| Thai Chairon - Wine Carrier, Yoga Mat Carrier, Eyemasks, WorldTote |
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Mai, leader of the eight who sew for Izara Arts, has lived in Thai Chairon for 26 years. She and her family originally farmed the hills between Thailand and Laos – primarily, she says, because the flatlands, much better for agricultural production, were already owned and farmed. Her husband’s father founded the village of Thai Chairon thirty years ago after fleeing Hmong refugee camps in Laos, where his family had waited fruitlessly for an American visa. As with many other villages in northern Thailand, the women of Thai Chairon can only abandon agricultural production if they receive a large order for their handicraft – otherwise, sewing takes place in the evenings. Mai has four children, one son and three daughters. Her son is hoping for a scholarship to study in the United States. |
A primarily “white Hmong” village (differentiated from other Hmong subgroups only by dialect), Thai Chairon boasts thirty seven women who do traditional Hmong embroidery, but just eight who are skilled in clothwork.
