Being Colorful in Thread: The Challenges Involved in Sustainably Creating and Developing Plow Karen's Textiles
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Abstract
This article endeavors to answer the research question “How can the Plow Karen of Dan Chang community sustainably create and develop their woven fabric products to meet consumer needs in both offline and online markets and gain financial benefits?”. Anthropological fieldwork and the Empathy Map Canvas were employed as tools to comprehend community needs. According to the study results, the Ban Huai Hin Dam Naturally Dyed Fabrics Women Group's members recognized the value of woven fabrics as their folk wisdom, and outsiders were becoming more interested in purchasing the Karen textiles. They were also aware of the “natural capital” found in abundance in their community, which could be used as production inputs along with “human capital” when young people returned to work in the community. The design and production of Plow Karen woven fabrics, both traditional and applied patterns, emerged from interactions on textile preservation among people in and outside the community. The findings highlight the challenge faced by Plow Karen Dan Chang in identifying opportunities and channels for communicating their cultural products, moving from on-site to online platforms, along with communicating the diverse stories of Plow Karen to society.
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