by Barbara Coughlin

The 230 Guatemalan weavers who work with Mayan Hands are smiling today. Why? Because their products are coming to the Honest Weight Food Coop!

Mayan Hands is a small, fair trade organization trying to find markets for the products of talented Maya weavers. Though these weavers have been hailed all over the world as consummate artists, they still live under conditions of extreme poverty. They weave on the backstrap loom, an ancient, 3,000-year-old technology whereby even expert weavers can only produce about one inch per hour.

The beauty of this loom is that its products are high quality and that it keeps the weavers connected to their ancestors for hundreds of generations, in a tradition that goes from mothers to daughters. Mayan people have a strong culture that they are struggling to preserve, and the backstrap loom is a symbol of resistance to assimilation. However, the backstrap is a painstaking technique; weavers can produce only a few inches of cloth every day.

Sometimes, American consumers are not aware of the value of Maya products — their cultural significance, their elegance and beauty, the many hours of work involved — and often, as we know, price is their only consideration. But we know that people who shop at the HWFC care about our planet and its people. And they know that when people buy these beautiful handcrafted products, they are assisting Maya women in breaking the cycle of poverty. Mayan Hands weavers count on a steady, though modest, income that allows them to feed their families, send their children to school and harbor hopes for a better future.

In the past year, Mayan Hands has expanded its work with the weavers to include workshops on herbal medicine. A traditional Mayan healer is teaching the women the art of curing with herbs, a knowledge that has been lost among many Mayan communities in the past generation. It’s very exciting to see how the weavers have become empowered both by receiving a regular income and by learning how to deal with disease in an affordable and natural way. In the coming year, Mayan Hands will sponsor other workshops in the areas of self-esteem (including women’s rights), business skills, and innovative weaving techniques.

A selection of Mayan Hands products is now for sale in the Toyand- Gift section, which is located across from the Cheese department. Occasionally during the holiday season, a larger selection of fine hand-woven products (including scarves, placemats, napkins, table runners, and t-shirts) will be featured near the HaBA department. Look for in-store-postings on these days and times.