Thailand : silk of Isan

Š Stefano TORRIONE / hemis.fr

Feature

Thailand : silk of Isan

On the looms of Isan the most beautiful silk clothes of the country are produced. In the most resourceless region of Thailand, in homes transformed into workshops, artisans carry out the entire process of the fabrication of silk cloth: spinning, dying in natural colours and weaving on artesianal looms. The days are rhythmed by the cadence of the pedals and combs of the looms. Each piece is differentiated by its richness and variety of colour. Isan silk is as precious as gold, its motifs inspired by nature, Buddhism, birds, snakes, indicating at the same time prosperity, fertility, fortune. Beyond the secrets of this precious cloth, there is more to discover in the Isan region : the last elephant trainers and temples from the Angkor Vat era at the border of Cambodia.

HEMIS_175311 : Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, Ban Khwao, specialised centre in silk manufacture, silkworm breeding, woman sifting the bloomed silkworms

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, a farmer at sowing time in the rice fields near the town of Surin

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, Ban Khwao, specialised centre in silk manufacture, woman weaving with the mat mii technique (dyeing the threads of silk before weaving), women often work under their palafittes

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chonnabot district, Chonnabot, loom for the mat mii (dyeing the threads of silk before weaving), woman looking at hanks of silk that have just been dyed in a workshop

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, Ban Khwao, specialised centre in silk manufacture, silkworm breeding, maggots are laid on a bed of leaves

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, Ban Khwao, specialised centre in silk manufacture, silkworm breeding, woman sifting the bloomed silkworms

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, Ban Khwao, specialised centre in silk manufacture, silkworm breeding, woman sifting the bloomed silkworms

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, Ban Khwao, specialised centre in silk manufacture, the silkworm breeding, the silkworms are kept in a large wicker sieve

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Pat Tong Chai, specialised centre for the silk manufacture, silk is dyed with natural colours and boiled in large pots in a workshop. Silk can be weaved together with cotton therefore taking the name of mat mii. A woman weaves a mat mii in a workshop

HEMIS_175316 : Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Pat Tong Chai, specialised centre for the silk manufacture, silk is dyed with natural colours and boiled in large pots in a workshop. Silk can be weaved together with cotton therefore taking the name of mat mii. A mat mii during the boiling process

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Pat Tong Chai, specialised centre for the silk manufacture, silk is dyed with natural colours and boiled in large pots in a workshop. Silk can be weaved together with cotton therefore taking the name of mat mii. The owner leaves his workshop to give a neighbor the mat mii ready for weaving

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Pat Tong Chai, specialised centre for the silk manufacture, silk is dyed with natural colours and boiled in large pots in a workshop. Silk can be weaved together with cotton therefore taking the name of mat mii. A working phase

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chonnabot district, Chonnabot, worshop, the mat mii, a weaving method consisting in dyeing the silk threads before weaving, silk threads dyed in a natural way

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Pat Tong Chai, specialised centre for the silk manufacture, silk is dyed with natural colours and boiled in large pots in a workshop. Silk can be weaved together with cotton therefore taking the name of mat mii. A working phase

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, Ban Khwao, specialised centre in silk manufacture, woman weaving silk threads with ancient and rudimentary winding and weaving tools

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, Ban Khwao, specialised centre in silk manufacture, man weaving silk threads with ancient and rudimentary winding and weaving tools

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, Ban Khwao, specialised centre in silk manufacture, bobbins and reels of silk in a workroom inside a house

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chonnabot district, woman weaving the mat mii (dyeing the threads of silk before weaving), women weave in their homes'courtyards, often under their palafittes

HEMIS_175329 : Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chonnabot district, loom for the mat mii (dyeing the threads of silk before weaving) women weave in their homes'courtyards, often under their palafittes

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Khon Kaen province, Chonnabot, specialised centre for the silk manufacture and the mat mii technique (dyeing the threads of silk before weaving), women weave in their homes'courtyards, often under their palafittes, Isan region typical homes

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chonnabot district, Chonnabot, tailoring workshop in a house

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, Ban Khwao, specialised centre in silk manufacture, woman working at the winding of silk threads in her house

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chonnabot district, Chonnabot, woman working as a tailor in her house

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, Ban Khwao, specialised centre in silk manufacture, manufactured silk in the shop Puuana Silk, one of the best in the region

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Khon Kaen province, Chonnabot district, Sala Mai Thai, very important museum of silk, part of an educational and cultural project carried out by the Royal Family, silk hanks

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chonnabot district, Sala Mai Thai, very important museum of silk situated in the province of Khon Kaen, outside the museum, two palafittes, typical Isan homes

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Khon Kaen province, Chonnabot district, Sala Mai Thai, very important museum of silk, part of an educational and cultural project carried out by the Royal Family, silk clothes

HEMIS_175305 : Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, Ban Khwao, specialised centre in silk manufacture, woman working at the winding of silk threads in her house

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Khon Kaen province, Chonnabot district, Sala Mai Thai, very important museum of silk, part of an educational and cultural project carried out by the Royal Family, silk hanks

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Khon Kaen province, Chonnabot district, Sala Mai Thai, very important museum of silk, part of an educational and cultural project carried out by the Royal Family, silk clothes

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, Ban Khwao, specialised centre in silk manufacture, cotton and silk fabrics in the shop Puuana Silk, one of the best in the region

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, Ban Khwao, specialised centre in silk manufacture Silk products are sold in a shop of the village

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, Ban Khwao, specialised centre in silk manufacture, manufactured silk in the shop Puuana Silk, one of the best in the region

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Surin province, a farmer rides his motorbike with a trained monkey on the road to the village of Ban Tha Klang in Tha Tum district

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, the village of Ban Khwao, a young bonze reads prayers for some believers in Mussimavan Temple

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Chaiyaphum province, village of Ban Khwao, a Lilayadee flower plant

HEMIS_175308 : Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, a farmer from Isan region smokes while following his cattle along the river near the town of Surin

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Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Isan region, a woman works in the irrigated onion fields

Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Surin province, an elephant on the road to the village of Ban Tha Klang in Tha Tum district. In this area there is the highest number of protected elephants

HEMIS_175337 Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Isan region, Surin province, Taklang Domesticated Elephant Village, this center hosts the highest number of tamed elephants of Thailand, a mahout astride his elephant's trunk