Helping To Create Fair-trade Conditions For The People Of Kyrgyzstan
In July of 2004 while trekking through the Tien Shan Mountains on the other side of the globe, Paula Goldman met nomadic herders and village artisans that would change the way she does business. Thursday, December 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the Livingston Public Library, Montana Women For will be hosting an evening with Paula Goldman. She will share the story of her incredible journey to Kyrgyzstan and the heartfelt relationships she has established with the rugged Kyrgyz people. Goldman will also be displaying and selling uniquely crafted items made by the indigenous Kyrgyz artisans. [Click poster image at left for larger view of the flyer with full details.]
Goldman is a Montana native that grew up in Billings, Montana, She moved to the UK when she was 35 and started a retail business in London. While living and working in London, Goldman went to an International Trade Exhibition. It was there that she met the Ambassador from Kyrgyzstan along with other individuals representing the Kyrgyz artisans. “The incredible color, beauty, and energy in the products at the exhibition are what tweaked my interest”, says Goldman. “The nomadic yurts and the earthy rugs they use to decorate and add warmth to their homes are carefully crafted; radiating a feeling of authenticity that is rarely found in a “factory-made” market place.” The Kyrgyz ambassador told her, that they were looking for potential markets to sell value-added products made in the mountainous regions of their country. Upon discovering Goldman was a native of Montana, the ambassador quickly informed her that Montana and Kyrgyzstan were sister states, that she was just the type of individual they were looking for to partner with in an import venture. Paula booked a trip to Kyrgyzstan and started her own incredible marketing journey.
The Tien Shan Mountains are located in Kyrgyzstan, a small country in Asia that borders China. The people who live in these high rugged mountain villages live a simple life and are traditionally nomadic sheepherders. The Morino and Karakol sheep that are raised produce some of the finest wool in the world. The Kyrgyz herdsman live in yurts that are embellished and kept warm with colorful shyrdak rugs that are felted from the wool of their Karakol sheep. The wool is meticulously harvested, felted, dyed and hand quilted into a variety of beautifully crafted rugs. The traditional design that has been used for centuries and is thematic in a hand crafted Kyrgyz rug, was originally inspired from the designs observed in animal horns. Paula has worked to create an artisan cooperative in the villages around The Tien Shan mountain region. The artisans get paid a fair wage for the products that they create and are able to work from their homes. In addition to the rugs the Kyrgyz artisans create pillows, hats, slippers, handbags, saddle blankets, wall hangings, Christmas ornaments and stockings, belts and scarves.
Paula owns and operates “Aizada Imports” out of her business, The Big Yellow House, in Absarokee MT. For more information about Paula Goldman and Aizada Imports, go to thebigyellowhouse.biz or call 1-406-328-7220.
[Click on an image for a larger view.]
