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Laos Essential Artistry Posting Page
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
 We’ve isolated this diamond shape piece from a tapestry-style textile woven in Sam Neua because we find the motifs, design and color especially mesmerizing in this textile. We included in the introduction to the Sam Neua Silk Tapestry Wall-hangings as is written the catalog Weaving Tradition: Carol Cassidy and Woven Silks of Laos in the section Patterns and Motifs that “The motifs in Lao textiles reflect and record the complex history of the region. Some are drawn from the unique Lao Tai culture and are said to represent characters in traditional Lao epics. Others are derived from outside influences both ancient and recent. The imported motifs have been adopted and adapted by each weaver and translated into designs that express personal experiences, hopes and dreams…" But what do all the motifs in the diamond shape mean? Luckily, we had the opportunity to guide Elli Findley, Religious Studies Chair at Trinity College, through northern Laos this last December as she was researching the use of Tai Daeng (Red Tai) textiles in ceremonies, such as weddings and funerals. She's currently writing a book based on her research and so we asked her if she would provide insight into the possible meaning of the motifs used in this diamond shape piece. Elli wrote back that: “This brightly colored diamond shape is called a "lantern" and is often found on such Lao-Tai textiles as shoulder cloths (phaa biang) and door curtains (phaa kang). Here it may come from a funeral panel. The central design is a saang hong (or siho) that represents a mythical being that is half elephant (see the trunk) and half bird (see the legs). In the center, the siho appears in a mirror-reversed design, and again on each side in two smaller versions. The siho is pregnant with double-headed serpent or ngueak (naga) in its belly, and on its back is a candle house with a figure inside -- representing a boat taking someone to the other world. The figure is either a recently deceased member of the community or the shaman accompanying him as guide into the after life. Notice the five-fingered hands of the figure and the naga heads on either side of him. Rainbow patterns occur in the candles on top of the houseboat, in the “S” designs representing baby nagas, and in the hooks of the sihos’ hair. There is one story that says that such a design can occur on coffin covers of fathers who die before their children are grown and that the double headed naga in the siho’s belly represents the youths who must mature before the mourning process helped by this textile can be completed." Thank you Elli! We love it. Not only are the textiles exquisite works of art, they’re incredibly rich in meaning. One of the reasons my wife and I have opened Laos Essential Artistry. A post to come will talk more about the Ngeuak/Nagas and a recently published book titled Naga Cities of the Mekong: A guide to the temples, legends and history of Laos written by Martin Stuart-Fox with Photographs by Steve Northup and published by Media Masters Pte Ltd. in Singapore (2006) by: Laos Essential Artistry 
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