DILI, 16 february 2022 (TATOLI)- Women group considers Tais contributing for family daily income in Administrative Region of Oé-cusse Ambeno (RAEOA).
Vice President of the Rede Soru Na’in group, Joana Bobatana said the weaving activity of producing Tais is made by the Rede Soru Na’in group, in the Special Administrative Region of Oé-cusse Ambeno (RAEOA) to support family income.
The official explained that the group receives the production of 440 women weavers and has distributed them at the Hotel Timor and Airport for sale.
“We sell each chemical fabric at 50 and natural at 100 USD. The income can be used for children’s school fees and for daily basic needs,” she told Tatoli in Timor Plaza Comoro, Dili.
The official said the women’s group received many recommendations to design the Tais Uniform for RAEOA government employees. They should wear a pair of uniforms once a week.
The vice president noted that the group weaves three types of fabric for women, men and even for souvenirs.
Joana Bobatana recognized that the group is facing a challenge of raw material for the production of natural silk fabric.
“We have many challenges such as purchasing some raw material from Kupang-Indonesia. The product must be sending to the customers as an example to Dili”, she said
“We are proud as Timorese Tais has been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Tais is considered as a world heritage, so we all must protect and promote it,” she added.
The vice president explained that Tasi’s weaving activity was a descendant from ancestors and learned of weaving by her parents, while she was a child.
Joana Bobatana mentioned that Alola Foundation as a nongovernmental organization and Timor Aid has offered Tais training to Timorese women. It focuses on the Tais colors production from the root hairs, bark and leaves of various trees to guarantee the quality of the product, when washing it is not removed the colors.
The transformation of cotton into cores takes more than three or four days, as the process is focused on cooking cotton and stopping smothering takes days.
The official underlined that the training has a theme on the management of the product for the market and diversifies the Tais for the Tais industry, as an example sews the Tais for storage, bags, among others.
On the other hand, the weaver from Oé-cusse, Maria Tapo, said that she started doing Tais weaving activity in 2006. This activity is done to support family income.
“I was given the opportunity to participate in the training which was organized by Non-Governmental Organizations of the Alola Foundation and Timor Aid on the management of the Tais business and the production of product quality, ” She told Tatoli Agency via phone this wednesday.
Maria Tapo said that she has six family members that she supports with the result of the Tais production activity throughout the year.
“The production of Tais guarantees the family’s economy. The result of the production of Tais is used to pay the children’s school fees and respond to their first needs”, she added.
Each Tais product can be sold with the price of 20 USD for each shawl or souvenir for Tais Mane and 120 dollars Tais Feto.
The Hotel Timor manager, Manuela Korea, said that the consumers are mostly from government institutions and international agencies of the United Nations Organizations.
There are also consumers from foreigners coming from several countries such as Australia, South Korea, the United States from America, France, Indonesia, Japan, Portugal, among others, and the Timorese.
The manager of the Rede Soru Na’in group of RAEOA has provided the Tais quality products. Thus, the product can be responding to customer demand.
The manager said that the amount of Tais the network sends depends on the order or need of buyers by customers, however it has been sending twice monthly.
According to Tatoli’s observation at the Hotel Timor, Tais is diversified in materials such as bags, maxillas, bracelets, coin purses from several Lautem municipalities, Baucau includes RAEOA, among others.
Rede Soru Na’in has natural fabrics from each Tais Feto with prices more than 120 dollars, Mane 160 dollars and 30 American dollars for souvenirs at the Hotel Timor.
Related news:Timorese Tais has social, economic, and cultural values, says Ruak
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Rafy Belo
