Laos Essential Artistry

Buddha background for our blog and website

 

How did we create the Buddha background for our blog and website?

 

This is a question we’ve been asked several times. What we did was to take a photo I took of a window grating in a wat in Luang Prabang (top photo) which I exposed for the sunlight on the grating which turned the interior black (under exposed). There were a lot of cobwebs and dirt and in Photoshop I "cleaned" up the image and then inverted it and put it on it's own layer and lowered the opacity (bottom photo) and then we just tiled the resulting image to create our wallpaper.

We think it's appropriate because we used our own photo and with Buddhism the main religion in Laos (over 60% of the population is Buddhist) we like to think Buddha would approve of the work we're doing. What do you think?

Post Archives

I've spent a lot of time writing posts and so I'm putting together a list of pasts post with links to the post that I'll update occassionally. For people interested in Laos subjects, you might find something worthwhile to check out!

 

Hmong Storycloths Zoomified

http://blog.gotlaos.com/2005/11/hmong_storyclot.html

 

Zoomify is a small program that allows anyone to click on the photo and zoom in for a close-up view. In this post I use the program to let viewers zoom in on details on several Hmong storycloths.

 

Bombies

http://blog.gotlaos.com/2005/12/bombies.html

 

Bombies is a great video. Anyone interested in Laos, especially its history and the Secret War will find this video extremely informative and interesting. I can’t recommend this highly enough.

 

Assembly Bill 78

http://blog.gotlaos.com/2005/12/assembly_bill_7.html

 

I was so excited when this bill came out over six years ago because I thought finally teachers would take responsibility for teaching and/or talking about the Secret War and why that led to the influx of our Hmong, Mien and Lao students and their families beginning in 1976. But the sad truth is this bill didn’t change a thing. Nothing.

 

Walking in Peace

http://blog.gotlaos.com/2007/08/walking-togethe.html

 

One of my favorite photos is of a group of monks walking in Luang Prabang and the University of San Diego paid for the rights to use the photo in a media campaign to promote a Social Issues Conference.

 

The Lao are People of the Heart

http://blog.gotlaos.com/2007/08/the-lao-are-peo.html

 

I think it is really fascinating how the Lao word for heart, “jhai” is used in hundreds of words and in this post we provide more information about Lao language and how the word “jhai” is used.

 

Teacher Pay in Laos

http://blog.gotlaos.com/2007/08/teacher-pay-in-.html

 

Teachers are horribly paid in Laos and in this post I include an article from the Vientiane Times on “Provincial Teachers Wait to be Paid.” Progress in Laos will continue to move forward at a snail’s pace if they really can’t seriously upgrade their educational program.

 

YouTube video of a Principal Planting Rice

http://blog.gotlaos.com/2007/08/youtube-video-o.html

 

This post is connected with the previous post because the pay for educators is so poor they need to have a second job, or in this case plant their own little rice field so they have enough food to eat…

 

The Dynamic Women of Muang Sing

http://blog.gotlaos.com/2007/08/the-dynamic-wom.html

 

Muang Sing used to be one of my favorite places to visit in Laos and now it’s been over four years since we’ve visited… I guess Sam Neua has replaced Muang Sing, but I know we will return and I will be sure to visit the villages of all these amazing women. I miss them.

 

Rice is Life

http://blog.gotlaos.com/2007/08/rice-is-life.html

 

One of my favorite childrens’ books and I’ve included several of the passages which I encourage your to read outloud. Marvelous language that really captures what it’s like growing rice in a paddy, whether it’s in Bali (where the setting of the story takes place), or in Laos, Vietnam, etc.

 

Reporting on Laos in Time Magazine: 1949 – 1959

http://blog.gotlaos.com/2007/08/reporting-on-la.html

 

If anyone is interested in the history of Laos and how it was reported on in Time Magazine in this ten year period, you should check out this very long post with excerpts from a number of articles. They really portray Laos as this simplistic, backwards country. For example: Time Magazine, Jan. 21, 1957   “Conquest by Negotiation” Life in Shangri-La was never quite so dreamlike as life in Laos since that country became an independent nation 2½ years ago. With the French no longer directing its political life, the unwarlike people of this Buddhist kingdom in the interior of the Indochinese peninsula relapsed into their old hedonist ways.

 

 

Northern Laos Textile Research Tour – December

http://blog.gotlaos.com/2007/08/northern-laos-t.html

 

A very long post about our first trip guiding Elli. If you want to know what it’s like to travel through Laos you might enjoy this post, especially if you’re thinking about joining one of our tours.

 

Why Laos?

http://blog.gotlaos.com/2007/09/why-laos.html

 

I wrote this post in trying to explain why I think Laos is important to include in the curriculum. In one paragraph I wrote, “Laos and Southeast Asia are important because they include geologically and ecologically diverse areas of study, are the starting place of many new immigrants to the U.S., offer an opportunity to introduce students to the issues of developing nations in a concrete way, and are politically diverse and culturally and religiously rich.”

 

Now that Obama gathered the “courage” to meet with the leaders of all 10 countries in ASEAN, maybe things will begin to change…

 

Hmong girl washing clothes in Xieng Khouang

http://blog.gotlaos.com/2007/09/washing-clothes.html

 

I uploaded a bunch of videos on YouTube about four years ago and this one has drawn a lot of comments from YouTube viewers. It’s about a 3-year old Hmong girl dutifully washing clothes along side her mother in a rural Hmong village. Quite amazing how good she is. I have it now posted on our Vimeo website that’s better to watch since it’s easier to post high resolution videos on their site.

 

Reporting on Laos in Time Magazine: 1960 – 1976

http://blog.gotlaos.com/2007/09/publish---repor.html

 

I’ve done all the hard research and someone can learn a lot by reading the articles I’ve included that feature Laos. Here’s one typical sentence, “That left Laos about where it has been since 1954—a wobbly stake in the free world's fence against world Communism.” Hmm, a “wobbly stake.” This was the US view of Laos during this time.

 

This is the second part of my research as the first part for the years 1949 – 1959 was included in this post: http://blog.gotlaos.com/2007/08/reporting-on-la.html

 

 

 

Building Trust... A testimonial from a Satisfied Customer

Building trust is easier said than done in an online business. It's a slow process, but when you believe in something, are passionate about it, and honest and fair, it will come your way. Happy customers are everything and we would like to share an email from a customer we worked with on a custom order for some sinhs. She ordered three and we had eight sinhs sent from Laos, and still have three left for anyone who likes a black, stylish sinh.

"Lao Essential Artistry has been wonderful to work with.  For my wedding I wanted my bridesmaids to wear traditional Laotian sinhs because I wanted to keep part of my culture in my wedding.  Peter and Bai were very helpful on taking specific special orders from me and had the sinh I wanted made.  The sinhs were handmade in Laos and shipped to the States about a month later.  During this time Peter and Bai kept me up to date on the progress of my order from the sinh being made to shipment to me.  They are very responsive to emails and even emailed me photographs of the sinh.  I was very happy with the order and so was my wedding party.  The sinh looked exactly how Bai described it to me. I appreciate Peter and Bai taking the time to be flexible to accommodate my needs.  I did not have to settle for any sinh for my wedding; I got exactly what I wanted.  I recommend Lao Essential Artistry to anyone searching for a Laotian sinh and I will use them again.  They are a remarkable company to work with and show their customers personal attention to make sure the customer is satisfied.  They really did go the extra mile for me and helped make my wedding closer to perfect."

Phaileen Vankham

Tai Daeng (Red Tai) Shaman in Ban Sop Hao, Huaphan Province, Laos

Tai Daeng Shaman in Ban Sop Hao in Huaphan Province, Laos from Laos Essential Artistry on Vimeo.

When we were researching with Elli last summer we met quite a few shamans and witnessed different ceremonies and blessings. Here, the shaman is performing a ceremony to bless a new house and rid it of all its bad luck and clear the way for good luck in the future. Part of a ceremony is often a display of "power" and in the video toward the end you will see the shaman balance a long candle on top of a knife he sets in a small bowl of rice. Pretty impressive!

Lao Sinh Article in Vientiane Times

There have been two recent articles in the Vientiane Times about Lao sinhs and modernity. It's interesting to see how the Lao are caught between traditionalism and modernity in thinking about the future of women wearing sinhs. The basic tubular form I doubt will never change and it seems that Lao women aren't yet ready to abandon hand-woven silk cloth for machine-woven cloth (polyester, etc.). There are almost infinite motifs woven into sinh fabric and a variety of traditional styles, such as ikat or lai kohn or sinh muk. The fact is that Lao women have a much larger variety of sinh fabric to chose from than American women would have of a particular dress style. It's just that the sinh will always be associated with the basic tubular form, the wrap-around style of rectangular fabric. Here in America, probably most Lao women consider wearing the sinh ultra-traditional and appropriate when going to a Buddhist wat, but probably way too quaint to wear when going out on the town. At least that's the way it is in Sacramento. Remember we probably have the largest selection of Lao sinhs here in the states! In the photo above Bai's sister is on the right and her two cousins are on the left as the pose in front of That Luang. Here's the article:

"Call for Modern Sinhs

 

Many Lao women still wear traditional skirts (sinhs) every day, but modern fashion trends are pushing producers to develop their sinh and blouse patterns to attract young people and respond to their needs.

Increasing demand from local women and visitors has allowed some families, skilled in weaving sinhs, to send their products, or move their family, to Vientiane where they can work full-time as weavers and improve their living conditions. The modern silk sinh and blouse styles have developed as a mix of elements from various regions across the country, helping to modernize the designs.

 

President of Lao Women's Business Association, Ms Chanthao Pathammavong said in the past Lao women wove textiles and sinhs primarily for use within their families. Now they are focusing more on markets and improving their designs to meet domestic market demands.

 

Women from different ethnic groups now weave many different types of patterns using a variety of techniques and are learning to use colors that are most in demand. In the past, sinhs were highly valued in Laos, probably more than any other handicraft product, providing women with a basic need – clothing.

 

Ms Chanthao argued that today's newer technology and wider advertising has allowed modern clothing industries to more easily attract the public, leading to a decline in traditional weaving. At present, if sinh weavers don't adjust their patterns and colors to look more modern, they may find it difficult to attract young women, which may lead to a decline in the prevalence of sinhs worn for traditional events. This has a negative impact on weavers' income and may even lead to unemployment, but makes it especially difficult to preserve this valued Lao tradition. Though modern sinh patterns may revive interest in wearing the skirts, even outside the country, they should remain appropriate and adhere to their traditional propriety.

 

Today, Lao traditional skirts have developed more than most other handicrafts and have become famous among tourists who buy them as gifts for friends and relatives. Interest in the delicate and beautiful patterns of Lao sinhs expands to Thailand, Cambodia and Japan , demonstrating the potential for overseas exports.

Ms Chanthao explained that if we want to see foreigners wearing sinhs, the answer is simple. Lao women can help preserve tradition and culture, while ensuring employment of weavers, by continuing to weave and wear sinhs.

 

A weaver in Simeuang village, Ms Latsame Phathomma, expressed her view that it is presently necessary to adjust sinh styles to fit into modern fashions in order to keep the art of hand-weaving alive. Though the look and style may evolve, the integrity and standards of the product should remain. For example a sinh consists of 3 different parts, the hua sinh (waistband), pheun sinh (body, main part) and the tdin sinh (hem). Weavings with different designs and colours come from each portion of the country and reflect the culture, social relationships and beliefs from community to community and region to region. "