Laos Essential Artistry

Building Trust... A testimonial from a Satisfied Customer

2009-11-15T11:33:29-08:00

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

2009-11-10T19:41:32-08:00

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

2009-11-04T16:22:23-08:00

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. "

Lao Favorite Photo Series - What do you see?

2009-10-31T18:13:16-07:00

I took this photo in Sam Tai in Huaphan Province as we were exploring the old village of Sam Tai and the trunk of this tree caught my eye. Really caught my eye! What do you see?

US Embassy in Laos Gives $16,500 to AFESIP Laos (Acting for Women in Distressing Circumstances)

2009-10-28T18:44:11-07:00

Below is an article from today's online Vientiane Times regarding AFESIP. We have written on our Laos Essential Artistry website about the importance of giving back and we quote Oprah Winfrey who said that ""Life is a reciprocal exchange. To move forward you have to give back" ~ from her Stanford Commencement Address, June, 2008 and how we support two projects, Big Brother Mouse (literacy) and AFESIP. We sell silk Dok Champa flowers made by girls who are being helped by AFESIP. It's a great project and we are excited that the US Embassy has chose to financially help AFESIP. We wrote an earlier post on AFESIP here.

Human trafficking prevention program gains US support

"The US embassy to Laos yesterday provided US$16,500 to the Acting for Women in Distressing Circumstances (AFESIP) project in Laos to assist in the fight against human trafficking.

The signing ceremony was held at AFESIP's office in Vientiane , and inked by Country Project Director of AFESIP Dr Didier Bertrand and the US Deputy Chief of Mission , Mr Peter Haymond.

“The grant from the US for art therapy and awareness-raising will be set up with immigration and customs regional teams working with children. There will be two courses next month for officials on the prevention of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children,” Dr Bertrand said.

He said art therapy could be used in an innovative way both as a healing technique and for awareness raising.

Residents of shelters and recently reintegrated victims and survivors will join together to draw and paint to share messages with their families and the community.

In early 2010, they will use clay sculpture techniques as they work with a clinical psychologist to express their feelings in three dimensional productions, he said.

“We hope to set up exhibitions in Vientiane and in Savannakhet and Luang Prabang provinces. Details need to be finalised with those who produced the materials. We know there should be a mobile exhibition, probably at first in a district in Luang Prabang,” he said.

He said Laos was one of those nations that suffered from human trafficking, especially of young girls.

Girls were sometimes lured to work in bars, or as cleaners and then forced to offer sexual services. This could happen within the country or, more commonly, in another country.

“These girls do not know what is going to happen to them. They think they will work cleaning tables or serving in a bar. Then they are forced to become involved in the sexual trade, yet continue to suffer on a low income while the owners of these establishments gain twice as much profit or more from each transaction,” Dr Bertrand said.

“We are looking to help young girls, especially of the ages of 14 to 16, to understand the dangers of society before allowing them to work in other places.”

He said his organisation was working with Savannakhet and Champassak provinces, where police had been very active.

Champassak had nearly eradicated the situation of underage girls working in bars, because police constantly checked identification cards. Meanwhile, the situation in Savannakhet is also improving.

“By increasing cooperation with local authorities, we hope to find no more children in bars and other such places in Laos ,” he said.

There are many ways to help the victims, he said, such as punishing those who bought sex with children, ensuring law enforcement was more effective, offering women more creative jobs and giving them the chance to access education and vocational skills.

Unfortunately, trafficking in persons continued to harm people around the world in both developed and developing countries, Mr Haymond said.

“It is a problem that the US government is committed to help solve. This grant is for a new project to use art as a way to help victims of trafficking to cope with their experiences. We are proud to support this project, which will operate in Vientiane and Savannakhet.”

The US embassy would continue to work with the Lao government and international organisations in Laos to fight human trafficking, he said.

Human trafficking is the second-largest form of organised crime in the world. UNICEF statistics estimate that every year, more than one million young children and women are sold into sexual slavery and exposed to physical violence, abuse, rape and conditions of extreme physical and psychological cruelty."

By Panyasith Thammavongsa
(Latest Update October 29, 2009)

Favorite Laos Photo (Series) ~ A Pastel Rainbow of Silk Threads

2009-10-23T16:26:14-07:00

Aren't these silk threads gorgeous? And they're all naturally-dyed! Just think of the work that goes into dyeing each batch of silk for each of the different colors. How many colors do you see here? The Muang Vaen weavers are so amazing, just some of the most incredibly talented artists in Laos. We find this photo seductive (we have it up on our living room wall) because of the juxtaposition of the unwoven mélange of supplementary discontinuous weft threads lying across the woven threads. Mesmerizing!!!

Our Highest ranking Youtube video of 3 young Hmong girls singing Kwv Txiahj

2009-10-20T18:51:59-07:00

We hope our name, Laos Essential Artistry doesn't imply that our only focus is on woven Lao textiles, though they are our what we specialize in. But we also are interested in all things Laos, and our Hmong storycloths are one thing people constantly are asking about. Hmong storycloths are a beautiful and artistic representation of Hmong traditions and the singing poetry of these three young girls represents a dying tradition. We have had over 45,000 people view this one video and reading their comments is extremely interesting and have given us some powerful insights into what the Hmong here in America value. You can read all the comments if you want by visiting our YouTube channel, or we've included a few of our favorites here.

• "woowowowow.. man.. these girls are so talented.. I might have my phD in physics but I can never sing like that...I wished they can get a formal education."

• "I was very surprised seeing those beautiful kids. I was born in VietNam and was a part of the majority there. I used to think about Hmong people in a completely different way, well, until now. This makes me understand how ignorant we are when we're not exposed to other cultures."

• "Kheej kawg li lawm nawb! Tus siab tias nyob deb heev txhawb tsis tau kom mus tau zoo tshaj no ntxiv. It's amazing how far Hmong has changed, though I am proud of those who still keeps our culture strong."

Video of Nuaykeo Weavers in Sam Neua, Laos

2009-10-18T14:59:44-07:00

These are two short videos taken of weavers at the Nuaykeo Gallery in Sam Neua, Laos where we acquire some truly gorgeous textiles. As you can see this gallery is "pristine" and everything is done with the utmost attention to detail. It's very different from the reality of weavers in villages like Muang Vaen or Sam Tai. Here it's about business and meeting very high standards as their main customer is a Singaporean who owns several galleries in Singapore and features the textiles from Nuaykeo. We feel fortunate that we have gotten to know the owners and carry some of their finest silk textiles.

The weaver in the second video is weaving using a tapestry style of weave. In this video the weaver is selecting colored yarns (different shades of green) that are then inserted into the warp in small sections making patterns or images. This flatweave has a discontinuous weft, which generally does not extend from selvedge to selvedge and the warp is a hidden structure that does not play a role in the surface design. Often times tapestry designs are referred to as "flowing water" or "lightning" designs.
Here's the link to our Nuaykeo Gallery Textiles:

Yin Sibai Saonaa

2009-10-15T18:12:49-07:00

In looking through some of our photos showing various rice activities I couldn't help but think of the classic Lao song, Yin Sabai Saonaa, "The Contented Rice Farmer." I'm not sure how many Lao rice farmers are truly contented, but if all goes well, no droughts, no floods, few weeds, few snails, few rodent/insect pests, plenty of labor to plant, maintain and harvest the rice, then I think there definitely is contentment. Rice, is life in Asian countries and to know in whatever way one is an important part of that cycle, can provide contentment. And of course the song celebrates Lao patriotism and reflects a socialist viewpoint, but regardless, the song has a great melody and is loved by the Lao people.

In the Animoto video we made above using some of our photos from Laos we use Yin Sabai Saonaa as the musical track. Do you like it?

You can our set of photos from Laos showing a wide variety of rice activities on our Flickr channel here.

In reading the book Rice in Laos published by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research I came across the lyrics to Yin Sabai Saonaa and will include them in this post along the a popular version of the song. Enjoy!

Yin Sabai Saonaa (The Contented Rice Farmer)

We are rice farmers’ children
We take plows and buffaloes to the fields.
We look for food in the forests.
We look for food in the forests.

After sunset, we go home.
Everyone in our village is very happy and contented.
Very happy, very contented.
In our village, there is rice and there are fish in the rice fields,
When the wind blows, we have fresh air,
Contented, contented farmer; contented, contented farmer.

In the afternoon, we ride wild buffaloes,
We sing songs, dance, and play the “khaen.”
We urge everyone to come together to play, work, and develop the nation.
Contented, contented farmer; contented, contented farmer.

The direction of our lives is a happy thing.
In the fields, our skin becomes dark, but we are still happy to work for our nation.
To work to fight hunger and poverty.
Contented, contented farmer; contented, contented farmer.

We are proud to use our work to develop our nation,
We have buffaloes as powerful friends,
Our leaders direct us on the right path,
Contented, contented farmer; contented, contented farmer.

Lao Sinhs Need to be custom measured and sewn

2009-10-14T10:41:53-07:00

We often get asked if we have sinhs pre-sewn and ready to be worn. Unfortunately that's not the way it works. Yes, in the old days women would wrap the sinh (material) around their waist and then tuck it in or wrap a cloth belt around the sinh to hold it up. An example is in the photo above of Bai dressing in the traditional clothes (sinh and blouse) of a Tai Wat woman, a small tribal Tai group located in northern Huaphan Province (somewhat similar to the Tai Dam style).

But for many, many years sinhs have been custom sewn and it is crucial that the seamstress has to take three measurements of the woman who is going to wear the sinh so the sinh will fit correctly and look stylish, without wrinkles and mis-matched patterns. You can see in the photo we use on our Lao Sinh Section that the sinhs of the two young women on the right display perfectly, while the one on the left shows some wrinkles, which ideally, if sewn correctly, will not show.

In the three photos below you see Bai being measured for a sinh that the woman will sew for Bai. The three crucial measurements are the waist, hips and length, which vary of course with each individual.

Our hand-woven silk fabric is beautiful in its own right and the fabric doesn't just have to be used for sinhs. The average sinh fabric length is call in Lao "pheun neung" with one "pheun" being about 30 x 70 inches. But if you want the sinh fabric to be sewn into a sinh for you then you'll have to locate a seamstress that will sew the sinh for you

We had a manual for sewing sinhs translated into English this last June in Vientiane and will be referring to it in future posts.

Laos Hmong Storycloth Description

2009-10-12T11:19:27-07:00

We recently sold the above storycloth and the person who bought it asked if we could describe what was being depicted in the storycloth so we decided to define areas and activities within the cloth we thought needed explanation, numbered them and below we provide an explanation of what's happening within each numbered area. Of course we encourage you to check out the variety of Hmong storycloths we carry on our Yahoo store site.

Area 1: Here a Hmong woman is picking corn against a backdrop of mountains. Corn is an important crop for the Hmong, and in fact for all Lao, and they use corn both for eating (always steamed) and after grinding to feed their pigs (see Area 10). The backdrop of the mountains is important because when the Hmong migrated south from China beginning in the 1700’s they settled in the mountains and have been classified by the Lao government as Lao Soung, the Lao of the mountaintops (along with the Mien and several other ethnic groups).

Area 2: Collecting wood. Here a Hmong man is collecting wood, though often it is children and especially teenage girls who are given the responsibility to go out and collect wood. Sometimes it means collecting dead wood on the ground, while often it means chopping down small trees or splitting small logs. Wood is collected during the dry season, from about January through early May, or whenever the rainy season begins. Even where there is electricity, almost all cooking is done over wood fires (food tastes better that’s cooked over wood fires they say).

Areas 3, 5, 16: For the Hmong their mountain rice fields and gardens are often one to three hours journey by foot and so they spend a lot of time on trails and will carry back harvested vegetables, rice panicles, etc. in bamboo packs on their backs and sometimes on horses. In area 5 the Hmong are obviously traveling to their gardens and mountain rice fields and in Area 3 and Area 16 they are coming back to their villages with their baskets/packs full.

Area 4: Planting rice. The Hmong and most rural Lao living in mountainous areas (80% of Laos is mountainous) plant rice similarly to what one sees on this story cloth. Traditionally the men will have a pole where they poke holes into the ground and the women will drop in a handful of seeds. Sometimes there will be a large group like this, sometimes just a couple by themselves. On some of our storycloths you can see the fallen trees they’ve cut down and after burning the cleared land (cut and burn/swidden agriculture) the bigger trees and stumps are just left in place and planted around.

Area 6: I don’t think the Lao or Hmong could live without hot peppers. Most rural Hmong and Lao rarely eat meat and hot pepper provides a spiciness to otherwise “bland” rice when it is made into some kind of jeaow (a mortared mixture of hot pepper and salt at its simplest and then often with added ingredients like cilantro, fish sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc ). Hot peppers are grown in these remote gardens and if they plant enough of them then they might be able to sell the extra for a little extra cash. There are lots of different hot pepper varieties grown in Laos, but most are similar to what we know in the states as the Thai hot pepper.

Area 7: Chicken or Pigeon House. Chickens are raised most often for use in ceremonies and as a source of meat to be offered to special guests. And occasionally they're butchered for an average family meal. The Hmong also like to raise pigeons, but I'm less sure about how they're used. My wife says we’ve eaten pigeon meat in her village (she’s Lao).

Area 8: Raised wooden storage unit to keep rice or corn dry and safe. Sometimes the legs are made from cluster bomb canisters in regions where the bombing was heavy during the Secret War.

Area 9: Hmong houses are built on the ground with dirt flooring. Mien houses are similar, unlike Lao and Lao Theung houses which are built on posts, with enough space underneath the houses for women to weave, or to keep their animals at night.

Area 10: Here a Hmong man and woman are grinding corn on a grindstone to make a gruel they can feed the pigs or they will use it to cook for a meal. Most Hmong villages will have at least one grind stone like this and I’ve also seen them grinding soy beans and have some great photos taken in a remote Hmong village in Luang Prabang Province I’ll post on our blog sometime.

Area 11 and Area 14 are connected: In Area 14 they are using a rice pounder to separate the rice hulls from the grains of rice. The woman in this storycloth keeps turning over all the rice until all the hulls are separated. They then take the rice and rice hulls that are now mixed together and the woman in Area 11 is sifting the rice so that the hulls fall on the ground and then the rice is left in the tray. They also are able to make the broken rice grains gather toward the front of the tray where they are removed to a bowl and later fed to the chickens as the boy is doing next to the woman.

Area 12: Feeding pigs: Here the Hmong woman is probably pouring the mixture they’ve cooked with the tubers they’ve grown in their gardens and dug out of the ground when they’re up to 18 inches long and three or four inches wide, plus they will add rice hulls. Most Hmong and Lao families have pigs which they will use for sacrificing for ceremonies and parties and to sell when they need money.

Area 13: Here the Hmong woman has dug up tubers that she is cutting up to be put in a pot where they’ll cook the tubers in the afternoon over a fire and then when it cools they’ll add rice hulls and feed to the pigs.

Area 15: Pineapples: Pineapples are raised best in mountainous areas of Laos, and although they can be picked anytime, the main harvest season begins in the rainy season around June. Pineapples grown in Southeast Asia are incredibly delicious and sweet, with none of the sourness Americans are used to with pineapples shipped by air from Hawaii.

Area 17: Mother taking care of child in field dwelling. Because rice farms and gardens are often far away from villages the Hmong will build small structures that provide shade and where they can rest and eat while taking a break from the demanding work out in the field. Often time older siblings will take care of any babies, but perhaps here they’re out weeding, or helping plant or harvest the rice…

Area 18: Here a man and woman are hoeing weeds in a mountain rice farm and/or garden. Once the rainy season begins the weeds grow as fast as the rice plants and the Hmong have to be vigilant in keeping the weeds at bay so the rice can grow tall. A mountain rice field will be weeded usually two times during the growing cycle, sometimes three times.

Area 19: Feeding horses. Horses don’t seem to be as common as they used to, when roads were non-existent or mud tracks at best and the easiest way to transport goods was by horseback. Here the horses are being fed stems from rice that has already been harvested or some kind of grass.

Area 20: Here a man and woman are in their garden picking long green beans that you can see that are grown next to a pole where they can twine around the pole as they grow just like our green bean plants do here in the states. The Hmong and Lao like to pound them in a mortar with fish sauce, hot peppers, garlic, and lime juice and then a variety of other ingredients can be added depending on the season, availability and taste preferences, like small tomatoes or carrots. And if they let the beans stay on the plant they’ll turn yellow and then they will take the seeds and steam them (like rice is steamed) and eat them. They are considered very delicious, sort of like eating peanuts.

Area 21: In area 21 the rice is being harvested with a sickle (everything is done by hand) and then is laid out in small groups in the field to dry. After a few days the rice is then thrashed in a wide variety of ways, sometimes the panicles are hit against board set up in the rice field where the grains come off the panicles and gather in a pile on the ground (probably some kind of burlap-type fabric they make by weaving bamboo strips together is laid down first). The rice grains are then put in a basket and when there is a moderate breeze the men will climb a ladder and pour out the rice and the empty hulls will float away and the solid grains of rice encased in the hull will fall straight to the ground. These are then gathered to be hulled as seen in Area 14 using the rice pounder.

Area 22: In this area the woman is picking eggplant. There are many kinds of eggplants that are grown in Laos. They have purple and green eggplants, some long and narrow like cucumbers and some that look like our traditional eggplants as seen in this storycloth. Actually most eggplants grown in Laos are the size of small and medium-sized tomatoes. They can be eaten raw or cooked. They are really good when they are made into a jaeow as explained in Area 6 with hot peppers.

Area 23: Cooking over a fire. For the Hmong and most Lao, cooking is always done over a wood fire. Sometimes they’ll use charcoal that’s made by villagers, and if they had electricity and the money to buy a small stove, they could cook on a stove, but most Hmong and Lao will tell you that food tastes very different when cooked on a stove and they prefer food cooked on a fire.

Area 24: Here they are picking corn and cucumbers. In Laos this is what they call the “farm cucumber.” It’s grown and picked when it’s big and people like this one because it has a lot of flesh and the skin is not too thick. They love to eat it raw and like to dip the slices in salt and it’s also used in the kind of salad where the ingredients are mortared similar to the papaya salad once can get easily in Thai restaurants.

Area 26: Here the man is cutting a bunch of bananas. The bananas are grown in people’s gardens and one tree will yield one bunch of bananas and then you cut it down and many small banana trees will sprout from the base of the big banana tree. The Hmong and Lao prize the banana tree just not for it’s fruit, but the leaves are highly valued for cooking and wrapping food and using in ceremonies.

Area 27: Here the woman is stacking the harvested rice panicles in a rounded pile to dry before the next process of threshing the rice as seen in Area 21.

If anyone has anything to add please leave a comment. We're always ready to learn more!

[1]

A Favorite Photo from Laos (On-going Series)

2009-10-08T09:36:59-07:00

Favorite photo time! I think all photographers get goosebumps when they see monks and constantly are seeing one compelling composition after another. And often when you look at a photo, like the one above, the viewer doesn't know the story behind the photo, and there usually is one, and one of the advantages of this blog is being able to tell the story! In this instance, this photo was taken in a small wat in the village of Muang Vaen where some of our most beautiful Lao textiles are woven.

Sometimes it's difficult to find the time to actually leisurely walk through a village when you're there for "business," but we always try to find the time because you'll never know what you will see and discover. It's really what I enjoy the best. When we walked by the building above, the sleeping quarters for the couple of monks for this wat, I saw this monk look out the window opening and then disappear. My wife was talking to the other monk who was on the porch by the front door where this monk then joined the other monk. I kept thinking, wow, that window opening is a great frame for the monk, but how am I going to get him to come back? Sometimes it's easy to just let it slide and move on, but I couldn't pass this up so I asked Bai if she could ask the monk if he would come back and peer out the window. Sometimes they are shy or just don't want their photo taken, but most monks will accommodate to "visitors" and this one quickly went back to this window where I took several shots. I would have liked to see him smile a little, but he wouldn't "nyeem" (Lao word for smile), but I still really like the shot.

I wonder what is he thinking?

UXO YouTube Video in Laos

2009-10-04T11:23:51-07:00

Part of what Laos Essential Artistry is about if "Giving Back" and one of the causes we support is an awareness of the huge UXO problem in Laos. We have had emotional meetings with families devastated by the death of a family member by UXO and have talked at length with people from MAG (Mines Advisory Group) and PCL (Phoenix Clearance Limited) two of many groups, NGO and commercial, involved with clearing UXO from heavily bombed land in both northern and southern Laos. On this blog, under our page on "People Making a Difference" we highlight the work of Jim Harris and his NGO, We Help War Victims, who works tirelessly to help villages and people living daily with the threat of UXO.

We are writing this post now because we just became aware of an excellent video on YouTube that clearly communicates the problems Laos faces with UXO. The video appears below.

Carol Cassidy Video Explaining Pattern Creation on the Loom in Vientiane, Laos

2009-09-29T19:39:28-07:00

As we've mentioned in other posts we are very excited to announce that we will now be carrying Carol Cassidy’s Weaves of Cambodia Rainbow Silk Scarves. If there is anyone is who synonymous with the best in Lao textiles it’s Carol Cassidy. Just type in “Lao textiles” in Google and see who is the first person/business listed. Laotextiles.com is Carol Cassidy, and her gallery in Vientiane is always a must see for anyone interested in Lao textiles.

We’ve known Carol now for about ten years and although these gorgeous silk scarves are woven in Cambodia, not Laos, all the principles we value with Laos Essential Artistry are more than upheld in the weaving and finishing of these beautiful silk scarves.

When we were in Laos in June we shot some video of Carol explaining how patterns are created on the loom, which a skilled weaver then weaves into her fabric. It seems so complex that it appears magical to watch a weaver at the loom as she weaves these incredible patterns into a textile. It's not an easy process to understand, but we think if anyone can demystify the complexity of the techniques used, it's Carol. And in fact watching this seven minute video we think will give viewers an even greater appreciation for the artistry of Lao weavers.

We encourage anyone traveling to Laos and Vientiane to visit Lao Textiles: Carol Cassidy. It's in an amazing old French Colonial Building and be sure to ask to walk out back and see all the weavers at their looms. It's an intoxicating experience!

We always stay at the Vayakorn Guest House when we're in Vientiane and it's across the street from Carol's Gallery and the photo below is taken from our room on the third floor. Her gallery includes the old French Colonial and the buildings to the right and behind it.The second photo shows a street view of Carol's Gallery.

Baci Ceremony for Bai's Dad in Ban Na Ang, Laos

2009-09-27T07:54:42-07:00

We had been planning to go to Laos this last June, in part to guide Elli, the professor, for a third time as she's completing research for a book she's writing on the ritual use of Lao textiles, especially from Huaphan Province. But, in mid-May Bai's family called Bai to tell her that her father was seriously ill in the hospital and they wanted her to come quickly, as they thought he might die. So Bai left two weeks early and through the power of faith, family, Buddhist prayers and some kind of medicine the doctors had sent from Thailand as a last chance, he miraculously survived. And so after we were finished guiding Elli, a Baci Ceremony was held in Bai's parents' village to thank the village spirit who they also credited with providing an "extension" for Bai's father's life.

In this post I'm including three photos from the ceremony, with the first one showing Bai's dad (with orange towel over his shoulder) and two that show both Bai and I. The second photo shows us holding the strings that connect all of the family together (can you see the rice grains in the air thrown by friends after the mor phon announces the kwan have come back!?) and the second one shows Bai and I as family and friends are tying the bacci strings on our wrists, as in all bacci ceremonies an integral component includes pook kwan or the tying of kwan.

The Lao Heritage Foundation website has a great definition of the the bacci ceremony on their website and they write: "Briefly the Baci is a ceremony to celebrate a special event, whether a marriage, a homecoming, a welcome, a birth, or one of the annual festivals. A mother is given a baci after she has recovered form a birth, the sick are given bacis to facilitate a cure, officials are honored by bacis, and novice monks are wished luck with a baci before entering the temple. The Baci ceremony can take place any day of the week and all year long, preferably before noon or before sunset. The term more commonly used is su kwan, which means “calling of the soul”.

Kwan are components of the soul, but have a more abstract meaning than this. The kwan have been variously described by Westerners as: “vital forces, giving harmony and balance to the body, or part of it”, “the private reality of the body, inherent in the life of men and animals from the moment of their birth,” and simply as “vital breath”.

It is an ancient belief in Laos that the human being is a union of 32 organs and that the kwan watch over and protect each one of them. It is of the utmost consequence that as many kwan as possible are kept together in the body at any one time. Since all kwan is often the attributed cause of an illness, the baci ceremony calls the kwan or souls from wherever they may be roaming, back to the body, secures them in place, and thus re-establishes equilibrium.

The baci ceremony runs deep in the Lao psyche. In different part of the country the ceremony differs slightly in meaning. In general, it is nonetheless an emphasis of the value of life, of social and family bonds, of forgiveness, renewal and homage to heavenly beings."

Another good definition comes from the book Rice in Laos published by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. " One of the most popular traditional ceremonies involves the ritualistic tying of holy cotton threads to ensure blessings of the spirits on specific persons, activities, or places. It is believed to restore the natural order of things and bring communities closer together. The ceremony originated in the Hindu tradition and began to mix with Buddhist traditions in Laos 500 years ago. It is performed by a mor phon who is usually an elder who has spent some time as a Buddhist monk. The mor phon and invited guests sit around a baci center piece, which is a decorated flower arrangement on a base made of folded banana leaf sections. A long chain of cotton threads is placed in the hands of guests connecting them to each other and to the centerpiece. The mor phon then lights candles on the centerpiece and begins to chant Buddhist scriptures in the Pali language. On conclusion of the chanting, the mor phon and other guests tie cotton threads on guests’ and each other’s wrists. These cotton threads as well as the centerpiece have been prepared by the women of the group in advance of the ceremony. Thre threads used in the baci ceremony are usually white as Lao people believe that white represents friendship and kindness. However other colors can be used, (often times black in Thai Daeng villages in Huaphan Province). While tying on the threads, good wishes are offered to the recipient. The form of these good wishes is very flexible and may b offered in any language."

And for Bai and I participating in a baci ceremony like this, especially this one honoring her father's miraculous recovery, is indeed life affirming. For people who don't know us and access our website, I think a post like this shows that our business is much more than a business, but really a reflection of what we value and Laos Essential Artistry mirrors our commitment and connections to Laos in so many ways.