weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Silk weaving in Inn Paw Khone started some 100 years ago. At first, the workshops worked from cotton fiber and then changed to silk and finally to lotus fiber. Inn Paw Khone is apparently the only village in this world with the handicraft of weaving silk from lotus fibers. Each workshop creates job for dozen or even hundreds of people with the tasks of harvesting lotus, separating fiber, cutting, dyeing and weaving.

Almost all silk products in the village are made from the fibers of white lotus. The deeper the water is, the more and better the lotus fiber will be. After the harvest, the lotus stems are cut into small section of around 3 or 4 cm. The workers skillfully pull the fibers by hand, passing a wet board and then tie them together. This process is repeated 3 times so that the fibers are thick enough. The fibers are then put in a large bowl and rolled onto a large spindle. The roll of fiber is then ready to be dyed and woven. The lotus fibers must be processed within 24 hours from being harvested otherwise they will dry out and spoil.

It is interesting to note that most of the individuals separating the lotus fibers are men, while those spinning silk are aged women. The weaving loom is specially designed so that women do not show their feet to anyone in front of them. It is a local belief that pointing a foot at other people is rude. These aged women are often experts in weaving. They started up from weaving cotton and then silk and finally were promoted to weave lotus silk. The workers can work on the looms until they are very old. Before they pass away, their special techniques are passed to other women in the village.

Lotus silks are often kept in their original color without dyeing, including two main colors of yellow and brown. Products made of lotus silk are often not smooth and eye-catching as those made from other silks. However, they are light and spongy.

The major products from lotus silk in Inn Paw Khone include scarfs, hair covers and "longyi", the traditional costume of Myanmar which is similar to a long dress covering ankles, used by both men and women. Due to the entirely handicraft nature of these products, which entails plenty of effort and manual labor, these products are often 7 to 10 times more expensive than those made of regular silk. A small scarf of 100% lotus silk costs around 75 to 100 USD. The production numbers are not high, and many of the products are made from a mix of lotus silk and regular silk. Many lotus silk scarfs are bought by the locals for special Buddhist occasions.

The lotus silk industry has been well preserved in Inn Paw Khone. It is appreciated by locals as well as tourists, provides employment for a skilled workforce and serves as a demonstration on this technique for interested visitors of this unique silk in the world. It is fascinating to observe the skill of the weavers as they produce these ornate, multi-colored fabrics on looms made from bamboo poles lashed together with rope.

In this second and final set from the village, we observe the activities in the workshop. Please note that I am definitely not an "expert" on this process and just pass on the information I gleaned from various online sources.


Notes
TRIP INFO: Set # 1 provides a brief introduction to THIS SERIES on SOUTH & EAST ASIA. See it at
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-724330-1.html

MYANMAR COUNTRY INFO in set # 61: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-731087-1.html

INLE LAKE AREA INFO in set # 114: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-743241-1.html

EARLIER POSTS of this series: Access my topic list at UHH, the new posts are listed in reverse chronological order:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/user-topic-list?usernum=45105

Thanks for visiting, for improved clarity please view the downloads. I look forward to your comments and questions.

.

1 - Mya Setkyar silk weaving factory: Silk and lotus fiber weaving workshop

(Download)

2 - Lotus flower stems are broken and then their fine, strong and resilient fibers are extracted to be spun into yarn

(Download)

3 - Old woman working at an ancient contraption

(Download)

4 - Young woman working behind a basic loom

(Download)

5 - Another young woman working at a loom

(Download)

6 - Color used for dying the threads

(Download)

7 - Threads are tied at intervals and then colored

(Download)

8 - Woman working with dyed threads

(Download)

9 - Young woman, her face artistically decorated with Thanaka cream

(Download)

10 - Brilliant Bougainvillea flowers near the silk factory

(Download)

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

For your reference:

11 - Trip map of the Myanmar segment of our tour

(Download)

12 - Map of the sights at Inle Lake: the Inn Paw Khone Village is at the bottom center of the map

(Download)

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

NICE SET!

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Interesting set, Joe!

NMGal Loc: NE NM

Fascinating!

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

What a great set, Joe. Lotus grows wild in the marshes here in La. I don't think I have ever heard of any use of their fibers in my years on this earth.

angler Loc: StHelens England

Great set Joe.

Quixdraw Loc: x

Excellent, thanks! Sent it along to my Wife who is an enthusiastic weaver.

Umnak Loc: Mount Vernon, Wa.

Very interesting info you passed on here and a great set to illustrate, Joe! I especially like the compositions and photos you selected, not to mention the order in which you posted that just fits well!
Nice work yet again Joe!
Rob

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you Bill, glad you liked the set.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you Mike for your interest!

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thanks Barbara, glad you find this set fascinating!

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you Ken for your kind comment - I definitely have never heard of lotus fiber weaving before we visited this village and actually, according to some literature I found online, this appears to be the only place on earth that practices this trade.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you Jim, glad you liked the set.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you QD for looking in on my long-running travelogue and your kind comment and for passing it on to the Mrs - she might be used to some more up-to-date equipment but might find this an interesting look into the past.