How Your Purchase of Indigenous Handcrafts Empowers Communities and Preserves Culture

By Karina Rojas

Did you know that your purchasing decisions can go beyond personal satisfaction and have an impact on entire communities? 

When a person buys items handmade by indigenous artisans, they do much more than acquire a unique piece, they become a fundamental part of preserving traditions, empowering communities and increasing the income and economic development of the community.

Here are some of the impacts you can make on indigenous communities:

1. Supporting sustainable livelihoods for artisans

For most indigenous artisans, their handicrafts are their main source of income.   By purchasing these items, customers help the artisans provide essentials for their families, earn a financial livelihood and avoid unemployment problems in the community.  

In Mexico, the creation and sale of handicrafts is an important source of employment, a study by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) indicates that in 2021, about 480,000 jobs were generated from handicrafts.

2. Preserving Cultural Heritage and Craftsmanship

Each piece represents generations of tradition, techniques and stories.  Artisans learn techniques from generation to generation. Weavers remember their grandmothers weaving and wearing the textiles they made themselves, and these are memories that serve as a measure of time and tradition. Throughout the world, people tend to define tradition in terms of what their grandparents did. 

Sanctified by time, the symbols used and the techniques, are seen as part of a classic and vulnerable tradition, worth preserving.  Through your purchase, these traditions can be preserved and passed on to more people, preventing them from being lost thanks to modern pressures and fast fashion.

3. Empowering Women and Strengthening Community Roles

Women often lead in crafting. In Mexico, according to a study conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) in 2021, 60% of the workforce in crafts is made up of women.  Therefore, through handicrafts you can help strengthen the role of women within their community, giving them a voice and a vote in household and community decisions, as well as educational opportunities for their children and development for themselves.  

Luciana, for example, is an artisan who makes products for Grana. She makes brocades for our women's crossbody bags, clutch wallets, small cosmetic bags and cushions. Her husband passed away a little over a year ago and thanks to her artisan work she has been able to support her family and get ahead.

As you can see so far, your choice of purchase is much more than a transaction, in the next article we will talk about more reasons to choose to buy an item made by artisan hands, 

YES... there are more reasons!!!