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Suwit Suthamtha

"My name is Suwit Suthamtha. I was born in 1957. I come from a poor farming family, and when I was young, my brothers and I had to work in the fields everyday, which is why I left school in fourth grade. I never returned to school and wanted to become a salesman, but not the kind of salesman you can imagine. A big merchant from the city market offered me the opportunity to sell something - I had to sell it up high in the mountains. I had to walk up hills, through forests, and brave wild animals and disease - all of this just to sell mosquito netting!

"But I had to do it at the time. It was my job and it offered me opportunities. When I went to the hill tribe villages I observed their clothes differed among tribes. These colorful clothes were always hand-woven, I love them because I have loved to weave ever since I was a child. My mother taught me how to sew and how to chose fibers and colors. The hill tribes clothes were not of good quality but have good style. When I saw tourists come and take pictures of themselves next to the traditional attires used for ceremonies or when entertaining guests, it made me think why don't I try making them myself and sell a lot?

"So, when returned to my home town, I quickly began to think how I could do this, but sadly, the hill tribes' clothes have been sold for a long time. I began to think about the dolls, as if they were the real thing - it might work. The doll would be a scaled down version of the real thing as I had seen it, so I started making them and learning from them too. I used different materials and kept trying until I got the right materials, ceramic, cotton, and kapok seeds for filling. The main structure is done with wire so that it may move freely. I wanted hard set arms and legs and found the answer in ceramics. I learned a lot from books and from a person working at a ceramic factory. I experimented on how much time a piece would need and the right kiln temperature. And I invested all my money and my future in this work.

"This way, I can sell my dolls and provide some information about them based on my experience. I love this job very much. And I'm the first man to make these traditional dolls in Thailand. Now I have my own small workshop with five or six helpers who are skillful and I always teach them. I have been married for 15 years and have three daughters. I want in the future that my handcraft will stay to preserve my idea. Surely, I'll teach all I know to my daughters too. This is my inheritance to them and I would like them to continue with it."