Had an interesting interaction yesterday.
Kevin Murray of Garland Magazine hosted an online discussion about the blossoming field of craft tours. "To meet the Makers in Distant Lands"
It was very interesting, more as a starting point rather than anything conclusive.
Kevin did suggest brainstorming a guideline or BEST PRACTICE for ethical interaction with markers- a guideline for craft tourism.
Sounds like a good idea.
Our last Rajasthan trip left me all nostalgic a few times...
we have been visiting some of these people for so many years now.
OK super nostalgic- that is Raja in the middle of the first tour group we took to his Papa's workshop, I'd met the family 2 years before on my first trip to India in 2003 and visited a few times since.
We met because I was asking questions of one of Yaqob's sons who was looking after their craft stall. He said you must meet my father and so I did.
Yaqob-ji has 4 sons, the older ones got jobs in banks and such, Raja was still at school and undecided and then just after this he decided he wanted to follow his father into the family work of Bandhani or tie and dye.
How proud Yaqob was.
When we visited this year, Yaqob was in Delhi with his wife Hambiba teaching at a Government College and young Raja had to look after our group.
Standing there watching him teach I felt so proud to see what a sincere man he has become, I wished Yaqob could have seen how carefully he covered everything his father shares with classes, how very sweet he is.
What a great experience we had with them.
This is craft or textile or cultural tourism at its best I think.
"Helping the local economy" is a catch phrase our guests seem to love to embrace.
I do hope yesterday's interaction was the start of a bigger conversation.
It is important to look at what you do and why.
it is positive for your life and the greater whole?
Can you make little changes that male positive impacts?
Kevin Murray of Garland Magazine hosted an online discussion about the blossoming field of craft tours. "To meet the Makers in Distant Lands"
It was very interesting, more as a starting point rather than anything conclusive.
Kevin did suggest brainstorming a guideline or BEST PRACTICE for ethical interaction with markers- a guideline for craft tourism.
Sounds like a good idea.
Our last Rajasthan trip left me all nostalgic a few times...
we have been visiting some of these people for so many years now.
We met because I was asking questions of one of Yaqob's sons who was looking after their craft stall. He said you must meet my father and so I did.
Yaqob-ji has 4 sons, the older ones got jobs in banks and such, Raja was still at school and undecided and then just after this he decided he wanted to follow his father into the family work of Bandhani or tie and dye.
How proud Yaqob was.
When we visited this year, Yaqob was in Delhi with his wife Hambiba teaching at a Government College and young Raja had to look after our group.
Standing there watching him teach I felt so proud to see what a sincere man he has become, I wished Yaqob could have seen how carefully he covered everything his father shares with classes, how very sweet he is.
Raja was a high school kid when we first met his family.
His Papa Yaqob-ji taught me and later my friend Anne and I much about their work. 10 day of tying tighter and smaller knots.... Anne was a model student I got a bit wimpy as my fingers started to bruise but spending each day in the workshop and time with the whole family was magic.
Later as an older teenager there was a little tut tutting, Raja had met a girl he was desperately in love with..... after some time a love match was allowed and here they are today a great team Raja and his Robina looking after the family business and lined up to take it into the future.
This is craft or textile or cultural tourism at its best I think.
- Long term relationship,
- together we have developed an experience to suit our guests,
- we are careful to compensate them for their time
- and our guests also often happily raid their stash of products, purchasing directly from the makers.
"Helping the local economy" is a catch phrase our guests seem to love to embrace.
- They meet the maker,
- experience all the work going into the items- this is something we end up having many conversations about in our travels. Until you try yourself you don't appreciate the skill and time embedded in objects. MADE BY HAND is something in the fast first world we have little experience of understanding of these days.
- this is FAIR TRADE and a great education to take home about why the whole fair trade movement is relevant. We have always had a mention of fair trade and its impact on our website and in our notes and our tour parameters from the start. IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE
- a piece you have made yourself or seen being made will hopefully stay on your shelf longer, be appreciated more.... not just more fast fashion.
- Connection to people in other places makes them real as people to the guest.... appreciation we are all the same- all want very similar things.... a fairer bite of the apple is a reasonable exception of everyone in our world.
Yesterday's talk the question of flying arose.
Googling it it says flying is about 2% of world emissions...something to think about for sure.
and in some ways this all gets so complicated.
I work on the theory I am helping develop connections and understanding in the world and that is a good thing.
The first thing we give our guests is a cloth carry bag block printed with SAY NO TO PLASTICS....
little things build to big things is my hope.
I take DA's lead to heart.
Don't waste... appreciate
and try to foster that in our journeys.
I do hope yesterday's interaction was the start of a bigger conversation.
It is important to look at what you do and why.
it is positive for your life and the greater whole?
Can you make little changes that male positive impacts?
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