Laos Essential Artistry

Kitten Warming up on top of a Sticky Rice Container in Ban Na Ang, Laos

As those of you who are veterans at making sticky rice know, after steaming the rice and "kneading" it the rice is put into various size wicker containers to keep it warm. On this cold morning the kitten you see here had the "best seat" in the house!

Favorite Laos Photo Series: Dok Champa flowers framing Wat Mixay Gable

It's just about this time when the Dok Champa trees in Laos seem to have the most flowers. They bloom all year long, but not as fully as they do around February. Not only are they beautiful flowers, their smell is exquisite and perfumes the nearby air at night. I can remember when I lived in Laos and would go see Bai when she was living at her aunt's and would walk back to my house in the warm evening and it was enchanting to walk by Dok Champa trees with their intoxicating fragrance. Just one part of the spell Laos has woven for me...

We have some nice paintings by Khamla of Dok Champa that you can see on our Yahoo Store website here and one of them you can see below.

Taykeo Textile Gallery Weavers in Vientiane, Laos

This video was taken about three years ago when Taykeo had some of the best Lao weavers working for her. We're a little biased because the first weaver you see in this video is Bai's sister Bouasai. She wove for Taykeo part-time while she was attending the university. She graduated over a year ago and now works at another job, but still helps us out in managing our business interests in Vientiane. In this video you can see some very complex weaving and with one weaver you can see her picking out a pattern by looking at an antique Lao textile. All the Lao silk you see has been naturally-dyed and the colors Taykeo chooses for her textiles are simply gorgeous. You can see some of her beautiful textiles at our Yahoo store here. The textiles aren't cheap, but our prices are half of what you would pay in any of the museum shops where you might see her textiles for sale.

Avatar/Na'vi Language & Lao Language --- To see into someone's heart ...

About a month ago we put up a video we made of Keynote slides showing how Lao language incorporates the word "heart" - "jhai" into many other words. That post can be seen here.

This morning when we heard James Cameron talking about his winning the Golden Globe for Best Director for Avatar and he was asked to say something in the Avatar language, Na'vi, we thought about how Lao language shared an important connection. What he said in Na'vi he translated as meaning, "I see you" which he explained as being much more than seeing someone just in the physical sense, that it was about seeing into someone one, respecting them and cherishing them.

The Lao too have a word for "I see you" which is their word for empathy, "hen jhai," which means to see into someone's heart, and this word is one of the words we feature in our original video. What we've done in this post is to include the video clip of James Cameron speaking the Na'vi words for "I see you" and below that is a short segment of our original video showing the Lao word "hen jhai."

So there you have the Na'vi and Lao language connection! And by the way we loved the movie. Great story, great animation and the message about the importance of connection, connecting with people and the environment is powerful. The blurring of the real and the imaginary and the material and spiritual worlds, really capture your imagination. It's a movie I know will resonate in our hearts for a long time...

Laos Essential Artistry Northern Laos Textile Arts & Culture Tours

We've decided not to do a tour this June, a planned generic tour just seems to difficult to actualize. But we're always interested in working with individuals and small groups who want to arrange a custom tour. And if you're interested in going to Laos in December contact us at peterlaos@hotmail.com and we can put you on a "mailing" list. Not sure if we'll plan a generic tour, but as we stated previously, we're always glad to put together a custom tour with a focus on the textile arts.

Are you an adventurous person? Do you look at the picture above (from a postcard) and think you would like to go there? Then maybe you're ready to join Laos Essential Artistry and experience the magic of Laos with Peter and Bai. As Peter Greenberg, Travel Contributor wrote for the Today Show when Matt Lauer finally visited Laos on April 30, 2008 as part of his Where in the World is Matt Lauer series, "Laos is a true magical mystery tour. Few Americans visit. Fewer understand it. However, more and more savvy travelers are slowly discovering this small country.”

At Laos Essential Artistry we have been leading tours to Laos since 2002 and we totally agree with Peter Greenberg about the magicality of Laos. Our tours are designed explicitly to promote meaningful cross-cultural understanding that enables participants to expand their historic and cultural insights while making important connections, and on our tours we like to focus on illuminating the world of the Lao artisan, especially in regards to the textile arts. And of course, as always, we cater to photographers.

If you’ve browsed through our website at gotlaos.com and have been following our blog our passion for Laos and the textile arts is clearly evident. The textiles arts have always been an important part of everyday life in Laos and on our tour we will experience fascinating blend of old and new, traditional and modern, formal and innovative. We will visit famous galleries in Vientiane, like Carol Cassidy’s Textile Gallery and Phaeng Mai Gallery, boutique galleries in Luang Prabang and perhaps the highlight of our tour, visit the remote weaving villages of Sam Tai and Muang Vaen in Huaphan Province. Besides being incredibly picturesque, the weaving in these villages is among some of the best in Laos and participants will have the opportunity to buy museum-quality silk textiles right from the weavers/artisans themselves.

Write us at peterlaos@com if you're interested in traveling to Laos and let's see what we can arrange.

Monks in Laos Video - A Photo Montage of our Favorite Monk Photos

Some of our favorite monk photos taken over the years set to a soundtrack we like.. Enjoy!

The Baci (Ba-si) Ceremony in Laos

On our tour this June during the trip we will have a welcoming baci ceremony for all the participants. On previous tours we’ve had the baci ceremony at a house we rented in Vientiane (Photo 1 & 1-2) and last year we had one in a Tai Daeng home in a rural village north of Sam Neua (Photo 2 & 2-2) just for Elli. On this tour we’re thinking of having it in Sam Tai, at the home of one of the weaving families we’ve gotten to know quite well, and it’s usually at this home that the best weavers will bring their textiles for a special showing for our tour group (Photo 3). The ceremonies are very special occasions and what we do is invite members of the community to join us so that it becomes an opportunity for our tour participants to really feel and become connected with the Lao people. Our tours are thought out and artfully planned so participants gain important insights into Lao culture and the Baci ceremony is key to understanding what it is to be Lao. We believe in a participatory experience, something that is authentic and real, and we will fully document the ceremony and provide video files and photos for all tour participants they can then have to share with their families and friends.

The following is a description of the baci ceremony, it’s history and meaning. “The baci is an indigenous Southeast Asian ritual, performed predominantly in Thailand and Laos, celebrated on any occasion deemed suitable e.g. both for welcoming guests and wishing them well on their departure, or as a component of the marriage ceremony, or to bless a new born baby, to conduct a housewarming, to recover from an illness, celebrate a birthday, or at the start or conclusion of a major journey, and even to celebrate the ordination of someone about to become a monk. The main purpose is the binding of the personal spirits to the person, and is also a means of expressing goodwill and good luck to others. The ceremony is also known as Sukwan, or Hetkwan. Su-kwan may be interpreted as "the invitation of the kwan" or "the calling of the kwan." The kwan are 32 spirits believed to watch over the human body's 32 organs, and are considered to constitute a person's spiritual essence.

 

Throughout a person's life, the kwan wander, sometimes going very far from the person's body. From time to time, especially when someone is sick, it is important to call back these spirits - so they may help the person in their current need. This is a good example of how original beliefs, probably originating from the native Austro-Asiatic inhabitants have fused with Buddhism. In order to qualify as a Buddhist monk, one condition the candidate must meet is the thirty-two physical criteria of health, which correspond to the 32 kwan. In fact, the baci, in one form or another, is a ritual practiced across ethnic divisions to make it the most prolific cultural form in Lao PDR.

 

A respected person, usually an older man who has been a monk, assumes the role of the Maw Pawn and leads the ceremony. The main item required is the the pha kwan, the centerpiece, a metal bowl piled high with cones of banana leaves and flanked with marigold flowers, white string, candles, and incense. Around the base there is a variety of food and drink - rice cakes, sweet pastries, boiled chicken, liquor, eggs and sticky rice. Eggs and rice are the most symbolic of these, representing fertility and prosperity. The participants gather in a circle around the pha kwan which sits on a low circular table, and those closest have one hand touching this table. Those farther away who cannot touch the center table, touch the person in front of them - to capture the flow of good energy and show a state of togetherness.

 

The Maw Pawn calls on the spirits to cease wandering and return to the bodies of those present. He then asks the kwan to bring well-being and happiness and to share in the feast that will follow. Lighting the candles, he joins his hands in prayer and addresses the "spirits" in Pali, chanting for about ten minutes. Once this part is over, if there is a guest of honor, the person being honored has some symbolic food placed in the hand, while white cotton strings (sai sin) are tied round his or her wrists, to the accompaniment of further benedictions. For maximum effect, these strings must have three knots in them. Everyone bows their heads, their hands palm together in the traditional prayer position. The Maw Pawn will take a few pieces of string from the centerpiece, and rub the person's wrist, back and forth - the first motion, toward the wrist, is done to bring good things to the person. The second, away from the wrist, is to remove all bad things from the person. He then ties a white string around one wrist and then the other. All the while chanting more blessings. The strings tied to the wrists bind the spirits to the person.

 

After this, all the participants, who have been sitting round the pa kwan, are allowed to tie more strings around his or her wrists, while expressing their own specific good wishes; and are also permitted to tie strings around each other's wrists, helping each other bind their souls, and wishing each other well. The strings must remain on the wrists for at least three days and after that, if one wants to remove them, they must not be cut, but somehow slipped off. Many people wear them until, frayed and worn, they fall off on their own. This part of the ceremony, until the end, may be accompanied by music and dance.”

Walking Together in Peace (in Luang Prabang, Laos)

We probably have one of the largest collection of Laos photos exhibited on the Internet. We put up our first photo galleries in December 1998 after Peter's first trip to Laos in November 1998. This photo of the group of monks walking in Luang Prabang was taken way back then! And at the time digital cameras were still quite crude and Peter was using a Canon SLR shooting Kodachrome slide film. Peter stopped shooting film in 2000 when he got his first Nikon Coolpix camera and now uses a Canon 40D and hopes to get a Canon 7D...

We have hundreds of photos of monks in our collection. It’s hard to go wrong taking photos of monks in Laos as their orange robes stand out and can provide eye-catching compositions.

Peter remembers back to when he took this photo. "Being as it was my first time in Laos I was hyper-sensitive to  everything around me. Honestly, for three weeks it felt like every pore in my body was wide open and  absorbing everything around me. It was an incredible high to have all my senses being bombarded, especially from a photographic standpoint. If I didn’t have my camera to record what I was seeing and experiencing, I think I would have exploded!"

Luang Prabang back in 1998 was much less of a tourist destination, even though it had been classified a World Heritage site in 1995. A lot of shops on the main street were still closed, like the one in the background of where the monks are walking. The muted colors in this old French colonial city are a photographer’s dream and when Peter saw these shuttered blue doors he immediately thought how they would provide an exciting contrast to the orange robes of the monks as they walked by.

The monks in the late morning after their morning meal often walk together in groups going to one school or the other and with their shaved heads most are always carrying umbrellas to protect themselves from the bright sunlight and as Peter recounts, "What I did was to find a spot across the street, set my camera up on a tripod and wait for the right combination of monks to come walking by. I don’t remember taking a lot of photos and must have known that this shot had great potential. Of course then, since the camera wasn’t digital, there was no way for me to play back the image to see if it was a “winner” or not. But intuitively I knew I had something special."

This photo has been a lucky photo for Peter. He entered it in a Korean Air photo contest about five years ago and won a RT first class ticket from SF to Bangkok!

A couple of years ago San Diego University asked to use this photo in their publicity for a Social Issues Conference based on the theme of Walking Together in Peace. We really like their graphic design and especially the caption of “Walking Together in Peace.” That’s something we both believe in and support...

You can also see that we've incorporated the same image into our banner on our blog and Yahoo Store website. When you look at images like this and other images on our blog and Yahoo store website, just imagine that if you join our June 2010 tour the images you will be able to take and then bring home, images that will capture both your experiences and the special spirit of Laos - its breathtaking natural splendor, rich cultural heritage, and profound spiritual mystique.

Cosmic Creatures: Lao Textiles from Sam Neua, Sam Tai and Muang Vaen

We actually got the idea for the title of this post from an exhibition curated by Patricia Cheesman at the East-West Center Gallery in Honolulu, Hawaii titled Cosmic Creatures: Textiles from Northeast Lao Communities this last summer. We substituted Sam Neua, Sam Tai and Muang Vaen for Northeast Lao Communities, because these are the towns most associated with Northeastern Laos and the towns we are very familiar with and will be visiting on our June 2010 Laos tour.

If you're a regular follower of our blog then you probably are familiar with Patricia because we recently wrote a post recommending two books for our tour participants to read to gain a better understanding of the history, complexity and artistry of Lao textiles and one of them was Patricia Cheesman’s Lao-Tai Textiles: The Textiles of Xam Nuea and Muang Phuan. In the exhibition mentioned above Patricia writes in the handout that, “This exhibition gives us a glimpse into the heavens of the peoples of northeast Laos where serpents are powerful allies and can become human; birds can turn into elephants, serpents or boats, through an art-form created by women.”

We’ve isolated the diamond shape piece above from a tapestry-style textile woven in Sam Neua because we too are fascinated with these magical (cosmic) motifs. But what do they mean? Luckily, we've had the opportunity to guide Elli Findley, a professor at Trinity College through northern Laos the last three years as she has been researching the use of Tai Daeng (Red Tai) textiles in rituals such as weddings and funerals, and we asked her if she would provide insight into the possible meaning of the motifs used in this diamond shape piece.

She wrote us back saying, “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."

Elli writes that the siho is  "pregnant with double-headed serpent or ngueak (naga) in its belly." Patricia Cheesman in the handout mentioned above writes about the naga (nak/ngeuak) that,  “The serpent is the oldest symbol known to have been a totem of the ancestors of the Lao-Tai peoples and was shared by the Chinese in the Yangtze River basin over 6000 years ago. Whereas the Chinese told of the male serpent hunder god controlling rain, storm, earthquake, and flood, the Lao talked of their mother ngueak, a serpent goddess that had a human face and could turn into a human at will. She had the same powers over water, a crucial resource for growing rice and the source of life force and well-being of the people. The serpents guarded the treasures of the earth, living in caverns full of gems and crystal water and often ventured into the realm of humans, seducing and procreating with them. They are loved as ancestors of the Lao-Tai peoples in myths and legends. In the textiles these serpents are shown with colorful crests, bodies that curve into ‘w’, ‘v’ or ‘s’ shapes and appear to be spiraling in a criss-cross game or passing from one realm to another in procession. The crested serpent is the active, aroused form of the serpent mother.

In Buddhist iconography, there are serpents called nagas. The most famous naga protected the Buddha from floods at the Enlightenment. The naak, which is the Lao pronunciation of naga, is represented on temple steps and roofs as the link between the realm of the gods and humans, the profound and the mundane. They can also become human, protect and bring rain. The correlations between the Buddhist naak and the shamanic serpent mother ngueak are as entwined as their bodies on the textiles. The cosmic serpent is still the most popular motif on Lao textiles today and represents female energy, the power of nature, and the earth.”

Join us in June to visit Laos, "Land of the Naga!"

 

Laos SEA Sabaidee Song: "dee ti sut" the #1 Song according to the Vientiane Times

Here it is, the number one song of the Southeast Asia games recently held in Vientiane, Laos. Below will follow an article from the Vientiane Times about the song and below the article is the music video of the song I found on Noidonoon's YouTube channel. As is written in the article below the song  "teaches visitors the traditional Lao greeting and was a welcome for all delegations, guests, athletes and foreign visitors coming to Laos for the games. The composer wanted listeners to understand that whoever you are, wherever you're from, when you stay in Laos you'll have a good time and enjoy our hospitality and facilities, because all Lao people are sincere."

And I agree. The Lao are people from the heart and if you go on our tour this summer you'll have plenty, plenty of opportunities to say Sabaidee and Sabaidee Bo (How are you?).

“Sabaidee” tops SEA Games Charts

"More than 30 songs were composed and played during the SEA Games last month, conveying different messages for the athletes and spectators, but one in particular resonated with government leaders and listeners.

“Sabaidee”, a song based on the traditional greeting, was singled out for praise by the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Secretary General and Lao President, Mr Choummaly Sayasone.

SEA Games Organising Committee Chairman Somsavat Lengsavad said on Monday the president told him he especially like the way the song reflected the emotions and atmosphere of the games.

Mr Somsavat said Mr Choummaly liked the meaning, the melody and the rhythm of the song, saying it was fully appropriate for the games.

The song's composer is Mr Vilayphone Vongphachanh who works at Lao National Radio.

Mr Vilayphone said yesterday he appreciated the accolade from the government and was proud when he heard the song being played at the various sporting venues.

“Now that the song seems to have become popular, it makes me feel I did a good job in supporting the biggest sporting event in Laos ,” he said.

It took him a week to write the song and compose the melody after the SEA Games Opening and Closing Ceremony Committee asked artists and composers to submit a song especially for the games.

“I gave the song to the Phon Houng Phet producer to play, sing and record. In the end, the committee chose it to be performed at the opening ceremony,” Mr Vilayphone said.

“Sabaidee” is an easy song to listen to, the rhythm is along the lines of the “cha cha cha” and the lyrics are in both Lao and English.

The song was sung by three singers from the Noum Ko Sin band.

Everyone seems to have enjoyed hearing the song when attending the various sporting competitions.

SEA Games Opening and Closing Ceremony Committee Chairman Bouanguen Saphouvong said the song teaches visitors the traditional Lao greeting and was a welcome for all delegations, guests, athletes and foreign visitors coming to Laos for the games.

“The composer wanted listeners to understand that whoever you are, wherever you're from, when you stay in Laos you'll have a good time and enjoy our hospitality and facilities, because all Lao people are sincere,” he said.

Much of the charm of the song comes from the melody which is produced by a mix of traditional Lao and other instruments.

Mr Bouanguen congratulated other songwriters whose songs contributed to the spirit of the games through their different styles and melodies."

What the lyrics of the song say are "Hello! How are you? How are you? How are all our friends?" Laos is happy, regardless of where you have come from. We welcome all of you with all our heart. How are you? How are you? Welcome! Welcome to Laos. Welcome in 2009. Welcome to the 25th SEA games. The Lao people like to smile and have good hearts and love sports. It is important to get together to improve ourselves. Winning or losing, it's just part of the games. Come, we are here to cheer each other on. Laos is peaceful and safe and you can go anywhere you want, close or far away. Lao language is easy to speak and easy to listen to. When we see you pass by we will say "Hello. How are you?" "How are all our friends?" To live in Laos is to be happy.

Favorite Laos Photos Series: Monk at Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prabang

Regardless of where we go in Laos, and regardless of how many times I've been before, I always am viewing everything as if I'm seeing it for the first time. There is always a sense of wonder in what I'm seeing, and so it is when we visit Wat Xieng Thong, probably the most famous wat in Luang Prabang. As is written in the book Ancient Luang Prabang, "Situated at the tip of the promontory of Luang Prabang, where the Nam Khan river flows into the Mekong, the site is, so legend relates, where the first boundary stone of the city was laid. The most magnificent of all Lao wats, the finest example of sacred architecture in Laos, it was built by King Setthathirat, who ruled from 1548-1571. The temple survived numerous raids by Chinese marauders and it was this temple that persuaded UNESCO to make Luang Prabang a World Heritage Site."

The first photo below is the featured photo of the monk walking by the Sim. Below that photo you can see the promontory of Luang Prabang as mentioned in the quotation above, with the Nam Khan river flowing into the Mekong. I've placed a red circle around Wat Xieng Thong.

The wat is a photographer's dream, there's so much that beckons the eye, and one has to be quick to take advantage of when a monk goes walking by. For me there is a timeless quality to this shot that's reinforced by not being able to see the monk's face. I think a good photo leaves a lot to the imagination... Really, this photo could have been taken hundreds of years ago, except for the "modern" black umbrella!

Laos Tour Bibliograhy continued: Textile Books

There are three books that we recommend if someone wants to gain a better understanding about Lao textiles. Two are in print and our top two choices. They are: Weaving Tradition: Carol Cassidy and Woven Silks of Laos and Lao-Tai Textiles: The Textiles of Xam Nuea and Muang Phuan by Patricia Cheesman. The third book is the small classic by Mary Connors, Lao Textiles and Traditions, published in 1996 and has been out of print for many years.

The one book that we’re most excited about though is one that hasn’t been published yet. It’s in the process of being written by Elli Findly, the professor we’ve guided the last three years. It will be the kind of book that anyone traveling to Laos with an interest in textiles will want to have, providing the most complete discussion of all the different motifs being used in Lao textiles and the influence of religion (Buddhist and animist) and their use in rituals past and present. As she writes in her vita, the current proposed title is, Spirits in the Loom: Religion and Design in the Weaving of Northeastern Laos,” and of course its still in the process of being researched and written. Her direction in the book is reflected in a recent presentation she gave on “The Serpent and the Bird: Images of Transformation in Tai Textiles,” sponsored jointly by the Costume and Textile Society, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum, and the Town and Country Club, Hartford, October 7, 2009. 

Our top two books are very different and are complementary, at least from our perspective. Carol’s book is actually a catalog produced in conjunction with the exhibition Weaving Tradition: Carol Cassidy and Woven Silks of Laos. The book was written by Dorothy Twining Globus and Mary F. Connors and the exhibition was curated by Dorothy Twining Globus.  As is written on the mocfa website, the book is “a comprehensive overview of the traditional and contemporary woven silk textiles of Laos and the techniques used to produce them plus a portrait of designer Carol Cassidy and her workshop, Lao Textiles. 160 pages, with 125 images and illustrations.” The book can be ordered through the San Francisco Muesum of Craft and Folk art here.

And we have to give ourselves a little plug as Peter is one of the many people listed in the acknowledgements as “having given generously of their talents, experience, and commitment in bringing this book and exhibition to fruition.” Two of our photos were used, there’s one of a Mien women embroidering on pg. 31 and the first photo in a sequence showing the tapestry weave technique of pg. 59.

The book is divided into three sections, The People of Laos and their Textiles, Making Textiles and  Carol Cassidy and the Lao Textiles Studio. The section we keep turning to is “Making Textiles.” Mary and Dorothy have done a marvelous job in describing and illustrating all the myriad facets of the weaving process. The writing is clear and the photographs leave no ambiguity, you really learn something here. Plus, almost worth the price of the book itself are the two black and white detailed illustrations of the loom, one facing the back of the weaver and one from overhead, looking directly down on the loom and weaver. We can’t begin to tell you the hundreds of times we’ve referred to these drawings in trying to better understand certain weaving details (at least from Peter’s perspective!).

The only nitpicking we have is with the binding of the catalog and our book is now in many “pieces.”

  

The second book we highly recommend is Lao-Tai Textiles: The Textiles of Xam Nuea and Muang Phuan by Patricia Cheesman. In writing this post we discovered there is a new PB edition, published on September 30, 2009 that is available on Amazon at a 32% discount for $40.85. Yes!

We are eternally grateful to Patricia because it is only through her book that we learned about Muang Vaen, one of our favorite weaving villages in all of Laos, and one that we visit on our tour. The book is clearly a work of love combined with some serious scholarship. We’ve met Patricia at a conference in Bangkok, visited her gallery in Chiang Mai and have a DVD she produced on Tai Daeng Shamanic Traditions in Sam Neua, and her strong connections with the tribal people of this region are clearly evident.

Patricia has published numerous books and articles on Thai and Lao textiles and is a recognized Lao-Thai textile expert and recently curated an exhibition (Summer 2009) at the East-West Center Gallery in Honolulu, Hawai‘I titled Cosmic Creatures: Textiles from Northeast Lao Communities, centering in the Sam Neua, Muang Vaen and Sam Tai area.

Back to the book. Whereas Carol’s catalog is more technical, Patricia’s book is rich in its telling of the story of weavers, villagers and shamans from the northeast region of Laos through their textiles.  The history and geography chapters are a little confusing, but they can be skipped and we’ve learned so much from her chapters on Lao women’s sinhs (Chapter 5: Textiles for women’s everyday wear and Chapter 6: Textiles for women’s ceremonial dress). The book is richly illustrated, with color photos on most pages and provides a remarkable insight into a region, Sam Neua/Sam Tai/Muang Vaen, that is often overlooked.

Recommended Reading for tour - Ancient Luang Prabang

Our second recommended book is Ancient Luang Prabang, and luckily this one is readily available on Amazon as a discounted price! It is published by River Books in Bangkok and is written by Denise Heywood. She doesn’t work with one photographer like Martin Stuart Fox does with Steve Northup in Naga Cities of the Mekong, but the book has equally outstanding color photographs and illustrations on every page. The quality of the cloth binding reflects how well the book is put together and our copy looks brand new even after two years of heavy use!

Why Ancient Luang Prabang? Most people going to Laos will be carrying with them one of the popular guide books such as The Lonely Planet Guide to Laos, and whatever little pocket guide they choose becomes their one and often only resource about what they are seeing in all their travels. If one is backpacking and weight/space is an issue, I can understand, a little. But even if backpacker types brought a book like Ancient Luang Prabang  I think it would a huge catalyst in allowing them to break out of their social preoccupations to step outside of themselves into an entirely new cultural space. Just a thought…

Ancient Luang Prabang is very well written and provides detailed information on all the Buddhist temples in Luang Prabang, the Royal Palace and “Secular Architecture: Lao Vernacular and French Colonial Buildings.” In the book Heywood writes “Luang Prabang was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list on 2 December 1995, at the Lao government’s request, because it shows evidence of a unique combination of cultural influences on developments in architecture, arts, monuments and town planning. UNESCO describes it thus: ‘Luang Prabang represents, to an exceptional extent, the successful fusion of the traditional architectural and urban structures and those of the French colonial rulers of the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Its unique townscape is remarkably well preserved, illustrating a key stage in the blending of two distinct cultural traditions.”

I think the key is in that last sentence “…blending of two distinct cultural traditions.” At Laos Essential Artistry, through our online business and through our tours, one of our main goals is to work at providing insight into this rich blending and syncretism that forms Laos. If you want to better understand and appreciate Laos, and especially Luang Prabang, this book should be required reading. Highly recommended! And of course joining our Northern Laos Textile Arts & Culture Tour in June 2010 would be the best way to understand and appreciate Laos!!!