Handwoven Silk Textiles from Laos & book Silk Weavers of Hill Tribe Laos

Description

A $5.00 ticket gives you a chance to win two exquisite, handwoven textiles from Houaphan Province, Laos.  Both are crafted of village-raised silk, naturally dyed, and handwoven with spiritually protective mythological creatures depicted in the discontinuous supplemental weft patterning created on a hand-built loom.  The traditions behind these textiles come from the Lao-Tai people who live in this region of Laos – predominantly the Lao Loum and Tai Daeng.  

The blue-grey textile is a shoulder cloth worn by both Buddhist and Animist women for religious ceremonies, cultural ceremonies, and to weddings and other occasions. The shoulder cloth was traditionally worn as a breast wrap, but now can also be worn over one shoulder and draped in front and back. This cloth was woven by a Lao woman named Chola, whose photo while modeling this textile is included with the textile for the raffle winner. Chola’s shoulder cloth includes mythological river serpents, or Nak, surrounding a center diamond of flowers. The rainbow stripes represent the Hong bird whose belly is the rainbow, and the borders are flowers and stylized crabs.  Dyes include lac, indigo, haem, anatto, and kor ben (duobanga grandiflora) overdyed by dirt from the burned rice fields until the lovely blue grey is created. (This textile is 83” x 9”)

The light marigold textile is an altar cloth or small wall hanging with many creatures. The primary motif is a two-headed Siho (mythological elephant lion) pregnant with two curled-tailed Nak and flowers, and with an ancestor spirit on its back under a temple with candelabra on top and two Nak. More Nak and diamonds of flowers grace the background. Dyes include lac, indigo, haem, and kor ben (duobanga grandiflora) overdyed in dirt from the burned rice fields for 4 days and 3 nights to make a true black. The photo attached is of the weaver holding both this lovely textile and her equally lovely baby! (This textile is 32.5” x 11.25”)

Completing the package is a copy of Silk Weavers of Hill Tribe Laos, written by WARP member Maren Beck and her husband Josh Hirschstein. This package was donated by Above The Fray: Traditional Hill Tribe Art, a family business owned by WARP Board Member Maren Beck and her husband Josh Hirschstein.  Above the Fray ventures to the hill-tribe regions of Laos and Vietnam to personally select the world’s most exquisite hand-woven silk, cotton, and hemp textiles directly from the hill tribe artisans. Products and information about the artists, motifs, natural dyes, and more can be found on their website www.hilltribeart.com.