Silk weavers of hill tribe Laos
Subtitle: textiles, tradition, and well-being
By: Joshua Hirschstein and Maren Beck ; photography by Joe Coca
Contributors: Beck, Maren, author; Coca, Joe, photographer
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Number of pages: 220
ISBN-13: 9780997216899
Copyright date: 2017
Subjects: Silk weaving; Weaving
Description: "Part travelogue, part silk-weaving primer, this is a tender portrait of an American family's travels in Laos's Houaphon Province. As they learn about the ancient silk weaving traditions in the hill tribe community of Xam Tai, so too they gain an appreciation for the strong sense of well-being in Lao culture. Over the past decade, Beck and Hirschstein have developed deep connections with the villagers of Xam Tai who produce the finest, most intricate, most traditional silks in the world. The weavers raise their own fiber from silkworms, dye it using local natural dyes, and weave the patterns of their ancestors into healing cloths, ceremonial textiles, and daily wear. Hirschstein and Beck provide an in-depth and rare view into the everyday lives, cultures, and craft of Lao silk weavers"--Front cover French flap.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Spark. Welcome to Xam Tai ; Sukkhavit ; The falang, and how we got here ; Spark; title: Setting. Xam Tai district, Houaphan Province, Laos ; Nang Tiip of Xam Tai ; Political history of the region ; Yiim of Xam Tai ; Entering the twenty-first century ; Mai of Xam Tai ; Seeking Xam Tai's ethno-cultural roots ; Lun and Bounkeo; title: Textiles in village life. Me Tau Lu of Ban Tao ; Weaving as well-being ; Sinh and other daily-use textiles ; Ta of Meung Kuan ; Ceremonial textiles ; Phout of Xam Tai; title: Textile creation. The art of Xam Tai design and motifs ; Ban Tao sushi ; Silkworms and the art of sericulture ; Reeling with Seuk of Ban Tao ; Ni Mon of Xam Tai ; Souksakone of Xam Tai ; The art of natural dyeing ; The art of silk weaving: tools and techniques ; Template-makers and weavers ; Chola of Xam Tai ; Cotton textiles ; Dyeing with indigo; title: Looking foward. The marketplace ; Mai of Meung Kuan ; The dance of the young weavers ; Mai Chom of Xam Tai ; The final word.