Some people espoused trying as often as possible to buy directly from the craftsmen and artisans. There's an argument for this, although too often, I think, tourists are also looking for a "bargain" by shopping this way. I'm kind of over the bargain-hunting and bargaining strategy in developing nations. I'll haggle a little bit, but not much. I do like putting money directly into the hands of the person who made the item in question, but that isn't often possible.
There are the dedicated bargain hunters. Give me a break. Everything our group members bought in Peru and Bolivia was a bargain no matter the price. Same can be said for handmade goods in this country. I weave. I know what's involved and what handwoven and other handmade things should cost. Craft in general is given away, especially since we've grown so used to cheap, cheap, cheap goods "Made in China". Give the weavers and other artisans in Latin America the money, people. We live lives that are so much more privileged than those in most other nations -- the differences are truly staggering. Give 'em the money.
Many of our shoppers collected some or a lot of old, vintage, and antique textiles. This I will not do. Peru and Bolivia have been through some dark economic and political times in recent decades. During those times many important heritage textiles were sold so that people could merely eat. More textiles, many of them pre-conquest and downright ancient, were cut up to use in making items like dolls, again just so that families could eat. I hate to see these people lose their heritage textiles, and it's not my place to guess which ones are important and which ones aren't so that I could buy only the unimportant old pieces. As lovely as they are with that patina of use and age, I couldn't bring myself to buy old textiles.
What I did want to do -- and this was my purchasing strategy -- was support and promote today's weavers and artisans as they work to keep their traditions alive. Often, I bought from cooperatives, museums, and shops because those institutions are the ones that are marketing and promoting traditional weaving. Weaving and other crafts cannot be kept alive by individuals marketing and selling their own work, each individually. They need to band together in cooperatives. They need to have their work actively promoted and sold in markets and shops where the tourists are, since the tourists aren't all going to get out into the countryside to visit individual artisans and obscure markets.
So, yes, I paid more than other shoppers in some cases, but I know I was supporting not only the weavers and artisans, but the institutions that are on the ground working with them to help them keep their crafts alive. Plus, it meant spreading some wealth to those retail workers, too, and supporting the shops and museums. I am delighted to have some traditional works that are also useful and relevant to our modern world and life styles. Sure, I missed out on some bargains, and passed up all those lovely vintage and antique treasures, but I've come home feeling really good about supporting today's weavers in a way that reflects some level of social justice.
No comments:
Post a Comment