October 27, 2009

Bhutanese Atlantans repurpose "the vine that ate the South"

Atlanta Bhutanese Refugee Support Group volunteers and friends have been promoting our new Bhutanese neighbors in a collective enterprise that helps them to feed their families. Here’s the recipe.
  • Step 1. Harvest local scourge, kudzu, growing around their apartment complexes.
  • Step 2. Using ancient artisan techniques, weave the vines into one-of-a-kind baskets, wreaths, and custom-ordered products.
  • Step 3. Sell the products at the Morningside Farmers' Market and other markets, fairs, houses of worship, community events, and shops.
Watch the video (4:31 minutes).



More information


See photos here and here of kudzu basket weaving demos and sales at the Morningside Farmers' Market. For basket orders and inquiries, send an email. For background on Bhutanese refugees in Atlanta, visit Bhutan > Atlanta.

Related posts and news articles
Cross-posted at Bhutan > Atlanta.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love your video!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful!!! Love the music

Anonymous said...

I just watched your video of the Bhutanese artisans and absolutely love their baskets! Our goal is to promote fair trade and economic justice and we think it will be awesome to have vendors right from our neighborhood.

Craig Gilbert said...

Tamar, This is really great. You are one of a kind. I cannot thank you enough for your work. Your leaderhip, caring, photos, videos, web-sites, and constant presence in all activities has touched so many. This video alone has helped us open so many doors. You have captured both the people and the enterprise. And when I say the people, I mean the kind and generous customers and the industrious and gentle people of Bhutan. Your many deep relationships with the young and old is an example. We should all take a moment, really meet others, and love thy neighbor.

Anonymous said...

That is so funny, Tamar. The video clip really reflects your (awesome) personality. S.

Kamalraj Dahal said...

Its so lad for us to have such an enthusiatic task going on. Hope that it atleast pay the leisure time of our people. Love to see the post and the video.
You are great.