Are Handicrafts Intellectual Property? These Guatemalan Women Think So

Many tourists travel all over the world to buy textiles, but the impact this can have on local communities is not often discussed. This article puts this issue into a global context, and sheds light on one case where female textile producers in Guatemala are fighting back.

The textiles from a small mountainous town, Chichicastenango, in northwest Guatemala, are tablecloths, napkins, and brightly coloured huipiles , or traditional blouses. These days they are not only found at the local market, but in places as wide-ranging as boutiques in the country’s capital, Guatemala City, to the websites of international fashion designers. And while this is potentially making a big profit, the money doesn’t necessarily reach the weavers. These are indigenous women skilled in the art of weaving — a complex craft that is intertwined with culture, history, and identity.

The article comments on the fact that they may not have the right connections or resources to break into international handicrafts markets. When non-indigenous designers step in, selling the textiles to international clients at a significant mark-up, the weavers are not compensated fairly. In some cases, they say they are deliberately cut out of the process.

Perhaps a growing international trend could change that — classifying indigenous handicrafts as intellectual property. The article discusses a collective of indigenous rights groups in Guatemala who are proposing a law to bar non-indigenous people or companies from profiting off their designs without giving due credit and compensation.