“Everyone said our products are bee-u-ti-ful!” That was Herlina’s reaction from participating in the 11th International Folk Art Market (IFAM) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. The Fair is the largest gathering of traditional crafts producers in the world and is supported by UNESCO. This is the first time that the Crafts Kalimantan network participates with Herlina representing Jasa Menenun Mandiri (JMM), a cooperative of weavers in Sintang West Kalimantan, and Ani, an officer of the Bina Usaha Rotan weaving association in Kutai Barat, East Kalimantan. The fair presented 150 booths from 60 countries displaying a truly global flavor.
Herlina brought naturally -dyed ikat weaving and bamboo baskets made by Dayak Desa women whereas Ani brought anjat, the Dayak Benuaq “rainforest backpack”. All had intricate motifs with stories to tell about nature and Dayak life. A favorite was the perahu pecah motif or “damaged long boat” which represented the difficult times the Dayak maneuver across the many rivers of Borneo.
During the fair, some products sold very well but others could have done better. But everyone appreciated the products and no one tried to haggle. This is what the Dayak weavers were happy about. Ani says that one message she wants to carry home to the other weavers of BUR is “we should keep weaving because there are those out there that like our products very much. Weaving keeps our tradition and identity alive. It is also an important part of our economy.”
Herlina said that she wants to take some advice from some of the retailers at IFAM to create some new products with simplified designs and patterns without sacrifice the meaning of the ikat weaving. This will provide an additional offering to ikat patrons at an affordable price with less detailed fabric.
Before the actual fair, Herlina and Ani also attended a training sponsored by the International Folk Arts Alliance (IFAA), the organization behind the fair. They learned about understanding different market segments, about attractive booth display, effective selling and product pricing.
All in all, it was an important learning event for Herlina and Ani. The difficult journey to Santa Fe did not dampen their spirits (delays in flights and immigration problems made their whole trip 56 hours long!) They will encourage the Crafts Kalimantan network to apply again next year. The friendly and helpful volunteers of IFAM also made the visit memorable and the weavers left new Mexico with a warm feeling all around.
Ibu Ani, Ibu Herlina, Crissy and their respective organizations BUR, JMM and NTFP-EP would like to thank the various sponsors of the Crafts Kalimantan booth including sponsors through the International Folk Art Alliance (IFAA), Ford Foundation and the Indonesia International Education Fund (IIEF).
