Textiles—Laos | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

Historically, Lao women of most ethnic groups weave. The resulting textiles were woven for personal use and were a representation of daily life and cultural traditions. Intricate and complex designs performed such supernatural functions as warding off evil spirits and bringing good fortune and fertility to a newly wedded couple. Textiles were produced both for wear and for ceremonial ornamentation, as well as for such domestic uses as mats and wall cloths for welcoming guests to the home for special ceremonies. Textiles used for clothing could denote a person's age and social status, or both, often through the use of color. Textile motifs may be geometric, such as the diamond or lozenge shape, or mythological, such as the siho or kosasing, a half-elephant, half-lion figure; the nak, a serpent prominent in the Lao Buddhist tradition; and the mom, a mythical bird.

A variety of weaving technologies is used in Laos, including both frame and body-tensioned looms. The most commonly used method is the traditional Lao floor loom with a vertical heddle. This loom consists of a wooden frame loom with a horizontal warp, the threads that are stretched to form the base and width of the woven fabric. Each thread, or warp end, is passed through a primary heddle, the mechanism that raises and lowers alternating warp threads through the use of foot peddles, or treadles, to form an opening called a shed. A secondary set of long-eyed heddles is used to create and store a supplementary design. The design is preserved with a series of pattern rods that correspond to a design the weaver wants to weave. This patterning and storage method is unique to Laos and allows for the diversity and complexity of Lao weaving.

Depending on the type of weave and patterning that is in use, the weaver passes the weft threads in between the shed with either a shuttle or manually. The warp is tensioned over a back beam and then looped back above the weaver. The warp is then tied on a beam above the weaver's head. The weaver can adjust the tension of the warp as the fabric progressed by reaching overhead and adjusting the knotted warp ends.

As the weaver weaves one row of weft, a beater, or reed, is pulled forward to beat the newly woven row into the body of the textile. The reed or comb is suspended overhead and is composed of tightly spaced bamboo teeth. Two warp ends are passed through an individual tooth of the reed that in turn keep the warp ends evenly spaced. The spacing of the teeth also determines the density, or thread count, of the fabric. Lao language has a specific term to indicate the number of threads in a warp. This measurement is known as a lope, a unit of 40 dents in the comb. The number of lope identifies the density of traditional fabrics.

Most Lao weavings are decorated using a supplementary weft, and in some cases a supplementary warp, patterning. The brocade, or pattern, is inlaid into the background of the fabric by alternating the background weave with the supplemental design. A continuous supplementary weft design is one in which the pattern and color extend across the width of the fabric. Discontinuous supplementary weft design is one in which the design and color are inlaid at various intervals across the weft line. This allows the weaver to create a wide range of complex patterns and designs in various colors.

Two other traditional methods of creating design in Lao fabrics are mat mi, known universally as ikat, and tapestry. With mat mi, the weft yarns are first dyed a base color and then wrapped onto a rectangular frame that is sized to coordinate with the width of the fabric. The yarns are wrapped in bunches depending on the length/width of the textile. These groups of weft threads are then measured and tied to form a specific design. The bundle is then dyed a second color, the wrapping removed, and the skein placed on a skein winder. The weaver winds the dyed thread onto a bobbin that is then placed into a shuttle. As the shuttle is passed back and forth between the warp threads, the design evolves as it has been dyed into the thread. An even more complex style of weaving that is used by some Lao ethnic groups, especially the Tai Daeng and Tai Kao in the north, is sin muk. With sin muk, narrow vertical bands of mat mi and supplementary weft are patterned with intersecting bands of supplementary warp threads, creating an intricate checkerboard patterning.

Approximately sixty-eight diverse ethnic groups live within the borders of Laos, each with its own unique style of weaving. The lowland Lao today represent an amalgamation of many of these groups. Traditionally, lowland silk skirts are tightly woven with a glossy, lightweight, and stiff texture. Skirts are often accented with gold and silver threads and employ Western dressmaking elements such as darts and metal fasteners. In southern Laos, designs are more influenced by Khmer culture, employing narrow vertical bands of alternating motifs, often in mat mi. Elephants, humans, and tiered structures figure prominently in their designs. The Phuan are located in the central mountains of Laos. These people tend to use a more orderly design, with horizontal bands and blocks of motifs. Color is heavily used to distinguish members within their group and to separate their designs from those of other ethnic groups.

The wild and mountainous northern terrain has isolated small bands of people, resulting in an extremely diverse region of intricate weaving styles. Various Tai groups each have their own style of patterning. The Tai Daeng of the northeast are well known for weaving intricate patterns within the body of the fabric. The Tai Lue people combine various weaving techniques with the use of tapestry weave. Many of their designs use bright colors and bold motifs. Waistbands are woven into the body of the skirt rather than attached as a separate piece. Head cloths are the most distinctive design of the Tai Dam people. Black cotton rectangles are patterned with thin lines of color and a bright rectangle. Decorative patches are woven on either end. Other northern groups, especially the Hmong and Yao, use other patterning techniques, such as batik and embroidery.

Following the end of civil war in 1975, large migrations of people from the north came down to the Mekong River plain. As a result, traditions from the diverse ethnic groups intermingled. Simultaneously, heirloom textiles were sold off to raise money to survive. The combination of this mingling of styles, the exodus of old textiles, and the simplification of designs threatened the loss of ancient motifs and traditions. Synthetics and Western styles also became more and more integrated into Lao weavings. Today, silk production is growing popular in rural Laos, with farmers producing high-quality, hand-reeled silk.

Traditional Lao weaving continues to be widespread and is recognized as a unique and exquisite art. The complex designs and techniques still practiced by Lao weavers make them among the most skilled in the world. Ancient Lao weaving traditions continue to be passed on from mother to daughter, which ensures the preservation of their unique textile heritage.

Connors, Mary F. (1998) Lao Textiles and Traditions. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Oxford University Press.

The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. (1995) Beyond Tradition: Lao Textiles Revisited. Hong Kong: Pearl River Printing Company.

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