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.”
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.
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