2020 in the PNKB NP Region Prepared by Tourism Resource Consultants, in collaboration with the KfW, the GIZ and the PPC of the Quangh Binh Province 33 ... preparations for market assessment, partially with the products bought during the field visits o Action plan development (provide at least options: one short term and one long term) o Collaboration... we considered this village to hold great potentials for collaboration in the development of long term options of souvenir/ handicraft production 4.2 2nd field visit 4.2.1 Trong Hóa Registration... the 2nd field visits, limitations arose which could be improved upon during succeeding field visits: a recording device was, unfortunately not taken along either and slight translation errors