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APRIL 2016

Sabaidee! Soon Lao New Year will be here. Filled with water throwing, blessing ceremonies, offerings at temples, and time with family, it’s one of the biggest holidays in the Lao calendar. We will be closed for Pi Mai from 13 – 16 April.

We wish you a Happy Lao New Year!

We continue to develop new programmes and to seek new products to showcase the cultural diversity of Laos. Read more below about some of our recent activities:

• TAEC Katu Exhibition Gifted to Sekong Provincial Museum

• Hmong Embroidery and Kmhmu Basket Weaving Workshops Now at TAEC

• “Phasad” Silk Ikat Textiles from the South of Laos

• Meet Keo, Katu Weaver and our Newest Shop Staff

Sekong Province Receives TAEC Katu Exhibit

After one year on display at TAEC in Luang Prabang, we are happy to announce the permanent installation of “Carving a Community: The Katu People” at the Provincial Museum in Sekong Province.

The exhibition highlights distinct cultural traits and crafts of the Katu residing in southern Laos and the central highlands of Vietnam. Highlights of the exhibit include intricate weavings, basketry, and bold woodcarving by Katu artisans.

Carved and painted decoration from a traditional meeting house is also on display. The meeting house was the focal point of the Katu village. Here, members of the community would gather to carry out important rites, including buffalo sacrifice. Videos of this annual ritual and daily activities allow visitors to witness the folkways of the Katu.

Developed with the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Lao Institute for Social Sciences, and the University of Gothenburg, the exhibition received support from the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation. This grant made the gift to the Sekong Provincial Museum possible.

Khoun introduces the exhibition in this short video.

See more photos of the exhibition here.

Hmong Embroidery and Kmhmu Basket Weaving Workshops Now at TAEC

Handicraft workshops are a great way to learn more about craft traditions in Laos, and TAEC is now offering weekly drop-in classes!

For every workshop, after an introduction to TAEC and tour of the exhibits, participants sit together on the shady patio at TAEC to create their own crafts to take home.

On Thursday mornings, Mai Ying, a Hmong artisan, leads the workshop on Hmong embroidery, with Sai, TAEC Education Coordinator, translating. Participants select a motif and learn about the meaning behind the design, while chatting about Hmong culture and counting stitches.

Every Saturday morning, Sengphet leads the basket weaving workshop. Sengphet shares background on weaving with bamboo, answers questions about the Kmhmu people in Laos, and leads the group to create a taleo and a small gift basket.

Enjoy a local drink of rosella, Lao coffee, or jujube while you create your own craft to take home with you. The workshop fee ($12 for Basketry and $15 for Embroidery) includes entry to the museum, a local drink, a tour, and the supplies and guided instruction to make your own handicraft to take home. An ethnic lunch can be added for an additional $12 and is highly recommended!

Email bookings@taeclaos.org to reserve your spot!

“Phasad” Silk Ikat Textiles from the South of Laos

Part of TAEC’s work is working to preserve and revive traditional skills that may be declining in modern Laos. Our work on phasad silk textiles is an example of this. After visiting Champassak Province, a colleague informed us that the women of Ban Saphai were no longer producing the famous figurative ikat textiles the area was once known for. Influenced by the Khmer tradition of pidan, or wall hangings made as offerings, the weavers in the village were now producing simple Lao skirts that they sold to Thailand. TAEC visited the community to see if there was the possibility of creating the phasad textiles again.

Phasad means palace, and may also refer to a three tiered temple building seen in the weaving. To make these traditional designs, the weft threads are first wound around a frame. Then the threads are carefully tied and dyed in a specific sequence to create a multi-colored thread. When these threads are woven into the warp the images appear. While many women can weave the thread once they are dyed, the ability to prepare them with multiple colors and images is a specialized skill.

After four visits to the community to explore, encourage, and coach, these unique and rare phasad silk ikat textiles are now available in a variety of colors and designs at TAEC and TAEC Boutique.

See more photos from Ban Saphai.

Meet Keo, Katu Weaver and our Newest Shop Staff

Keophone Jouimany joined the TAEC Shop Staff in February this year. Originally from Salavan Province in southern Laos, Keo moved to Luang Prabang less than a year ago. Traveling by bus the journey from Salavan took two days!

TAEC has a close relationship with her village of Katu weavers, who produce the fabric for many of our products including sinh, beaded table runners, purses, and bags. Keo learned to weave when she was 10 years old using her sister's backstrap loom. After several years, she gained her own loom and learned the tradition of weaving beads into the fabric to create patterns on the cloth.

Keo says, “I like practicing my English with visitors in the shop.” Before working at TAEC she had little opportunity to practice English, which is her fourth language. She already speaks Katu, Lao, and Thai.

Visit us to meet Keo and learn more about Katu weaving!

Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre

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Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre

PO Box 222

Ban Khamyong

Luang Prabang, Lao PDR

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