Textile history in Laos.
Lao culture is best reflected in its folk crafts. The most famous of all are the incredible hand-woven textiles made from locally produced cotton and silk. The best weavings have usually some religious purposes. At first glance, patterns in Lao textiles may appear very modern and abstract, but a closer look reveals thousand year old symbols such as tantric diamonds providing protection from evil spirits, or mythical animals such as the royal lion-elephant and the naga snakes, dragons of the Mekong. Each of these animals has its own beneficial or protective meaning, although many of the old legends about them have faded away from popular culture. While most Lao women still wear the traditional woven skirt (or “sinh”) every day, skirts and shawls with intricate work and silk thread are reserved for special occasions such as festivals and religious ceremonies.
Wood craft .
A long with stone, mud, and animal parts, wood was certainly one of the first materials worked by our ancestors.Among early types of wooden tools and utensils in Laos are the carved sticks from Champassak Province in the South, gourds, wooden idols and ritual masks from Luang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces in the north. Since early times, carved wooden vessels, animal traps and weaving looms are known and still are used throughout the country. The deep forests of Laos still abound in precious tropical wood such as teak and rosewood, traditionally used to design luxurious furniture.
Saa Paper.
The Saa paper gets its typical rough texture from the mulberry tree bark it is made of. This process is intensive hand labor: The pulp is first mashed by hand with a hammer, and diluted in water. Then, using a screen frame that drains the water but leaves the pulp on the surface, one creates a single, homogeneous sheet of paper which is then left to dry outside.
