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April 2015

Sok Dee Pi Mai! We’re looking forward to the Lao New Year (Pi Mai) from 14 – 16 April. Local celebrations will include the annual procession of the Pra Bang (a revered Buddha statue that lives at the National Museum and is the namesake of Luang Prabang), the appearance of the ancestral founders of Luang Prabang, building sand stupas, and much more. The three-day holiday ends the last year, pauses for one day that is neither the old nor the new year, and sees the beginning of the new year.

After this short break, we will return to our work celebrating and sharing the ethnic cultures of Laos. Read more below:

Luang Prabang Night Market Research Now On-line
New Visitor Centre Opens at National Protected Area in Houaphan Province
New Silk Textiles in the Heirloom Collection at TAEC Boutique
Staff Member Ton Receives Museum Internship in NYC
TAEC Joins Trade Fairs in the Region
Call for Translators

Luang Prabang Night Market Research Now Online

Our groundbreaking Stitching Our Stories project to empower ethnic minority women and highlight their stories continued into its third year, performing research into how handicraft income has affected the lives with women in the night market and communities around Luang Prabang.

Using tablets awarded by the MapYour World initiative, five of our Community Researchers: Bao, Chitthaphone, Keolavanh, Pasong, and Sia, used surveys to interview handicraft producers and sellers and plot their locations. The results are online, with maps, photos, and stories about the project.

Among the most interesting findings were that:

Selling handicrafts is the family’s main source of income for over 80% of respondents
70% of respondents made over 2,500,000k ($300+) per month during the high season, but that dropped to about half that during the low season
Two of the biggest problems with the night market as identified by vendors are the similarity of products being sold and the prevalence of imported products.

See the website to learn more! Many thanks to our partner PhotoForward for introducing us to Map Your World!

New Silk Textiles in the Heirloom Collection at TAEC Boutique

We’re excited to show off our newest Heirloom Collection pieces – exquisite silks from the Lao Phut ethnic group in Sam Tai District, Houaphan Province. The Lao Phut is a name chosen by some communities to distinguish themselves from animist peoples – “Phut” means Buddhist in Lao. The Lao Phut are usually ethnic Lao or Tai Daeng, but can be from another group that converted to Buddhism.

These rare pieces use tapestry, continuous supplementary weft technique, and natural dyes to pay homage to traditional designs but employs them in more contemporary combinations. Each one takes two months or more to weave, and are produced by just a few highly skilled female weavers. The textile pictured above was woven by Ms. Phonthip, who learned to weave over 30 years ago from her mother. She used hand-reeled silk and natural dyes to produce this piece that would traditionally be used as a blanket, particularly for special occasions. It took three months to complete.

We only have six of these textiles in stock – visit the TAEC Boutique or contact us if you’re interested in acquiring one of these collector’s item pieces. Each comes with a certificate of authenticity with details about the techniques and artisan.

Staff Member Ton Receives Internship at Museum in NYC

We are proud of TAEC staff member, Ton, who been awarded a three-month fellowship in the US by the Asian Cultural Council (ACC). Ton arrived in New York City a few weeks ago to undertake an internship in the Department of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).

Recognized for his outstanding work to date at TAEC and for his role fostering cultural exchange, Ton has been named the 2014 Elizabeth J. McCormack and Jerome I. Aron Fellow by ACC. If you have visited TAEC anytime since 2010, you may have met Ton as a greeter or as your tour guide.

We are excited that Ton has this opportunity to learn more about museum work and for this intensive cultural exchange. Ton says, “The museum is huge, there are lots of things to see and learn. My main job is working with the database and to help the museum to identify objects and materials. I am starting with artefacts from Laos. The AMNH plan is to change and develop the Asian Peoples exhibit. Tomorrow I will join a talk about Politics and Practices of Museum Exhibitions and I am reading books and some papers that relate to this topic.”

We look forward to hearing more stories about Ton's first trip to the US. Visit our Facebook page for updates!

New Visitor Centre Opens at National Protected Area in Houaphan Province

Lao government institutions often request exhibition development support from TAEC. Working with the Wildlife Conservation Society we recently completed work on a new Visitor Centre for the Nam Et - Phou Louey National Protected Area (NEPL NPA) in Houaphan Province. Home to Laos’ endangered tiger population, NEPL is one of the country’s largest and oldest national parks.

The Visitor Centre, designed by TAEC with the NPA authorities, features information about the area's rich array of carnivore and primate species, an explanation of threats to the ecosystem, a “Did You Know?" activity station, and camera trap photos of wildlife. NEPL NPA is also home to 99 villages, representing diverse ethnic groups such as the Hmong, Kmhmu, and Yao Mien. If travelling to Houaphan Province, stop by the Visitor Centre and book a trip with the Nam Nern Night Safari to really get out into the wilderness.

TAEC at Trade Fairs in the Region

In April we are off to Vietnam and in May to Vientiane to participate in trade fairs and promote our handmade ethnic products with exporters and new customers.

As a member of the Luang Prabang Handicraft Association, TAEC will travel to Lifestyle Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City 17 – 19 April. Last year, this regional trade fair for exporters of home décor and gifts attracted nearly 1800 importers from 36 countries. We look forward to meeting new friends from around the region and introducing them to quality, hand-made weavings and jewelry from Laos.

Fair Trade Laos will host a World Fair Trade Day event in Vientiane on Saturday, 9 May and TAEC will be there! Join in for kids activities, a fashion show, demonstrations, and a selection of fair trade products made in Laos. This year's venue will be at the football field next to the French Clinique.

Fair Trade Day events occur in over 80 countries and promote the crucial role Fair Trade plays in rural development around the world. Organizations operating with Fair Trade principals support sustainable livelihoods and empower villagers to contribute to the economic development of their communities.

Call For Translators

TAEC is seeking volunteer translators for English to French and English to German. We'd like to make the text of the Caregivers to Culture Keepers exhibition available to our French and German speaking visitors. If you'd like to help please contact information@taeclaos.org for additional details.

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Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre

PO Box 222

Ban Khamyong

Luang Prabang, Lao PDR

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