Indigenous Women’s Network of Thailand (IWNT)
In particular indigenous women from four ethnic groups, namely Hmong, Mien, Lisu and Karen, in Thailand will document their indigenous knowledge on handicrafts (weaving and embroidery) that will be published; will undertake training on enhancing their skills on handicraft production and marketing, form their cooperatives and will be assisted in promoting and selling their products for income- generation. Indigenous women believe that by benefiting in the use and enhancement of their indigenous knowledge, they will be able to sustain this and will also encourage the younger generation to sustain their indigenous knowledge.
This initiative has built the awareness and realization of the importance of indigenous knowledge and heritage among the indigenous people, leaders and communities especially the youth and knowledge holders that their knowledge need to be maintain, preserve, and transfer to the younger generations Indigenous women’s economic condition have improved through additional income from the sale of their handicrafts; Indigenous women realized about the benefits they could have from maintaining indigenous knowledge on weaving and embroidery.
The Indigenous Women’s Network of Thailand (IWNT) was founded in 1993 as the gender- specialised branch of the Inter-Mountain Peoples Education and Culture Thailand Association (IMPECT) and was established as an independent organisation based in Chiang Mai in 2003.
IWNT is led by a group of indigenous women and identifies itself as an indigenous women’s rights organisation, aiming at improving the lives of indigenous women and girls from 10 ethnic groups (or “hill tribes”) from Northern Thailand (Karen, Ahka, Shan/Thai Yai, Lua, Hmong, Kachin, Lahu, Lisu, Mien and Dara-ang).
