Artisan & Culture
This colorful section of the blog is to highlight the culture & handmade process of our artisans and to share other relevant articles on anthropology and hand-craft.
Latest articles from Artisan & Culture
Where Does Batik Come From?
There is speculation among experts about the true origin of batik, but mummies in Egypt have been discovered with etchings and patterns on the cloth used to wrap bodies.
The word, "batik," is Malayan (the written language of Indonesia and Malaysia) which means, "to write," or "to dot," and is part of the process of creating the designs and patterns you find on batik textiles.Â
How Do Other Cultures Celebrate Winter?
The Northern Hemisphere marks the first day of winter and happens between December 21st and 23rd at which time religious holidays such as Christmas and Hanukkah are celebrated in addition to cultural celebrations of the sun returning. The first day of winter is the longest night of the year, after which point the days grow longer and the nights are shorter. Because so many cultures base celebrations and festivities around the suns' energy, we had fun researching a few lesser-known celebrations to share with you. So grab some cocoa and learn something new with us!Â
Sales for Solidarity
 A small Standing Rock Sioux site in North Dakota called the Sacred Stone Camp has been propelled into the national news narrative following their stand against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Due in part to independent media coverage of the ongoing standoff, the Sacred Stone camp has grown into a formidable opposition against the $3.8 billion, 1,200-mile long pipeline.
Copper, Wood, Wax, & Cotton
Since our artisans are the reason we do what we do, we’d love to take some time to give a bit of background on the processes that our partnering villages use. In total, we offer three textile techniques: batik, weaving and embroidery, so let’s not waste any time and dive right into the batik process!
Embroidered Pathways
Hey Tribe, Adina here!Â
I’m the graphic designer and visual storyteller for Ethnotek and I'm here to dig a little deeper into our third artisan process - the art of embroidery.Â
THE GREAT KATE FESTIVAL
Ethnotek Tribe member and photojournalist, James Pham, accompanied the Ethnotek team this year on a visit to the Cham village in Vietnam to celebrate the Kate Festival with their weavers and friends. For a unique and unbiased perspective, we asked James to write about his experience and share some photos. He was happy to oblige... Enjoy!
Collaboration With a Kingdom
You guys and gals, our beloved Tribe, have always loved the textile designs that are featured in our bags, which originated with the Champa Kingdom and are woven in the Binh Thuan & Ninh Thuan Provinces of Vietnam... In the name of increasing demand for the artisans so they can grow their family weaving businesses, we listened carefully to your feedback for inspiration to think of new ways to increase demand even more!Â
Celebrate Diwali with Tribe Member Arushi's Family
Diwali has come to a close, and the Ethnotek crew is full of good vibes. Diwali feels good. It celebrates all of the things we hold most dearly as a community, namely connection and celebration of culture. Sure, we can learn a lot about the historical significance of this holiday and its cultural traditions from the numerous sources, but in order to truly understand how the cultural traditions play out in modern India we thought it'd be fun to talk to one of our favorite Tribe members to see how her family celebrates in Mumbai. Check out the below, and enjoy!
Product & Design
Step into the design process of our bags, get the first look at new product roll-outs, see collaborations, brand alliances and more.
Artisan & Culture
This colorful section of the blog is to highlight the culture & handmade process of our artisans and to share other relevant articles on anthropology and hand-craft.
Travel & Community
Track Ethnoteks adventures and see what our community is up to. This is a place we'll feature our Tribe of customers and all the awesomeness that you're up to. To be featured tag @ethnotekbags and #etktribe on social media.