Trade Winds: Nobody’s Fault
Monday, September 10th, 2007
It seems so difficult these days to take time out of our busy schedules to research and focus our efforts toward a more sustainable world for everyone. With corporate businesses and the media providing us more convenient ways to accumulate everything we need to live comfortably, and with lower priced goods and uncountable options, many people find it difficult to make every purchase support the good for all involved in making and selling that product. If asked why, many probably feel it’s just easier not to worry about it. Maybe they feel that small purchases, compared to the millions spent by everyone around them, is just not that substantial.
Bai Mai Group is a group of artists living in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. The artisans use natural materials traditionally, such as plant dyes and natural fibers to create natural, yet vibrant and colorful products.
We’ve been waiting anxiously for months…and they’ve finally arrived! Batik peasant type tops (unisex) as well as traditional Thai batik pants.
I was wandering the streets of Essaouira taking some snapshots when from behind me I heard from behind me, “Pssst! Pssssst!”. I turn to see Mohammad smiling at me waving me over. His shop is about 5′ x 8′ with hardly any room to turn around.There’s many photos of himself adorning the walls of him presenting his instruments to artists I don’t recognize. He excitedly shows me a picture of himself (a much younger ‘himself’) presenting a to none other than Carlos Santana. After showing me how to set up the Guenbri I coaxed him into playing for me.
A cooperative of artists operate a hand made paper art shop in Chiang Mai. To make the paper, they use the bark of the sa (mulberry) tree, pulverize it, pound it flat, and stretch it on frames to dry. Once dry, the paper is cut, sometimes died with natural colors, and used to make lamps, books, umbrellas, fans, and other paper products. Thailand is known as “The Land of Smiles” to the tourist industry and travelers alike. To the Thai people, it’s a home that embraces tradition, deep spirituality, and a culture of “jai yen” (to carry a “cool heart”), and to take the good and bad experiences of life all in stride. With Buddhism as the dominant religion, a King and Queen loved by the people, and a start toward robust modernization, Thailand offers a mix of traditional living with natural simpler lifestyles, to a faster paced tourist industry trying to catch a glimpse of this unique and intriguing culture. 
Mrs. Wantanee Meepolkit is an artist that runs a small locally owned shop in Ayutthaya, Thailand. Along with the help of family and friends, she weaves together sugar palm leaves to create hanging fish mobiles. Each fish is then hand painted and hung in homes around southeast Asia, and are known to bring good fortune. Ayutthaya served as Thailand’s capital between the years 1350 and 1767. The ruins that remain are now just the memories of a once thriving city brought to an end by an invasion of the neighboring country, Burma (Myanmar) in a battle for land ownership. Tourists and natives to Thailand visit this unique city to tour the ancient ruins and watch trained elephant performances. 
MaYing Song lives her days on Koh Yao Noi, an island in Southwest Thailand. There she spends her time with her large family of children, grandchildren, and grandchildrens’ children. Women in her family know how to weave native palm leaves together to create baskets, mats, and other handy products. The leaves are collected from the surrounding jungle, soaked in water for 4-5 hours, and then put in the sun to dry for about 4-5 hours. The result is a durable and flexible leaf that can be bent and shaped for making beautiful pieces of art.
In a small village in northern Thailand, just outside of Chiang Mai, lives a cooperative of artists and their families who make beautiful vases and other wood carvings from the mango tree. Each piece is unique and handmade by a skilled craftsman, who shapes the wood with hand held cutting blades as the wood spins on a turning wheel. The shaped piece is dried in a kiln before adding the designs or colors. The mango wood used is harvested from the older trees, which after 20 to 30 years, no longer bear marketable fruit. Using the older trees for the crafts, and replacing them with younger ones, provides responsible management for this valuable resource.
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