From Plant Press, Vol. 21, No. 1, January 2018.
By Kayleigh Walters
A team of scientists have recently completed a six-year study on the economic and cultural importance of fireweed (Gerbera delavayi, Asteraceae) to the people of eight ethnic minority tribes in Southwest China. Fireweed is a plant species mainly found on plains, slopes, and woodlands between 1,800 and 3,200 meters of elevation in the Hengduan Mountains of southwestern China to northern Vietnam. It has fibers that are similar to cotton and can be easily lit on fire, which is how it comes by the names “igniting flower” and “fireweed.” The fibers can be removed from the leaves by hand, twisted into yarn, and used to make traditional clothes without being chemically processed. For over 500 years, fireweed has been used in making traditional clothes by minority groups in China, such as the Yi, Bai, and Lisu. Crafting with fireweed is part of the intangible cultural heritage of China.
Between 2010 and 2016, the authors of the study, Wei Zheng and X. Xu (Kunming University of Science and Technology), and Jun Wen (Smithsonian Institution), researched fireweed's use as a textile. During the study, the authors conducted fieldwork in Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces, interviewed 150 women and 50 men on how they processed fireweed, what they used it for, and the prices of fireweed products in different regions and among various ethnic groups. As is the case with many traditional craftspeople, no one interviewed was below the age of 50. Few young people want to stay in the villages and master traditional crafts.
The authors of the article, published in a recent issue of the journal Economic Botany, found that fireweed is both culturally and economically important to the people who weave it. The leaves of the plant are collected as part of the most celebrated day of these tribes' culture – the Torch Festival. For some of the tribes, such as the Yi People, fireweed takes on an even greater cultural importance. The Yi consider fire the soul of their nationality, making fireweed a “lucky flower” and special cultural symbol to their people. For many of the other groups, fireweed fabric is either gifted or worn for important occasions – such as weddings or funerals.
Generally, fireweed fabrics come in two types. One type of fabric is durable, lightweight, and warm with a fresh scent. This is made from a blend of fireweed and hemp. The second is made from pure fireweed, and is typically preferred for clothes and quilts, as it is soft, comfortable, and allows for better airflow than the hemp-fireweed blend. Traditionally, wild flowers would also be used to dye the fireweed clothing. Of the eight ethnic minority tribes that make fireweed cloth, only three make the hemp-fireweed blend fabric, which is more complicated to make. It takes 9 hours to spin 50cm of hemp-fireweed cloth, and many months to make a single coat.
Although there is an increased demand for fireweed products due to a recent increase in interest from other Chinese people and foreigners, production has not increased. In most cases, women were and are the sources of knowledge on fireweed collection and textile production. However, with the changing roles of women, and the fact that they now have greater choice than to marry and live in their home villages for the rest of their lives, to gain an education and have a choice in jobs, fireweed craft is diminishing. They are no longer laborers for the traditional handcraft industry. With fewer young people able to make fireweed textiles, many concerned with this issue wonder how the cultural knowledge will be preserved. The Chinese government has started to put policies into motion to encourage young people to continue this traditional practice, but more options should be sought. For instance, if fireweed is bred to select for longer fiber length, then it will be easier for it to be woven on machines, allowing the material, if not the cultural practice, to continue forward.
The idea of increased use comes with the caveat of conservation. Even with the current surge in interest over fireweed fabrics, the plant has been in serious decline due to over harvesting in the wild. If demand increases through the success of the cultural preservation programs, then greater conservation efforts will need to be made.
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