Faces, voices, and lives- Experiences of a director in building a museum for communities

For more than a decade (1995-2006), the V M E has undertaken many journeys: journeys to bring relevant ethnographic objects to the museum; journeys toward the op[r]

FACES, VOICES, AND LIVES Experiences of a Director

in Building

a Museum for Communities

FACES, VOICES, AND LIVES Experiences of a Director

F a c e s , V o i c e s a n d L i v e s - E x p e r i e n c e s O f A D i r e c t o r I n B u i l d i n g 5

Contents

Preface 7 Part I Building a Museum for Communities

Nguyen Van H u y 11

Chapter 1 Introduction to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

and its Permanent Exh ib ition 13

Chapter 2 How can an Ethnographic Museum Contribute to the

Preservation and Development of Ethnic Cultures? 34

Chapter 3 Tourism, Cultural Heritage and the Current Challenge

of Traditional Handicraft Development: Craft Link and the Vietnam Museum of E t h n o l o g y 41 Chapter 4 Globalisation and the Museum: Preservation and

Promotion of Intangible Heritage .47 Chapter 5 How to Perpetuate Cultural Heritage Among Peoples 58 Chapter 6 Renewing Museum Activities at the Dawn

of the 21st C e n t u r y 68

Chapter 7 How to Contribute to the Promotion

of Dialogues Among Civilizations .75 Chapter 8 T h e Museum and Communities:

Chapter 9 Preservation of Living Heritage Through Handicrafts 93 Chapter 10 Promoting Collaboration and Exchange Among

Chapter 11 Museums and Intangible Natural Heritage 111 Chapter 12 Using Anthropological Approaches in the Vietnam

Part II T h e Museum in its International Context: Some

Reflections from Overseas Friends and Colleagues 165

Christine Hemmet:

T h e V M E Must Continue its Endeavors andRemain Imaginative 166

Christine Mullen Kreamer:

Promoting Self-Representation: Adopting a "Voices" Approach at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology 169

T h e Vietnam Museum of Ethnology’s Exhibition on

“ Hanoi Life under the Subsidy (Bao Cap)Econom y 1975-1986” 180

Margaret Barnhill Bodemer:

Some thoughts on Museum Anthropology

Shaping a Southeast Asian C o m m u n i t y 199

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Preface

I still remember the year 1983 when I was promoted to Deputy Director of the Institute of Ethnology Immediately after my promotion, the Director of the Institute, Prof Be Viet Dang, assigned

me the responsibility to establish and construct the Vie tnam Museum

of Ethnology (VME), a newly conceived project still in its inception With that assignment, my professional life took a new direction, one that allowed me to combine a field new to me, museology, with my training and fifteen years of practice in ethnology

As the founding director of the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and leader of the museum for eleven years, my museum colleagues and

I, along with our international colleagues, have worked step-by-step to make t h e ; V M E the leading museum in Vietnam It is a dynamic museum that constantly infuses new ideas into its activities in order

to gain the trust of the community and society

For more than a decade (1995-2006), the V M E has undertaken many journeys: journeys to bring relevant ethnographic objects to the museum; journeys toward the opening of the museum’s permanent exhibition in its brand-new structure, itself shaped like a traditional bronze drum; journeys to prepare temporary exhibitions; journeys to seek out and erect houses of different ethnic groups in the museum’s outdoor exhibition; journeys to learn about and present craft demonstrations and performances; journeys to implement educational programs for children; and journeys to introduce multimedia components into museum activities E ach journey, creative and educational, has provided steady opportunities for us to learn about the adaptations to conditions that people in our country have made

Although all of the above journeys took place at different times

and involved the different, specialized skills of each staff member, it can still be said that they all aimed at the same target: to link the museum and communities; to make the museum more accessible to the public and relevant to contemporary life; to celebrate the ordinary people of the different ethnic groups and the different social groups who hand down the traditions of their ancestors to current and future generations This is the fundamental orientation of the museum’s activities which I have had the privilege to present as papers in various international conferences dedicated to cooperative learning Here I have compiled these papers together to provide our friends and colleagues, especially colleagues from museums in Southeast Asia, with

a better understanding of the activities of the VME Through these papers, one can follow the new road that the V M E has taken in fostering and presenting the cultures of ethnic peoples living in Southeast Asia

Part one of the book includes twelve papers which were presented

in international conferences and workshops at different times and places, and as such, it has been impossible to avoid some overlap in information However, to respect the original contexts of these papers,

I have largely maintained the original content and I ask you, the reader, for patience

T h e second part consists of twelve essays written by oveseas colleagues who have contributed and collaborated with us in the in the process of establishing and sustaining the development of VME

In these essays, they share their experiences and perspectives I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to colleagues and friends from various countries around the world, who have been both our friends and teachers during these journeys that we have made These heartfelt thanks go to Kaj Arhem, Susan Bayly, Claire Burkert, Wendy Erd, Michael DiGregorio, Veronique Dollfus, Amareswar Galla, Christine Hemmet, Michael Howard, Hue Tam Ho- Tai, Wilhelmina H Kal, Charles F Keyes, Laurel Kendall, Christine Mullen Kreamer, Kaneko Kazushighe, Yamaguti Osamu, Frank Proschan, Oscar Salemink, Rosalia Sciortino, Katsumi Tamura, Nhung

T Tran, Trinh Bach, and to so many others that it is not possible to name them all

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I also would like to thank my colleagues at the V M E who have worked closely with me in order to create a brand name tor the VME, establishing it as a highly-ranked institution that continues to earn both national and international acclaim

T h e book that you hold in your hands has been made possible thanks to immense efforts in translating from Vietnamese to English

by Nguyen Thi Thu Huo'ng, Bui T h u Hoa and La T h an h Thuy, to whom I would like to extend my utmost gratitude I also especially thank Margaret Barnhill Bodemer, a PhD student at the University of Hawaii (USA) whom I came to know when she interned at the V M E for one year, and who has spent a lot of time and effort in reading and editing this version

Director, Dr Lifu Hung, Deputy Director, and Prof Dr Nguyen Duy Thieu, Deputy Director, for their support in making the publication of this book as timely as possible

N G U Y E N V A N H U Y

BUILDING A MUSEUM FOR COMMUNITIES

Nguyen Van Huy

T h e Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is both a research centre and

a public museum exhibiting the ethnic groups of Vietnam The

documentation, conservation, exhibition and preserving the cultural and historic patrimony of the nation’s different ethnic groups The museum also serves to guide research, conservation, and technology that are specific to the work of an ethnographic museum The Museum is currently implementing a project which will present the cultures and civilizations of other countries in Southeast Asia

in 1987, 2,500m2 and in 1988, 9,500m2 Then, in 1990, the Prime Minister decided to allocate the entire 3,27 acres of land to the Museum

* C o -a u th o r w ith Dr Lifu H u n g , previously p u blish ed in T h e N a tio n a l M u seu m s in

V ie tn a m (2001), H a n o i R ev ise d in 2008.

During construction (from 1987 to 1995), the Project Managing Board and the Museum Department were a part of the Institute of Ethnology On October 24,1995, the Prime Minister made the decision

to establish the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology directly under the National Centre for Social Sciences and Humanities O n Novem ber 12,

1997, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology inaugurated its permanent exhibition and officially opened to the public

Facilities

T h e Museum is located in a large open area on Nguyen Van Huyen Street in Cau Giay District, about 8 km from the city centre This area used to be paddy fields of the local people During the construction of the Museum, all of the infrastructure was built, including the 700m road from Hoang Quoc Viet Street to the entrance of the Museum (In recent years, the area has rapidly developed and the road now reaches the Daewoo Hotel which is situated between Cau Giay and Lieu Giai Streets

T h e Vietnamese Government first invested in the Museum in 1986 and construction of the foundation began in late 1989 According to the proposal, the total budget for construction was 27 billion of Vietnamese dong (US$ 1.9 million), not including 4 billion dong (US$ 285,000) for collecting and exhibiting the artefacts

.*>•

T h e exhibition building of the Museum was designed by the architect Ha Due Linh, a Tay minority, who works for the Living

Construction T h e interior architecture was designed by Mrs Veronique Dollfus, a French architect

T h e Museum is divided into two parts: an indoor and an outdoor exhibition T h e indoor part is composed of the exhibition building which has space for both permanent and temporary exhibits, an office and research centre which includes library, storage, technical lab, and

an auditorium T h e offices cover 2,480m2, including 750 nr for storage

of artefacts T h e outdoor exhibition, which was completed in 2005, consists of 10 ethnic houses and highlights the different types of

Museum Collections and Displays

T h e Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is a valuable centre for the exhibition and the preservation of both the tangible and intangible cultural heritages of the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam T o date, the Museum has collected 20,000 artefacts, 2,190 slides, 90,000 photographs,

400 audiotapes, 1,000 videotapes (2005) It is also a centre for ethnographic research employing many experts on different ethnic groups People come to the Museum just not to visit or be entertained, but also to learn about the many ethnic groups, their cultural diversity and the uniqueness of each group and region, as well as to understand traditional values throughout Vietnam For this reason, national and international visitors, children and students, professionals and non- professionals are attracted to the Museum

T h e artefacts of the Museum are not only priceless antiquities, but many are everyday objects, such as knives, baskets, garments, flutes, pipes and mats These objects reflect tangible and intangible cultural heritages of-the communities, representing lives and creative activities

of people Thus, artefacts of the Museum are so varied that they are organised into different collections T h e Museum has 54 collections: one for each ethnic group Classified according to function, there are collections of clothing, jewelry, agricultural tools, fishing instruments, weapons, household utensils and musical instruments In addition, there are collections of artefacts related to the various religions, beliefs, wedding ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and other social and spiritual activities Based on the specific collections, the Museum organises exhibitions and publishes books and catalogues in different formats in order to meet the needs of various audiences from different backgrounds

The round exhibition building was inspired by the ancient, famous Vietnamese Dong Son bronze drums, contains the permanent collection, with two floors A granite bridge leads from the main gate to the entrance of the exhibition, creating a feeling of going up to a house-on- stilts which is very popular in many areas of Vietnam On entering the Museum, the granite floor is decorated with dark tiles arranged in the shape of an S This decoration symbolises the shape of the Vietnamese coastline, the earth is in dark colour and the ocean is light grey.

The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology has been designed to reflect the country’s technical and scientific progress as well as the Museum’s objectives First of all, the Museum was created for everybody This is reflected in both the architecture and the display techniques The Museum has ramps for physically challenged people and an elevator allows access to the second floor All steps have handrails that are very comfortable for older people Learning from the experiences of many museums in the world, the museum texts are not in capital letters but small letters so that it is easy for people of different ages to read them Panels are presented at reasonable heights, for both adults and children

In addition to objects, there are photographs, texts, videos and many reference materials, all of which can be brought into full play to inform visitors with different levels of education and different needs

The objects are displayed as centrepieces because they reflect the everyday lives of the people T h e Museum’s consistent point of view is that the displays should be simple, so that visitors can admire the beauty and finesse of each ordinary and simple item Although there are no illustrative paintings in the Museum, photographs and videos are used to illustrate people’s lives

A limited number of 700 objects and 280 photographs are displayed

in the Museum’s permanent exhibits, which helps visitors avoid being distracted by an over-representation of artefacts

The different collections are displayed according to language groups and territories Most of the objects presented in the 97 showcases are original The showcases have either one-sided windows or four-sided windows, depending on the artefacts presented For example, some cases present many artefacts; others have only one significant object Among

the showcases in the display, 50 cases are accompanied by texts Each object has a label denoting its name, the ethnic group and the place where it was created There are also mannequins, maps, graphs, hardcover books, photographs, videotapes, cassette tapes, models, and 33 section panels Though the Museum is not large, dioramas highlight certain customs or cultural features of ethnic groups.

Adding to the many layers of information available to visitors, the museum provides hundreds of panels composed of explanations, illustrative photographs and maps Unfortunately, because of limited space, the texts are condensed Not only do the texts and the object labels serve a national audience, they are also translated into English and French in order to facilitate international visitors Thus, visitors experiencing the museum, even without a tour guide, are able to understand the main messages of the displays

New technical solutions have been used throughout the Museum, such

as focused lights T h e light radiates inside and outside the glass windows focusing on the most significant aspect of each object in order to set off its beauty and draw visitors’ attention In addition, a ventilation system has been installed within each display area to protect the objects from mould and decay

The outdoor exhibition area is only large enough for the most popular architectural styles to be represented Among the houses presented are the Ede long house, the Tay stilt house, the Yao half-stilts, half-earth house, the Hmong house with a roof made of pomu wood, the Viet house with tile roof, and the Giarai tomb In recent years we have added the Bahnar communal house, the Cham traditional house and the Hanhi house with walls made of beaten earth Between the houses, there are trees indigenous to the area of each house, zigzagging paths and a meandering stream crossed by small bridges We have also included a garden with traditional medicinal plants and trees The outdoor museum has been realised step by step since the museum first opened

The Permanent Exhibition

T h e permanent exhibition occupies the majority of the exhibition

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space However, there is a separate area for the temporary exhibits

T h e permanent collection is divided into 9 main sections, each of which includes objects displayed in glass cases and dioramas T h e exhibit texts and design are based on the Museum’s ongoing ethnological research

Section I: General introduction (first floor)

Visitors first meet with a panel titled: “ Vietnam, Historical and Cultural Periods” Historical periods of the country are presented as well as information about the integration of ethnic groups, cultures and civilizations of Vietnam

A large color map shows the distribution of ethnic groups according

to language groups At the same time, three major sub-regions (North, Centre, South) indicate the ethnic groups’ affinity for settlement in particular elevations

Five display panels show portraits of individuals within each of the

54 ethic groups classified according to five ethnic language families: Austro-Asiatic, Austronesian, Hmong-Yao, Thai-Kadai and Sino- Tibetan At the same time, visitors can hear an audiotape of an individual from each ethnic group

Section II: The Viet (Kinh) (first floor)

Beside the main entrance to the Viet display room are panels indicating the main introduction about the Viet, accompanied by photographs and maps

The Viet (Kinh)

The Viet, or Kinh, people make up 87% of the national population They live throughout the country, but are concentrated primarily in the deltas, midlands, and coastal regions The most ancient form o f political organization o f the Viet-Muong dates to the beginning o f the first millennium B.C.

The village is the basic residential unit and the place of economic and

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cultural life Every village has its own communal house (dinh) honoring the village’s tutelary spirit (thanh hoang), as well as a Buddhist pagodas and other temples worshipping legendary heroes of history and culture.

Urbanization occurred early and developed over time, with towns becoming economic, political, and cultural centers The Viet people selected and adapted Chinese, Indian, and Western cultural influences, at the same time preserving and developing their own language and distinctive cultural identity The classical Chinese (Han) and demotic (Nom) writing systems and the modern quoc ngu alphabet have played an important role in the history of the nation’s cultural development.

T h e re is a large, bright and impressive display recreating the

in T h u Sy village, have been recreated in the museum and reflect not only the skillfulness and industriousness of trade people, but also the long-standing social and economic relationships among the Northern Delta villages in the production and consumption of products The screen next to the noil diorama shows scenes of non making, non

Som e of the features of the Viet traditional culture are displayed in

11 glass cases under topics such as: water puppetry, musical instruments, Mother worship, popular children’s toys and worship of classical drama.Typical handmade products and their manufacturing processes, including bronze casting, woodcarving and Dong Ho wood block printing are displayed in glass cases

Ancestor worship, typical of the Viet culture is expressed through a display depicting an ancestral altar of a peasant family

Section III: The Muong, Tho, Chut ethnic groups (first

floor)

O n the left wall leading to this section, there are 3 panels of general introduction to each group illustrated with maps and photographs

The Muong

With a population o f over 900,000, the Muong reside mainly in Hoa Binh (where the ancestral centers o f Bi, Vang, Thanh, and Dong are located), with other communities living in Thanh Hoa, Phu Tho and Son La.

The Muong people intensively cultivate wet rice in the valleys between hills and high mountains They also raise cattle and poultry, hunt, fish, gather foods from the forests, and practice handicrafts.

Villages are located in the foothills, alongside a stream or river The nha lang system o f hereditary lords was the dominant social structure in the past Each governing family (Dinh, Quach, Bach, Hoang, Ha, and others) had its own customary institutions to administer the Muong villages

in their territory.

The Muong have a rich folk literature with famous stories such as^Te tat te dac (Birth o f Land and Water), as well as rhyming songs such as xec bua and hat vi Other well-known folk traditions are the cotton- planting dance and the wrestling dance.

The Tho ethnic group includes the Keo, Mon, C uoi, Ho, Danlai-Lyha, and Toy Poong local groups, totaling some 51,000 people (1989 census) They live in western Nghe An (districts o f Nghia Dan, T an Ky, Con Cuong, and Tuong Duong) and in Thanh Hoa.

In the past the Tho only cultivated swidden fields, but they are now growing wet rice Hemp fiber is used extensively for plaiting durable textiles and a variety o f nets that are used in hunting.

The Tho live in stilt houses, or in houses built on the ground They barter their agricultural products, especially hemp, for cloth or clothing Tho men wear the same clothing as Viet men of the countryside Tho women dress differently from group to group, influenced by neighbors o f other ethnic groups.

Household implements are simple Every family has a hammock o f hemp rope, and a wooden rice mortar shaped like a boat.

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The Chut

The Chut community consists of five groups: Sach, May, Rue, A rem, and Ma Lieng, totaling some 3,000 people They live scattered in the narrow valleys o f the Truong Son mountain range, in the districts of

Minh Hoa, Tuyen Hoa, and Bo Trach o f Quang Binh, with a few in Huong Khe district of H a Tinh.

Their ancestors were farmers, but they now live in small dispersed groups, each with a different socio-economic life and level o f development The Sach group lives in the lowlands, cultivating both irrigated and rainfed paddies, as well as highland swiddens They raise cattle and poultry, and live in permanent houses in small clusters.

The other groups live in the highlands, subsisting on hunting and gathering forest products, especially monkey meat and the nhuc plant, a kind of palm whose root they grind into flour They live scattered in temporary shelters; even recently there were some Rue families who lived

in caves or under rock outcroppings.

On the right wall, beautiful objects are displayed in 4 small cases, giving visitors a general idea of the section

T h e main topic of the 6 showcases in this place are: the hunting

and the hunting, weaving, everyday activities around the hearth and the musical instruments of the Muong

In addition, a Muong funeral ceremony has been re-created Through this diorama, visitors can understand the perceptions of life and death by the Muong as well as their traditional worldview A video showing a real funeral ceremony accompanies the diorama

Section IV: The Tay^Thai and Kadai ethnic groups (second

floor)

Five panels introduce general information about these groups T h e panels include a general introduction to the T ay -T h ai and Kadai language groups, the architecture of the Tay and Nung people, the

Thai dwelling houses, and the natural environments in which these groups typically reside.

Peoples of the Tay-Thai language family

The Tay-Thai speaking peoples include eight groups totaling more than 3.1 million people (1989 census) The Tay, Nung, Sanchay, Giay, and Bo

Y live in the Northeast The Thai, Lao, and Lu are concentrated from the northwest to western Thanh Hoa and Nghe An.

The ancestors of the Tay, Thai, Lao, and Lu were present in Vietnam more than 2,000 years ago Other communities migrated to Vietnam quite recently.

The, Tay-Thai peoples intensively cultivate wet rice with highly developed agricultural technology, utilizing ploughs and irrigation systems Textiles, including brocade, are highly developed.

Since ancient times, the social organization was led by a hereditary lord They worship ancestors and have been influenced by Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, to varying degrees In many areas the Tay or Thai language serves as the common language for communication among various groups, and their culture influences that o f their neighbors.

The Kadai

The Kadai language group includes four ethnicities, the Lachi, Laha, Cdao, and Pupeo, living in remote highlands near the northern border Their languages constitute a crucial link demonstrating the ancient historical relations between the Austroasiatic and the Austronesian peoples The Kadai practice shifting agriculture, making swidden fields by cutting and burning hillsides and planting seed with a planting stick Some cultivate terraced fields, or tiny clearings o f fertile land on rocky slopes They plant maize, rice, tubers, gourds, pumpkins, and medicinal plants The housing types o f these people are varied, including stilt houses for the Laha, houses built on the earth for the Colao and Pupeo, or houses built half on stilts and half on the earth for the Lachi Clothing varies from place to place: black, indigo blue, or multicolored applique They

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practice ancestor veneration Families are monogamous and divorce is unknown Their culture is heavily influenced by their more populous neighbors, the Tay, Thai, Nung, and Hmong.

T h e most interesting display in this section is the diorama of a Thai stilt house It represents typical Thai architectural features For example, the house has tortoiseshell-like roof, gables and corridors In this house, cultural objects of the Tay, Thai, Nung, Sanchay (Caolan- Sanchi), Giay, Bo Y, Lao, and Lu (belonging to the Tay - Thai language group) people are presented in showcases O ne case displays manuscripts, others show the Tay brocades, the Nung handicrafts and the clothing of the Tay sub-groups, such as the Thulao and the Padi

A Tay shamanic ritual, the Then, is presented in this section and there is also videotape documenting the actual ritual

T h e Lachi, Colao, Pupeo, and Laha (belonging to the Kadai language group) are presented with their colorful clothing, as well as objects related to the Laha's linga dance and trumpets oi the Colao

Section V: The Hmong-Yao, Tang-Mien, Sandiu and Ngai

ethnic groups (second floor)

Beside four panels and a few displayed objects showing general information of these ethnic groups are two groups of display cases One group of cases displays original objects from the Hmong, the Yao and the Pathen ethnic groups There are examples of batik decorations, wooden furniture and formal clothing of the Hmong as well as household utensils

of the Pathen Among the other group of cases, one case display items from the Sandiu and the Ngai groups, the rest of cases display women’s clothing, hunting tools, everyday life objects and musical instruments from 6 ethnic groups (Lolo, Hanhi, Lahu, Phula, Sila, and Cong)

Two dioramas represent the Hmong hemp iiber weaving and the Yao initiation ceremonies

Peoples of the Hmong-Yao language group

■ \ i

The Hmong, Yao, and Pathen ethnic groups live in the most northern

mountainous provinces, with some in the northern part of Central Vietnam The Hmong live in the highlands, while Yao and Pathen are concentrated mainly in the midlands.

Most cultivate dry fields and practice shifting cultivation, but some cultivate wet-rice paddies Hmong and Pathen live in houses built on the ground Varying from place to place, Yao people live in houses built on the ground,

in stilt houses, or in houses built half on the ground and half on stilts Textiles, applique, embroidery, batik, and metalwork a,re highly developed.

■i. ;

The kinship relationships of Yao people are very close, marked through middle names that identify lineages For the Hmong and Pathen, people sharing the same lineage name consider themselves to be relatives, and are not allowed to marry each other.

The Yao, strongly influenced by Taoism and Confucianism, use characters of Chinese origin to write ritual texts and poems.

The Hmong

The Hmong have been present since the 18th century in the highlands and border regions, living on steep and high mountains The region is suitable for special plants and for animal husbandry, but soil for planting

is limited Agricultural products include maize, rice, vegetables, legumes, hemp, and cotton Handicrafts are highly developed, particularly the making o f traditional rifles In the past, opium poppies provided important income to Hmong families.

The village is a community of neighbors, but lineage relationships 'have kept an important position People can be born or die in the house of someone else of the same lineage without ritual abstentions, but may not marry one another Families are patrilineal, with virilocal residence Symbolic “marriage by capture” is practiced in many places.

In Vietnam the major Hmong groups are White Hmong, Blue Hmong, Flowered Hmong, and Black Hmong Every group has its local nuances that are evident in dialects, in customs, and in women’s clothing.

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The Yao

The Yao include numerous local groups, each with its own characteristics o f language, costume, and custom The Yao have been in Vietnam since the 13th century, and live dispersed through most of the mountainous and midland provinces of the north In the documents Binh hoang khoan diep and Qua son bang, the dog-dragon Pan Hu (Ban Vuong) was identified as the Yao’s founding ancestor These documents

of the migration history of the 12 original Yao lineages have been transmitted from generation to generation.

The Yao cultivate wet-rice or swidden fields, depending on the soil conditions, and grow various kinds of commercial trees, fruit trees, and valuable medicinal plants Animal husbandry and poultry raising are well developed Many of the Yao are skilled in boring the barrel for the muzzle- loading rifle, and they also make a wide variety of traps for hunting birds and game Their handicrafts include blacksmithing, weaving, and papermaking Initiation ceremonies are organized for young men Folk culture, particularly literature, is very rich and varied among the Yao.

The Pathen people

The Pathen, numbering about 3 J0 0 including the Thuy group, reside in the districts of Bac Quang (Ha Giang) and Chiem Hoa (Tuyen Quang) They arrived in Vietnam 200 years ago and call themselves the Pa Hung The Pathen are agriculturists and practice a very elaborate system of intercropping to ensure soil fertility Family handicrafts are well-developed among the Pathen, especially the making of wooden utensils for daily use, basketry of all kinds, and metalworking Weaving remains an important activity for Pathen women Pathen clothing is unique in many respects, particularly for those who are married The decorative motifs of women’s clothing, whether woven or embroidered in a range o f reddish colors, represent the Chinese character van, the lozenge shape, and the dog.

The Pathen preserve their historical and religious memory in ancient books based on designs Linguists see in these signs the foundation of pictographic writing.

The Sandiu and Ngai people

The Sandiu and N gai practice agriculture, but some groups residing in coastal regions live mainly by fishing The Sandiu and N gai communities have some general characteristics o f H an (Chinese) culture and cultures

of north-eastern Vietnam, but also retain aspects that are unique to their own ethnic groups.

One of the more typical objects in Sandiu communities is the buffalo cart mounted on runner It is made entirely of wood and bamboo and adapted to all sorts of terrains The Sandiu have also developed an ingenious tool made of an iron wheel and blade that is used to cut weeds

in their peanut fields Their most original implements, however, are the sickle used for rice harvesting and the rattan scabbard that holds the wide- bladed knife.

Fishing requires a boat, tackle, baskets, nets, traps, strainers, hand nets, and a two-headed hammer to remove barnacles from the bottom o f the boats.

Although most of these implements are of simple design, they are durable and skillfully made and are well-adapted to the diverse activities

o f daily life.

Peoples of the Tibeto-Burman language group

The Hanhi, Lahu, Lolo, Cong, Sila, and Phula total about 30,000 people (1989 census) Some of them arrived in the mountainous areas o f the North very early, but most immigrated between the 17th and 2001 centuries They live scattered in small villages in the high mountains o f the northern border Small numbers of other groups may live in their villages Some o f the Tibeto-Burman peoples cultivate swidden fields and shifting agriculture, while others such as the Hanhi and Lolo cultivate wet- rice in irrigated terraced fields, or cultivate dry fields in fixed locations They have close-knit patrilineal families Some ethnic groups practice the custom of incorporating the final part of the father’s name in the name of the sons Mostly, their houses are built on the ground, but some

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groups have stilt houses or houses half on the earth and half on stilts Their religious life is characterized by ancestral worship and an annual festival of worshipping the Earth god The Lolo population partly preserve their pictographic script, and maintain their custom of beating bronze drums in funerals.

Section VI: The Mon-Khmer ethnic groups

(in the mountainous areas)

This section presents 5 Mon-Khmer ethnic groups from Northern Vietnam (Khomu, Mang, Khang, Sinhmun and Odu) and 15 groups from the Truong Son-Tay Nguyen regions (Bru - Vankieu, Ta-oi, Katu, Hre, Co, Gie-Trieng, Sedang, Bahnar, Romam, Brau, Mnong, Coho, Ma, Stieng, and Choro) Beside the entrance to this room are six panels introducing swidden agriculture, houses and beliefs oi these groups

Mon-Khmer groups in the North

The Khmu, Sinhmun, Mang, Khang, and Odu make up the northern Mon-Khmer group, with a total population of about 65,000 people (1989 census) They have resided for a long time in the midlands and highlands, from the Northwest to western Nghe An.

They cultivate swidden rice, raise poultry and livestock, practice hunting and gathering, and fish in rivers and streams to ensure their livelihood Their basketry arts are highly developed.

They live traditionally in stilt houses, with turtle-backed roofs and the khau kut (buffalo horn-fern leaf) motif at the peak of the gables The patrilineal nuclear families are concentrated in small villages on sloping mountainsides The Mang live in isolated houses.

Having long lived together in the same regions, the Thai and Mon- Khmer have mutually influenced one another culturally This cultural interaction is evident from features o f architecture and housing decorations, clothing, epic poems, and folk tales.

M o n - K h m e r in the Central Highlands and Truong Son Cordillera

This linguistic group includes 15 ethnicities, with a population o f about 730,000 (1989 census), living in the region from Quang Birth in the north

to Tay Ninh in the south Mon-Khmer highlanders traditionally practice cyclical shifting agriculture, returning periodically to the same field after it has lain fallow for some years In certain places, they cultivate rain*fed rice paddies, tilled by the hooves of buffalo, with seed-rice sown by broadcasting.

In the centre and south of the Central Highlands, matrilineal extended families are very common The dominant form in northern Truong Son is patrilineal families, which appeared here in ancient times Some groups have

a third system, that o f bilateral or cognatic families.

The rich cultural heritage o f the highland Mon-Khmer is illustrated by their epics, folktales, buffalo sacrifices, rituals that end the mourning period, and the architecture o f bnghouses, communal houses, and gravehouses Their gong ensembles are the centre of a rich musical tradition

In addition to the artifacts inside the cases, there are also those displayed on shelves or hung on walls T h e traditional cultures of these ethnic groups are diverse and original Visitors can see vestiges of the Dong Son culture and the Sa Huynh culture in the highlands Although the arrangement of objects appears to make a distinction between the ethnic groups of the North, and others of the Truong Son

- T a y Nguyen, visitors can easily recognize their shared cultural traditions T h e main displays are the Khom u and the Mang women’s clothing; everyday objects of the Khang, Sinhmun and Odu people; useful items made from gourds and tree bark; and various types of clothing, baskets, looms and musical instruments Display cases show objects from each region: Northern Truong Son, Northern Tay Nguyen, Southern T ay Nguyen and the Eastern South There is a large case presenting the Sedang

T h e B ahnar’s buffalo sacrifice, one of the most important ceremonies of the M on-Khm er groups in the Truong Son -Tay Nguyen, is displayed in a diorama and accompanied by a video

Austronesian group has distinctive tomb statues, grave abandonm ent rituals, musical instruments, tools, furniture and weavings, all of which reflect the group’s intangible and tangible cultures T h e s e cultures are illustrated by objects in 4 cases and on 2 shelves, as well as a panel of

abandonment of the tomb

Highlanders of the Austronesian language group

In the highlands o f central Vietnam there are four groups speaking languages o f the Austronesian language family: the Giarai, Ede, Raglai, and Churu These ethnic groups strongly maintain their tradition of matrilineal kinship, and a heritage of maritime culture Their geographic proximity to the Cham people has led to the formation of a common Austronesian culture in mainland Southeast Asia.

They have been present in this region since ancient times, dating from after the Mon'Khmer but before the founding o f the Cham pa kingdoms They cultivate swidden fields, using the techniques o f crop rotation In certain regions, they also cultivate wet-rice paddies, working the earth with the hooves o f buffalo They barter their products at home and in other villages.

The village, based on the foundation o f the extended matrilineal family,

is the unit o f self'administration and the basis of social organization The communal character o f the village is very strong, but they also have stratification between rich and poor.

Section VIII: The Cham, Hoa and Khmer ethnic groups

(southern and south/central areas)

T h e C h a m are part o f the Austronesian language group, while the Hoa speak the Han language and the Khmer are part of the Austro- Asiatic language group There are three panels introducing these three groups and one panel presenting the Small Vehicle Buddhism and pagoda architecture Cultural features of each of these ethnic groups are shown in this section: for the Cham, there are religious objects, textiles, pottery and transportation carts; for the Hoa, there are depictions of wedding ceremonies and the “ lion dance” ; and for the Khmer, there are religious objects, manuscripts, clothes, silk dyeing processes and farming tools Living beside and coexisting with the Viet people, the three ethnic group cultures play an important role in Vietnamese culture They are concentrated in the Central and Southern seaside

The Cham

The Cham ethnic group has a population of some 100,000 people, residing primarily in Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan provinces, with scattered communities in the provinces o f An Giang, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, and in Ho Chi Minh City There is also a group of the mountainous Cham (Cham Hroi) living alongside the Ede and Bahnar in the western part o f Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, and Khanh Hoa.

The Cham have a long history in the deltas of central Vietnam In the second century, they founded the kingdom o f Champa that achieved a brilliant culture Early on they had an agricultural tradition o f growing wet rice and practicing irrigation such as making canals, weirs, and reservoirs in the mountains They also formerly had oceangoing ships for war and fo r trade.

Fishing, trading and handicrafts, like weaving and pottery, are their main economic activities The family is organized along matrilineal lines, and Cham society is highly stratified Religion profoundly governs community life.

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The Khmer

The approximately 900,000 Khmer in Vietnam reside mainly in the Mekong delta Agriculture affects every aspect o f the community’s economic, cultural, and social life The kinship system is currently patrilineal, but still bears traces of an earlier matrilineal system Nuclear families, lineages, and closely-knit villages are the foundation of the traditional society.

Khmer religion is the integration of three elements: Brahmanism, Theravada Buddhism, and folk beliefs Khmer literature was inscribed on leaves of the palm (xatra), recording folktales, festivals, games, codes of conduct, and Buddhist myths.

Khmer culture, derived from the brilliant Oc Eo culture (2n‘l'7'h century), played a dominant role in the Mekong delta until the 17th century Khmer culture is famous for the ngo boat racing, folk dances and robam dancing, yike drama, and the lakhon bassac dance-drama The historical communities o f the Khmer, Viet, Hoa, and Cham have created a unique cultural heritage in southern Vietnam.

The Hoa

In Vietnam, the Hoa or Chinese trace their ancestry to various regions

of China Their population is more than 900,000 people, more than half living in Ho Chi Minh City, with others living in other cities and in rural areas Rural Hoa work in agriculture In urban areas, they practice industrial trades and services Handicrafts include pottery, incense making, and papermaking.

The Hoa family is small and patriarchal, and the society is highly stratified Hoa houses are constructed in three sections, with two wings in the shape o f the written Chinese characters mon ( ‘door’) or khau (‘mouth’) Inside the house they hang parallel inscriptions in lacquered wood, scrolls, and red paper banners inscribed with characters for happiness, longevity, talent, and wealth Altars in the house worship Heaven, earth, and the ancestors, and the three religions o f Confucianism,

Buddhism, and Taoism.

San co singing is the favorite folk music o f many people, especially the youth In festivals the unicorn, dragon, and lion dance, martial arts, and clowning masquerades are much appreciated.

Section IX: Change processes and changing relationships

among ethnic groups

During the current period of globalization and socio-economic development, the culture of every ethnic group has changed ever more radically O f all the elements that have had an impact on cultural change, the market has played a role of considerable importance Thus,

a diorama of a market place in the Northern mountainous area has been created to reflect this dynamic process

Changes and development

The social, economic, and cultural life of the people o f Vietnam is changing very rapidly during the current renovation period In many localities, ethnic peoples are changing their system o f crops and animal husbandry, while increasing investments in production, adopting agricultural machines, and applying scientific technology Gradually, the populations are developing a market economy Numerous families have improved their living conditions and some have even become rich Some ethnic groups that formerly practiced shifting cultivation now practice settled agriculture in fixed locations.

Education systems improve daily Special schools for ethnic minorities, have jp/sen built, and the level of knowledge is continuously increasing The health system extends to every commune and village Preventive medicine, health care, and family planning are achieving results Cultural institutions have been established, and the spiritual life of the people is flourishing The cultural essence o f ethnic peoples is utilized, preserved, and developed.

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Trends of cultural change

Since the 1945 August Revolution, the traditional culture of ethnic populations has been changing very rapidly and profoundly.

The elements o f material culture o f the industrial period are increasingly being adopted Cultural interaction and influences of other ethnic groups and countries have increased The way o f life, way of thinking, and many other cultural aspects have also changed Traditional culture is partly fading

as new influences are adopted and new cultures are created Each area and each ethnic group has its own rhythm of change.

Preservation o f the unique cultural identities of every ethnic group is deemed to be a necessity The country is developing quickly on all fronts, moving toward industrialization and modernization But the cultural garden

of ethnic populations has to be forever Vietnamese, rich and diverse, by the crystallization o f all the communities in the great family of the Vietnamese nation, even while it accepts the cultural essence o f people all over the world.

International relations

T h e Vietnam Museum of Ethnology has been actively and effectively supported by specialists from the French museum, under a bilateral agreement of scientific and technical co-operation between the two countries T h e French have given advice on the overall concept of the museum, the interior decorative design and display organization, and also provided much of technological equipment needed for a modern museum French specialists, especially Ms Christine Hemmet, the ethnologist, and Ms Veronique Dollfus, the architect, have provided untiring work since 1992 until the present, to ensure the museum’s success

T h e Vietnam Museum of Ethnology also received the sincere co­operation and support of American, Japanese, Dutch and Canadian scientific circles as well as international foundations, such as the Intergovernmental Francophony Agency, the Ford Foundation, Asian Cultural Council (ACC) and the Japan Foundation Asian Centre

T h e focus of any museum is its artifacts In the V M E, instead of being considered as separate and isolated, objects are approached from

a holistic perspective that connects them with people, their everyday lives, the ecological environm ent and their socio-economic surroundings In other words, artifacts represent humans, life and environment; they are cultures From this holistic point of view, we contextualize every artifact into its everyday usage, and by so doing we can maintain its life and have an in-depth understanding of the culture that produces it

A common stereotype of any museum is that it only presents the old, the ancient, and anything that is of the past This point of view

is entirely abandoned in our new approach at the V M E Every

* P a p e r p r e s e n te d at th e " L e a d e r s h ip C o n f e r e n c e o n C o n s e r v a n c y an d

D ev elo p m en t", S e p te m b e r 12'l'-18,l‘, 1999, K u n m i n g and Lijiang, C h in a

Tradition and modernity are not the two ends of the continuum; they are continuous processes of inheriting, eliminating, selecting and creating material and spiritual values; they are processes of producing and reproducing sources for development and they serve as a basis for sustainable development Cultures are not abstract and alienated but are the everyday lives from which individuals and communities make the choice, recognition and claim of their own identities Who need(s) (an) identity(ies)? By whom are these identities “ utilized” ? And how they are put into practice? What are the relations between socio­economic reproduction and cultural reproduction? In other words, what are the dialectical relations between development and tradition? By an example that follows we would try to answer to some of these questions.

It is not by chance we decided to have a bicycle loaded with bamboo fish traps in our exhibition Today while traveling along the roads of the Red River Delta one can easily meet a fish trap seller who roams his over-loaded bike all day long By exhibiting this fish trap^ bicycle in our museum we want to convey to the visitors several messages For about two hundred years people in Thu-Sy Commune,

T ien-Lu District, Hung-Yen Province have been practicing bamboo weaving as their traditional handicraft They produce various types of fish traps like ro, lo, do, and each is typically used for fishing in the

rice fields, small ponds, rivers or marshes T h e tools include a bamboo splitting knife and a frame of various types A bamboo frame is used

(or ro (a pot-like cage with a tight end) There is a clear division of

labor in this handicraft: men take charge of getting materials, that are various types of bamboo from Lao-Cai, Yen-Bai, Tuyen-Quang, Ha- Giang provinces, pack them into rafts and to be drifted along rivers

or transported by trucks to the marketplaces at their home village The bamboo must be processed into ready materials Each family member,

according to his or her own skill and age, takes charge of one or some

of these procedures as well as takes on one or two typical weaving tasks T h e final product is an assembly of work of the entire family as

a whole

There is also a special product that requires people from two separate villages to join hands: a double-lidded fish trap Hoi-Dong villagers (Phu-Ly district, Ha-Nam province) are specialized in weaving the lids which are then sold to Thu-Sy villagers to be combined into one single trap

T h e products then go to either wholesale or retail in all provinces

of the Red River Delta such as Quang-Ninh, Hai-Phong, Bac-Giang, Bac-Ninh, Nam-Ha, Nam-Dinh, Ninh-Binh, Ha-Tay, Thanh-Hoa, etc

Do from Thu-Sy commune are sold everywhere in the region,

especially in the rainy season

Do weaving is a handicraft that helps one utilize the agricultural

lean time; it includes various tasks that are suitable for various ages of family members; and it generates income for the household budget Today Thu-Sy villagers have migrated to establish their own weaving business almost everywhere in the delta: Hai-Hau, Cho-Con (Nam- Dinh province), Yen-The, Nha-Nam, Hiep-Hoa (Bac-Giang province) and Quang-Xuong (Thanh-Hoa province)

T h e bicycle which is exhibited at the museum had been used by vendor Mr Pham Dang Uy from 1982 to 1997 throughout the countryside of the Red River Delta In our display his bicycle is loaded with more than 800 various items of dom, do, lo etc

All the details of the artifact and display mentioned above crystallize the diversity and utility of culture Visitors, among them the culture-bearers themselves, realize the value of their own identities and of the inheritance of their own traditions From the messages of our exhibition one gains a good deal of current information of the openness of the rural society of the Viet (Kinh) people, of their division and specialization of labor, o f the crop and craft seasons and how one utilizes the lean time, of folk knowledge and experience and

so forth One can also raise the question of the traffic rules for the do vendors Other questions may be of the labor market, of the relations

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between rural and urban, of the market and commodities, of the occupation structure etc All these issues emerge from the everyday life, from the present, and from cultures

Our “ permanent” exhibition is actually not unchanging or static, but rather, it is continually updated and revised with results from current research It cannot be considered permanent in the sense of unchanged In order to exist, a museum needs to attract its audience and visitors with temporary exhibitions One often visits a museum only once in his or her life, or better yet once every ten or five years because the museum stays the same We must change our perspectives

of exhibition and the exhibition itself in order to attract each visitor

to frequent our museum T h e temporary exhibition is rotated every quarter of the year, or at least twice a year

We believe that the museum is a source of ever renewing knowledge On the one hand, researchers of the V M E must raise the questions, solve the problems, find out the reasons, conditions and outcomes of social phenomena, of the relationships between people and people, between people and artifacts, and between people and the environment On the other hand, they must collect artifacts and record all information about them in video and audio files; at the same time they must compose a telling story about the objects that ensures the success of the final exhibition

Besides publications of catalogues and monographs, the V M E also publishes annually scientific ethnographic research collections, as well

as audio and video materials such as CDs, photograph collections and audio recordings These audio and video products aim at providing various groups of audience such as students, visitors and researchers in the country and abroad with in-depth understandings of the diverse traditions, cultures, and contemporary lives of the ethnic groups in Vietnam

Ethnographic films have an important role in the museum So far

we have conducted research and produced several films that truly present the quotidian lives of peoples such as the initiation ceremony

sorcerer/sorceress’) ceremony, the abandonment of graves of the Giarai

people, the flax weaving of the Hmong people, and the fish trap and conical palm hat making of the Viet (Kinh) people These are only some pilot projects In order to meet the requirements of a scientific film, an ethnographer must conduct an in-depth research and arrive at thorough explanations of every details in the film he makes, including the custom and habit, action and behavior of every member of the cultures in reality Monographs may accompany texts for ethnographic films We are aiming at contributing to a better understanding of ethnic cultures that are popularized in the mass media.

Education is one of the most important functions of the museum, which is why we have established an education department in our museum Education must be done in a delightful and sensitive way through providing diverse and updated information about various social and cultural events The museum may serve as a school for visitors of various ages, social statuses and occupations

T h e contents for educational purposes of V M E are varied First of all, the V M E wants to convey to visitors a message of love of the Vietnam country and its peoples, the respect and pride of their cultural heritage Disregarding the residue of the meaning of the word that refers to something that passed, cultural heritage is not anything ancient nor far-reaching It is the quotidian When the bamboo back­packs, the wooden knife cover, and the bamboo pillow that all look so familiar in our everyday life are brought into the exhibition, they become folk art works

T h e museum wants to inspire in visitors, through the display of objects and stories about them, the love and respect of not their own culture, but also that of others Learning about the diversity of cultures, the visitors will recognize the cultural equality: people of different ethnic groups have their own ways of creating, maintaining, and sharing their cultures

One of the advantages of an ethnographic museum is that it contains a multitude of cultural spaces T h e museum is the place where

a culture bearer presents his or her own culture not only through artifacts but also by practicing his or her own handicraft or everyday life activities This is perhaps the best place one learns the self­

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recognition of one’s own culture as much as the respect for that of others By so doing the acceptance and respect of present values and the diversity of cultures are firmly inserted

O ne of the renovated perspectives in exhibition of V M E is its special attention to the agents of culture In an old-style museum too much attention were paid to objects and too little to their creators In the new ethnographic museum the exhibition itself is originally designed through the lenses of culture bearers/agents A culture agent participates in the process of exhibition making by recording his or her narratives, his or her comments on the artifacts and their making, and

on various social and cultural events Those who created or used the artifacts can also take part in the workshops, or present their handicraft, ceremonies and other folk arts In short, V M E wants to be the place where people of different ethnic groups voice their thoughts and comments, express their wishes, raise their questions and problems, and discuss their agendas to meet their cultural needs: the move towards the development without losing themselves T h e dialogue between visitors and cultural bearers is not only exciting but also serves

as an occasion of mutual exchange from which both sides will benefit.Another advantage of an ethnographic museum is its attachment to communities where artifacts and their stories originate Therefore there is a need to establish and maintain the mutually beneficial relationships between the museum and communities V M E has started

collaboration of Craft Link, a non-governmental organization that aims at promoting handicrafts of ethnic groups, the V M E hasimplemented a project to promote the traditional weaving of Hmong people in Sa-Pa (Lao-Cai province) Researchers from the V M E conduct the study of techniques and arts of weaving and decorating, record the meanings of each decoration details Designers from Craft Link, after adopting these traditional decoration details into their designs of modern products that can be marketable in and out of the country, promote local people to learn and produce these products,which in turn are sold not only in the museum’s shops but also all overthe country This approach is a dual one: on the one hand the traditional knowledge is maintained, and on the other, it is reproduced

in terms of new techniques, materials and designs These handicraft products are no longer only for self-consumption but are turned into products marketed to a larger, even a global audience, which generate household income and create more job opportunities for the craftspeople By so doing the local people have a way in which they can develop their tradition into their own modern and better living for themselves T h e dialectics between socio-economical reproduction and cultural reproduction underlie the fact that tradition is one of the resources that can be mobilized actively and usefully in modern life.These examples reveal a proactive approach which the V M E has adopted in the preservation and development of the diversity of ethnic cultures We consider it as a core value of applied anthropology which aims at improving knowledge, utilizing and enriching varied cultural identities We are continually learning from our experiences about further ways to encourage the preservation and development of ethnic cultures in the context of socio-economic development.

What brought about such change? This rapid change has raised important questions concerning the relationship between tourism and economic development, and cultural heritage and the promotion of this heritage We must understand: how the development of handicraft both ensures higher income for producers and also maintains traditions that add to the value to their products; how the subjects of those cultural values benefit not only socio-economically but also culturally

* Paper p re sen ted at the "A sia -E u ro p e S e m in a r o n C u ltural H eritage, M a n and

T o u r ism " in H a n o i, V ie tn a m , N o v e m b e r 5‘h-7'1-1 2001 P ublished in the R ep ort o f the A s ia - E u r o p e S e m in a r H a n o i (V ie tn a m ) by the A sia^E u ro p e F o u n d a tio n 2002.

and spiritually; and how to heighten awareness of tourists about the real values of traditional culture while increasing the consumption of the handicrafts.

T h e “ doi m o i” (opening) o f V ietnam brought about the development of tourism T h e interest of tourists in different cultures affects the development of handicrafts T h e cultural values present in textile motifs such as the “ batik” patterns of Hmong people, or the motifs of Thai, Cham and other minorities all become affected by the mass marketing of traditional craft

COLLABORATION BETWEEN CRAFT LINK AND THE VIETNAM MUSEUM

OF ETHNOLOGY

We have had the chance to cooperate with and observe the activities carried out by Craft Link, one of the pioneers in promoting the development of handicraft products in Vietnam Projects implemented by Craft Link are located in the northern mountainous region, traditional handicraft villages in the northern delta, and the central and southern parts of Vietnam Beneficiaries from the projects that were started from 1995 and 1997 are craftspeople in communities

of Tay, Thai, Muong, Nung, Hmong, Yao, Ta-oi, Ma, Katu, Cham, Khmer, and Kinh peoples

T h e mission of the Craft Link projects are to create employment for these groups craftspeople, first and foremost the ethnic minority groups These the projects seek to increase household income, improve living through producing handicrafts, enhance the role of women in the family and community, and contribute to preserving some traditional craft traditions in danger of being lost

T h e Vietnam Museum of Ethnology collaborates with Craft Link

in the field of research T hanks to the contribution by ethnologists from the museum, Craft Link has learned to understand more deeply about the cultural values, customs, and local knowledge of traditional techniques Relying on this reseach, designers at Craft Link then help the craftspeople to have create new designs that maintain elements of authentic ethnic cultural patterns, materials and techniques

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TECHNICAL IMPROVEMENTS

One question raised when stimulating the development of tracitional handicrafts is how to make technical improvements to raise the quality of new products and meet some special demands of the market Some principles regarding technical improvement put forward

by Craft Link include to improve equipment and tools to facilitate production; to study and find the best method in the production process; to relying too much on modern technology which would affect the hand-made quality of the products, and finally, to avoid forcing the producers to use techniques that they don’t accept

Examples of the technical and materials changes that Craft Link has made include:

❖ An improved loom for a Hmong group in Quan-Ba district, Ha- Giang province and a T h ai group in Nghe-An province in order

to produce a wider cloth that is suitable for tailoring

Regarding materials, Craft Link has introduced different weights

of machine spun silk thread to meet the design demands of the products, rather than to use the hand-spun silk producers traditionally use

❖ In dyeing, Craft Link has encouraged the use of natural dyes while also introducing some chemical dyeing of materials

In making changes, these issues and questions must always be, addressed: How to improve the loom while keeping the original characteristics of woven products; how to carefully replace natural colors or local chemical colors with new chemical dyes; how to set a limit on technical improvements so that products do not completely lose their traditional identity; and who decides to change as well as setting the limits for technical changes

PRODUCT DESIGN

Designing new products is imperative in order to ensure that products can meet the changing demands of the market Elements of cultural importance, such as traditional patterns, need to be preserved when new products are developed However, all of the basic features