Something to think about …
Why do we haggle so much to lower the price of souvenirs to the lowest we can get?
I mean, I know why, but looking at it from the other side, what they craft is also their livelihood … and a tourist purchasing as a souvenir doesn’t help if they sell it for less than half their price … hmmmm ….
I was in this area years ago, but was not interested in weaving yet – only the finished product. I was gifted a beautiful jacket, purchased tablecloth sets, a lapghan, drawn by the vibrant colours and patterns.
Now I want to go back there and spend some time watching and learning what they do. They spin and dye their own yarn, and weave the cloth.
https://www.linktv.org/shows/women-in-focus/the-art-of-weaving-textiles-for-a-better-life
I wish there was more footage of the actual weaving, but the message they bring as well is important – as tourists interested in purchasing a ‘souvenir’, we shouldn’t haggle it down to the cheapest price. This is, after all, their livelihood, and as they said, they will never go beyond poverty if we are paying for less.
And what about all the discussions I see on the knit and crochet forums, the indignant posts about how their handmade items are worth the price…
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