Across the Sea Foundation
Across the Sea Foundation, Inc. is dedicated to preserving the unique culture of the indigenous Montagnard-Dega people of Vietnam. We provide direct aid to families to supply vital housing, farming resources, life saving medical care, education and more. We invest in families, children, and education, so that the Montagnard-Dega peoples can have a brighter future.
This work empowers artisans to continue traditional weaving and safeguards the region’s artistic traditions, language, and cultural legacy for future generations.
Across the Sea Foundation
A key element of cultural support focuses on carrying on the ancestral practice of blanket weaving and basket weaving. Traditionally, women in the village create the blankets with looms, and the men hand weave the baskets. The blankets can take up to two to three months to complete.
Unfortunately, the skill and knowledge required to make the baskets are quietly going extinct, which is what ATSF is trying to stop from happening by empowering people to continue the tradition. Additionally, the natural materials used in certain parts of the baskets are becoming harder to find do to climate change and deforestation, such as materials to create the bottom straps of the baskets.
Who are the Montagnard-Dega?
The Montagnard-Dega are a group of indigenous peoples from over 52 recognized tribes in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam.
These indigenous villagers were important allies to the U.S. during the Vietnam war. They played a pivotal role within the U.S. Special Forces. As a result, there have been several waves of refugees who have resettled in the U.S. and other countries. They have been fighting for their land and sovereignty for generations.
Now, fast-paced economic and cultural changes endanger these communities. Many villagers are rural farmers who struggle to be able to pass on their ancestral lands and cultural heritage to their children.
Across The Sea Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed in 2021 by a Montagnard-Dega American member living in Western North Carolina. The board consists of Montagnard-Dega members both here in the U.S. and in Vietnam, as well as supportive community members across the globe.
Partnering with Caravan Art Bazaar in 2023, baskets, blankets, and the occasional batch of coffee beans have been sold through CAB events to help ATSF raise funds & share cultural creations.
Caravan Art Bazaar’s ART 4 AID program uses art for good by donating a percent of sales from artwork by participating artists to various grassroots mutual aid programs near and far.
To date, CAB has helped raise over $17,000 in funds for Hurricane Helene disaster relief in North Carolina, rainforest conservation in Peru and Sumatra, community land stewardship near Cherokee, affordable housing in Swannanoa NC, community art experiences in Asheville, cultural preservation in Vietnam, and more!
CAB’s ART4AID Program
