web DeskNam Phut Subdistrict Administrative Organization, Trang Province, joins hands with local wisdom to teach people how to weave mats from banana trees, continuing 100-year-old wisdom, expanding the community product distribution center, developing marketing channels, and increasing villagers’ income.
At Wat Rai Phru, Nam Phut Subdistrict, Mueang Trang District, Trang Province, Nam Phut Subdistrict Administrative Organization organized an activity to transfer the wisdom of mat weaving as a project to promote local wisdom in occupations in the year 2024, together with 20 villagers in the Nam Phut Subdistrict area to learn how to weave mats from the banana tree, starting from the characteristics of the banana tree, which is a local plant. Then, start the weaving process by cutting the banana tree, splitting it, and scraping out the core. Then, dry it in the sun and dew for another night, for a total of 2 days. Then, roll it out into thin sheets before weaving it into mats. This time, it is a two-pattern mat, whic
h is a common ancient folk pattern. Each person divides the responsibilities and helps weave the mats, weaving one mat from the banana tree each.
Mrs. Boonchua Phromsang, a local scholar of Nam Phut Subdistrict, Mueang Trang District, said that she is the second generation to inherit the weaving of mats from the Kla tree, which is a plant in the Nam Phut community and has been passed down from her ancestors for hundreds of years. As for choosing the Kla tree to use to weave the mats, she chooses trees that are just the right size, not too old or too young. Each time she sits down to weave, she does it all by hand. It takes two days to make each mat because there are many steps. Even now, the villagers still sit and weave. The starting price is 150 baht per mat.
Mr. Somchoke Kongpan, the abbot of Nam Phut Subdistrict Administrative Organization, said that Nam Phut Subdistrict Administrative Organization gives importance to all groups of people, all ages, and all networks. This activity of weaving mats from b
anana trees is an activity to promote and preserve local wisdom. Weaving mats from banana trees has been around since our ancestors, but there has been no further development. Nam Phut Subdistrict Administrative Organization therefore came up with this activity to help promote and develop it, allowing the elderly and interested people to join the activity to make good use of their free time and also help generate income for the household. In addition, it has also expanded to marketing, with a distribution center at the Nam Phut Subdistrict Administrative Organization group, and it is also a center for the Nam Phut handwoven cloth group.
Source: Thai News Agency
