The Southeast Asian country of Laos shares its borders with China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Burma. It has also shared a good deal of recent history with many of those countries, with the result that numbers of Lao people have been arriving in the United States as political refugees. Tucson, in common with other American cities, now has a Lao population.
Laos is heir to a distinguished tradition of arts and crafts, and one of its most important cottage industries has long been weaving. It is estimated that 70% of all Lao women do at least some weaving. For many, it has been an important means of augmenting the family income. Lao ladies work in both cotton and silk, and make a variety of items, including traditional skirts and tops, as well as more contemporary tablecloths, bedspreads and purses. Typical Lao cloth consists of several feet of plain or striped material, finished with a figured strip of repeated geometric or animal designs. Tapestry weave, tie-dyeing and embroidery are among the techniques used.
There is currently at least one Lao loom set up in Tucson. Materials, especially fine thread, are hard to come by in this area, so the demonstrator at Tucson Meet Yourself will be weaving in cotton. Mrs. Bonyang Michaels will be able to continue her ancient and lovely art successfully in her new desert environment. |
