The Establishment and Management of Indigo Weaving Groups in Sakon Nakhon Province of Thailand

Objective - The objectives of this research are to study the establishment and management of indigo weaving groups in Sakon Nakhon Province.Methodology/Technique - The study is comprised of qualitative research. The data was collected from focus group discussions with participants from the District Community Development Office of Sakon Nakhon Province and an in-depth interview with the villagers and members of indigo weaving groups. The data was analyzed using content analysis and descriptive analysis.Finding - The results indicate that indigo weaving groups have been established in a variety of ways such as the informal gathering of indigo-dyed weavers, more formal groups on the advice of local administrative organizations and on the recommendation of governmental organizations. The indigo weaving groups' management consisted of many aspects including the group administration, production planning, producing, product development, marketing, public relations, financing, and accounting.Novelty - To reduce the fixed-cost of buying indigo dyes and to increase the depth of the colour, an indigo weaving group dyed its fabric by mixing indigo dye with Marsdenia tinctoria R. Br.. The study also found that traditional beliefs complicated the weavers' decision making about the dyeing, especially the belief that colour does not bind to the fabric if the dyeing is performed on Buddhist Holy Days.Type of Paper - Empirical