Abstract
The research objective was to study local traditional wisdom of the art of producing fabric dye from fresh buffalo manure (FBM). Data were collected from rural weaving community cooperative (co-op) members and experts in Thailand’s northeastern Mekong River province of Nakhon Phanom. The study’s Method 1 added buffalo dung water, salt, and a mordant together, which was brought to a boil for 30 minutes. Method 2 added buffalo dung water and salt, which was brought to a boil for 10 minutes, after which a mordant agent was added, then boiled for an additional 30 minutes. There were five different formulas for each method using a different mordant. Results revealed that Method 1 had the best dyeing solution and produced a consistent, commercially usable, washable fabric with three-tone coloring and long-lasting yarn. Method 1 also used a hot dyeing technique in which cotton yarn and FBM were disinfected in a boiling vat while natural odor-reducing additives were added. Moreover, Method 1 consisted of either (1) FBM, salt, and lye, (2) FBM, salt, and muddy water, or (3) only salt added to FBM. These three solutions yielded a material in which testing by the Thailand Textile Institute (THTI) using ISO standards was determined to have a moderate degree of lightfastness, as well as an excellent resistance to color fading after washing. The study is important as it adds a wealth of knowledge to the literature concerning eco-friendly eco-fashion, sustainable products, and economically viable traditional handicraft textile production techniques.
Highlights
Over many decades and across multiple continents, authors and governments have discussed and proposed solutions for sustainable, eco-friendly products, produced from the local traditional wisdom of rural community entrepreneurial craftspeople
In the small, rural, agricultural village of Ban Don Samo, fabric weaving entrepreneurs, young and old, are producing a rich assortment of eco-friendly, dyed fabric for use in Thailand’s traditional fashion industry. Marketing venues such as OTOP have existed for decades, but as a newer generation has arisen with extensive digital literacy and e-commerce skills, new marketing channels are being created using social media and e-commerce platforms such as Lazada
This study details how we investigated the use of fresh buffalo manure (FBM) in fabric yarn dyeing at the Ban Don Samo Weaving Community (BDSWC) in Thailand’s
Summary
Over many decades and across multiple continents, authors and governments have discussed and proposed solutions for sustainable, eco-friendly products, produced from the local traditional wisdom of rural community entrepreneurial craftspeople. In Japan, one such program was the world-famous initiative championed by Japan’s Governor Hiramatsu known as “One Village One Product” (OVOP) (Anh, 2013). Thailand adopted this concept, relabeled it OTOP (One Tambon, One Product), and marketed its own domestically produced, “homegrown,” products to the world (Figure 1). Even the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) committed itself to these entrepreneurial, local-community self-development projects when they outlined their own OVOP/OTOP type programs for community development initiatives on the African continent (Curry & Sura, 2007; Haraguchi, 2008)
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