Folk Art Is Local and Exist in a Limited Community
Unión de Artesanos Olinca, A.C., United mexican states
Olinala is a largely rural region of the state of Guerrero, in the southwest of the Mexico (Mexico). Etymologically of Indian origin, the expanse derives its name from the Nahuatle (Aztecan) word ollinallan – which means "place of movement" – and is located v hours abroad by road from the country's capital letter of United mexican states Urban center.
Traversed past straight streets reminiscent of 16th century European Renaissance towns, the region has been the heart of a rich mix of ethnic people such every bit the Nahuas, Mixtecs, Amuzgos and others including those of African and European origin.
Inspired past its varied and fertile heritage, for generations Olinala has had a burgeoning cottage industry (production in the dwelling house instead of a manufactory) of intricately made and beautifully crafted maque appurtenances (or lacquered woods products) for everyday utilize. Such products have included chests, folding screens, painted gourds and pocket-sized boxes.
In back up of this illustrious culture and manufacture (which was historically family-run in minor, contained units), the residents of Olinala have joined hands with the Mexican regime and others to create a cooperative of craftsmen and women.
Established in 1993, the Unión de Artesanos Olinca, A.C (UAO) is a cooperative that has been able to unite the voices and skills of Olinala crafts workers into one body. At the same time, UAO has lobbied both the local and national government in Mexico on behalf of its members, and coordinate efforts to manage the community'due south entry into the local and international lacquered goods markets.
Partly due to the cooperative's activities, the market access of Olinala's artists has been greatly improved and the socio-economical well-existence of this culturally rich but historically marginalized community has been systematically developed.
Traditional cognition
Dating dorsum to a time earlier Spanish influence in Mexico in 1521, the artesania (or pop handicrafts) of Olinala has benefited from a mixture of traditional cultural expression (TCEs) and traditional knowledge (TK). Passed down from one generation to another, the crafts of the region are replete with themes and motifs ranging from flowers, foliages, landscapes and animals (including rabbits, foxes, jaguars, cats and deer based on Nahuatl mythology) depicted in colorful, unique patterns either on carved woods products or gourds.
Indeed, Olinala'southward renowned products are made by a long and painstaking process (involving up to 29 separate steps) of etching, painting and the application of lacquer (a resin for varnishing derived from certain plants and insects).
During the manufacturing process of Olinala products, the woods is smeared with vegetable or insect oils before being covered in a thick paste that is made of raw materials based on minerals called tecoztle in the Nahuatl language. This paste has a sand-like texture, is yellowish in color and is mixed with oils from the seeds of the Mexican chia plant (salvia hispanica lamiaceae; a flowering plant in the mint family) or flaxseed (linum usitatissimum linaceae, a flowering plant).
When spread over the wood's surface, the paste forms the base for the next step in the procedure which involves a mixture of tesicalte (a hard white rock nerveless from Huamuxtitlan, a hamlet in Guerrero) and is basis in a stone container known as a tlalmetate until it becomes a very fine pulverization. The powder is added to the colour that will become the artifact's background and the resulting mixture is smeared onto the wood using a deer's tail castor.
Following this step, the wood is polished until well-nigh all of the tesicalte vanishes. The base color is added therafter and left to dry for a couple of days before calculation lacquer and giving polish. Applying lacquer to such goods protects its surface and provides the opportunity for further decoration.
Olinala inspired products can be divided into three master styles: embutido (inlaying), dorado (painting, sometimes called aplicado) and rayado (carving).
Created by the creative person laying down a design before elements of the pattern are cut out and the grooves are filled with color, embitudo is popular in Olinala and the western state of Michoacan.
Named after the gilded leaf historically used to sketch its decorations, dorado, meanwhile, is a style popular in Gurerro and Chiapas, the southernmost state in United mexican states. This style is distinguishable by the use of additional colors when applied onto a base coat to create vivid floral patterns or recreate nostalgic or patriotic scenes from Mexican history and mythology.
More subtle than dorado, rayado, furthermore, is pop in Guerrero and is based on a 2nd colour being practical over the base coat to create floral patterns, often in combination with animal themes and geometric shapes.
While the colored mixture is still wet, a turkey plumage quill has traditionally been used in this manner of handicraft to highlight certain details such every bit the petals of flowers. Such designs are frequently depicted in red or blue on white, black on cherry-red, or red with a black background.
Contemporary artists sometimes use pastel colors and take been known to create white-on-white artesania. Lacquer manufacturing (traditionally prepared by women) and carving (traditionally an activity for men) is commonly done in collaboration between members of a household.
Olinala artists have frequently cultivated a highly individual way based on the inspiration of a single person or household. Because the products were rarely signed with the maker'southward name, information technology has been easy to adopt or adapt the creations freely within the community.
The artesania craftsman, moreover, was historically non merely the creator and purveyor of such goods; he or she was directly in charge of the entire process – from inception, to creation, to commercialization.
Whilst this procedure of autonomous, individual, and unbranded creation worked satisfactorily for established artists, information technology did non support lesser known artisans who found it increasingly difficult to beat off contest from cheaper, poor quality or imitation products.
Via UAO, and through other collective initiatives both locally and nationally, struggling artisans accept sought new ways to exploit their TK and TCEs in a collective and systematic mode while inbound the market with quality and distinguishable appurtenances.
Goods with specific geographical origin
All the key ingredients and products from Olinala, which stands at i,600 meters above sea level and represents the highest indicate in the state, are sourced from the Guerrero region itself.
Bounded past the Pacific Body of water and traversed by the Balsas, Tlapaneco and Mezcala Rivers, the state covers well-nigh 24,819 square miles (64,281 square kilometers), including the fertile valleys of the Sierra Madre de Sur, and has a rich offering of human and natural resources.
Not just well known for its lacquer making and rich cultural mix, Guerrero is besides renowned for its agriculture, mining and tourism (based on a purple surroundings). Some of the state's virtually meaning flora has been the deciduous tree forests that occur naturally in the region.
Growing up to seven – 8 meters (m) loftier, bursera aloexylon (the Aloe tree) is a plant endemic to the surface area that has thrived in its temperate climate (which is mainly warm and dry) with an annual boilerplate rainfall of between 780 millimeters (mm) to 1,000 mm, and monthly maximum and minimum temperatures that vary between 22 degrees centigrade (°C) and 30°C.
The Aloe tree provides a naturally scented woods, resin and oil excerpt – chosen linaloe or Olinaloe wood – that has traditionally been used by craftsmen and women in Olinala equally a key fabric for their handicraft industry.
Indeed, since the mid-19th century, essential oils from linaloe accept been processed for domestic use and exportation to the European and American perfumes markets. Aloe copse have subsequently provided the wood from which most of Olinala's traditional products are crafted.
The region's beautifully made gourds, moreover, are sourced from the fruit of the locally available jicara tree (genus crescentia) and vines (genus lagenaria). Other important and locally procured materials for Olinala crafts are oils and earthen pigments (extracted from deposits near Olinala and softly heated before being ground to a powder), bird feathers and deer tails.
As i local artisan said, "All my materials come from the [surrounding] mountain. I brand my own chia oil, which hardly anybody else uses anymore [...] I have to work similar my begetter and grandfather before me."
In order to maximize the potential of these naturally occurring and local assets, the artisans have exploited their geographical heritage and culture in a bid to launch quality, distinguishable appurtenances into a competitive and international lacquered products market.
Appellations of origin
Appellations of origin (AO) are a kind of intellectual property (IP) that can provide legal protection to producers by linking them and their products, via their culture and production methods, to a specific geographical location.
To secure an AO for Olinana crafts, UAO has worked with the government of Mexico and several other organizations including the Instituto Nacional Indigena (INI) – an organization that supports indigenous people'due south rights – and the Fondo Nacional Para El Fomento De Las Artesanias (FONART) – a nationwide system that advocates for Mexican artisans.
Past enacting the Police for the Promotion and Protection of Industrial Property in 1991 (the 1991 Law, which included AOs), moreover, the Mexican regime recognized a need to promote the state's heritage and businesses while protecting its producers from unfair competition.
Before long thereafter, in 1993, UAO craftsmen applied for an AO for Olinala at the Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial (IMPI) – Mexico's IP office.
Having been declared in IMPI's Official Federation Gazette in 1994, the AO was thereafter registered with the International System of Appellations of Origins (1995) managed by the World Intellectual Holding Organization (WIPO).
The Olinala AO certificate can exist granted to all artists within the municipality who run into the strict standards of quality and production procedures ready by UAO members and the Official Mexican Standards (NOMS) for AOs.
In accordance with the 1991 Constabulary, applicants for an AO have to provide show that satisfies NOMS criteria (which are fix by the Secretariat of the Economy, a department of the Mexican regime) and must undergo certification, verification and monitoring for compliance with these standards (as determined by teams of Certification Authorities).
Since granting Olinala's AO, artists in the municipality that run across the certificate'due south standards accept been able to better the quality of their products, differentiate these goods from those of competitors and counterfeiters and confidently enter the local, national and international market.
Branding and commercialization
Following decades of wide-spread indifference, Olinala artists accept become increasingly aware of the need for branding their products either with their own names, with the Olinala AO certification, or with both, in club to successfully enter the market with distinguishable goods.
The commonage IP certification has been employed to overcome iii potentially economically debilitating atmospheric condition that the region's artists have long endured: geographical remoteness; trigger-happy individualism; and, express admission to the market.
Because the municipality is located on rural highlands with previously poor access routes (Olinala used to be approximately ix hours away by car from major centers of commerce such as Mexico Urban center), Olinala artisans found it difficult to bring their often frail products to merchandise centers.
Historically, traditional transportation methods were unreliable and based on a risky 3-day-trip through the mountains in Olinala to United mexican states City by human and brute carriers. Being remote and relying on inefficient transportation adversely affected producers' access to centers of business.
Olinala's artists had also adult a notorious reputation for individualism. This meant that collective efforts at commercialization were difficult to initiate and most successes were limited to a few, isolated artisans.
The outcome of these limiting conditions was increased costs and lowered profits for the majority of the municipality's artists.
From the 1960s and 70s onward, however, efforts were made to improve and change these factors by various organizations including INI, FONART and other rural development agencies and consultants.
Based on a successful initiative to assist woven palm artisans from La Montana (a region in Guerrero) to scale upward product and successfully market their appurtenances through commonage efforts, INI collaborated with experts in international development in guild to improve access to the region. The initiative, moreover, implemented training schemes for Olinala's artisans in up-to-date commercialization, distribution and cooperative business organization methods and principles.
One of the first innovations taken in this regard was to ameliorate access routes to major centers such as United mexican states City so that the artisans could transfer goods efficiently and brainstorm to increase their target marketplace to the national and international spheres.
To achieve these aims, INI and MNAIP began to coordinate low-cal-aircraft trips between Onilala and cities such as Cuautla, 58 kilometers north-northeast of Mexico Metropolis, which helped craftsmen bring their goods quickly to regional markets with enough of eager consumers.
Indeed, what had been a process that took weeks for the artists – including journeying through the mountains – was reduced to a 25 minutes flight. These aircrafts proved to be a major improvement to transportation systems in the region. Due to their high price, however, merely well-established artisans accept been able to afford it.
Shortly thereafter, more cost-constructive measures (a new, paved highway connecting Guerrero to other major areas including Mexico Metropolis) were introduced into the region based on government funding and back up from FONART and others. Coupled with the introduction of high-wheeled lorries and busses into the area, Olinala artisans were finally able to bring their products to a growing market in a cost-effective mode.
With improved access to local and regional markets, Olinala'due south craftsmen were not only able to take their products via intermediaries to regional commercialization centers with high consumer footfall (including tourists).
They were also able to proceeds access to international markets – peculiarly to the European Union (Eu) and the United states (USA) – via networks of international buyers and family members who were living abroad.
As access to various markets improved and costs dropped, annual artesania sales from the region grew to approximately US$10 million.
For various reasons including the relatively haphazard nature of these improvements (many artists did non have access to international individual buyers nor family members living away), market access and success was unequal and some artisans succeeded better than others.
Since the institution of UAO and the granting of Olinala'southward AO, the region's craftsmen have worked with the government in the country of Guerrero and others in order to create more systematic evolution policies.
Through this approach, the partners planned to guarantee protections for the municipality's craftsmen and their products; provide a stable economic climate with incentives for the production of quality wares; and promote a more than compatible admission to the marketplace.
The local regime in Olinala has, for example, improved the consistency of admission to credit facilities which artists can employ for in order to invest in raising production standards to encounter those set out by the cooperative and the municipality's AO.
Moreover, one time a particular artisan is certified to meet the standards of AO certification, he or she has been able to able to display its mark on the product and commercialize it with confidence while reassuring customers of its authenticity.
The Guerrero authorities, moreover, has worked with UAO members in joint product-awareness-raising campaigns including co-sponsoring merchandise fairs both regionally and nationally. Between July and Baronial 2011, for instance, the country of Guerrero launched a major international product promotion and commercialization exposition in Mexico City – called "Guerrero: Flor y Color" (Flor y Color) – in the Benito Juarez International airport, the country'south largest and busiest airport.
Situated in one of the airport'south exhibition halls, over 100 artists from the region introduced their products (including pottery, textiles, jewelry and the famous Olinala lacquered boxes) to an international clientele including thousands of visiting tourists. Backed by the Olinala AO, the Flor y Color exhibition has been able to reassure visitors and customers of the products' cultural and geographical origin and quality.
Furthermore, having suffered in the by from an uncertain economic surround based on fluctuations in prices, UAO has worked with FONART in social club to ensure some stability to the industry.
Via a series of licensing agreements with FONART owned boutiques around the state (including six that are based in Mexico City), Olinala craftsmen and women have been able to commercialize their products – at an agreed toll – to a wide variety of local and international customers.
Through state level help and in collaborations with other agencies, therefore, UAO and its craftsmen have exploited the municipality'due south AO, developed greater market access routes, and stabilized the economic surroundings in the manufacture in order to successfully and confidently commercialize their goods.
Environment
With the success and increase in need for Olinala's woods products, at that place has been increased pressure on the region's vital natural resources. Indeed, since the early on role of the 20th century, distillation of linaloe oils had intensified and, coupled to unregulated deforestation in the expanse, there was a steady decline (which peaked in the 1930s) in the region's Aloe trees.
Post-obit a driblet in deforestation in the country of Guerrero during the Second Earth State of war, the Mexican Wood Service enacted measures intended to protect the state's vital but depleted trees. Nevertheless, as local enforcement of these laws were unsystematic (due, in part, to a lack of resources for enforcement agencies or instruction of locals regarding proper conservation methods), deforestation continued apace.
By the late 1970s and early1980s, the authorities of Mexico and other agencies had come up to realize that a more proactive approach was needed in gild to ensure the resource upon which the country'south marginalized communities depended. Established by the Mexican government in 1977, the Coordinación General del Program Nacional de Zonas Deprimidas y Grupos Marginales was an organ of state that worked with marginalized communities in an try to safeguard their socio-economic and natural resources.
Furthermore, in 1997, the authorities launched a nationwide programme of Conservation of Wildlife and Product Diversification in the Rural Sector (the Diversification Programme). The Diversification Program was intended to sustainably reduce the affect of traditional arts on the Aloe tree (without entirely destroying the traditions) by using alternative materials (such as pinewood) in the product of Olinala's handicrafts.
Having learned the lessons from previous conservation mistakes, at that place has been a concerted effort in the country to preserve not merely the nation's human being heritage just also the natural resources upon which so much of its time to come depends.
To this finish, Mexico'due south National Environmental Found, the National Autonomous Academy, and the Council for Nahua Villages of the Upper Balsas in Guerrero have begun a monitoring program for endangered trees in the region – including the Aloe tree – that are used by its artisans. The AO designation for Olinala, which acknowledges the municipality'due south reliance on its natural resources, is role of a strategy to ensure that environmental considerations are at the heart of the region's development agenda.
Business results
Since the establishment of UAO and the AO declaration for Olinala, there has been a steady improvement in the socio-economic and environmental condition of the traditionally marginalized municipality. On its stable climb to a successful future, the region has been the recipient of awards and recognition for its TCEs, TK and crafts industry.
The Mexican government, for instance, presented the artisans of Olinala with the National Arts and Sciences Accolade in the category of Popular and Traditional Arts (1993). The community's geographical isolation and bug with market access, moreover, have improved since the structure of a new road linking Olinala to the nearest main highway in the country of Guerrero.
Further strides accept been made to improve the local infrastructure including implementation of modernistic communications networks such equally phone lines and Internet admission via the municipal function. Indeed, not only is trade in Olinala artesania expanding locally; it has grown and reached the national and international market.
Olinala crafts hold pride of identify in FONART's showrooms in United mexican states City (where they are displayed and sold at the famous street Avenida de la Reforma) and in other locations inside the city such as the commercial center called of Mercado Artesanias la Ciudadela. These products (including jewelry chests) have get the crowning gem of prestigious venues including the interior décor of major institutions such as the Intercontinental hotel in United mexican states City.
Furthermore, due to increased international demand for such wares, Olinala artists have tailored their creations to suit increasingly high end European (German language), North American (the The states) and East Asian (including Japan and Southward Korean) tastes and motifs.
Not only producing loftier end products for international and wealthy clients, the region's artists continue to diversify their product range and toll while maintaining their traditionally loftier quality. Inexpensive Olinala wares include a broad variety of everyday objects such every bit children'south toys, mid-range products such equally food trays, and top end products such every bit tables that tin be purchased in local markets, urban stores and international airports.
Olinala craftwork, therefore, has brought progress and the prospect of a bright future to a historically marginalized mount community with a rich cultural and natural heritage. The revived industry has led to greater market place access for its craftsmen and modern infrastructure and communications for the municipality'southward inhabitants. As a result, the lacquered crafts manufacture in Olinala has accounted for 80% of the region's economy.
The art and craft of progress
For generations, the indigenous customs of Olinala crafted beautiful lacquered ornaments and objects for everyday use made of wood or gourds. Traditionally based in minor family units in an isolated region, the community discovered a common ownership in their cultural and geographic heritage, built local, national and international commercial networks, and set nearly reviving their economic system while preserving their environment and culture.
With the declaration of an appellation of origin for Olinala, a new upsurge of traditional pride has been inspired and the doors to economical progress take been opened.
Source: https://www.wipo.int/ipadvantage/en/articles/article_0175.html
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