Folk Art Chronicles

Archive for the ‘Symbolism’ Category

We are very pleased that Kongthong Nanthavong-doungsy will be visiting us again this year from Vientiane, Laos and bringing along a “trunk” of exquisite woven textiles that she and her workshop, Phaeng Mai Gallery, have been working on since her visit a year ago.  This year she has concentrated on the symbolic and folkloric aspects of Lao weaving and has also adapted this rich tradition to some contemporary items as well. Kongthong’s textiles are all hand woven from natural fibers and dyed with natural dyes. She will be at the FolkArt Gallery on this coming Saturday, June 19 from 12pm to 5pm. Join us to learn more about the place weaving holds in the culture of Laos and about the rich symbolism of the designs.

“In Laos it is an honor to be a skilled weaver. The majority of Lao women are weavers and are therefore capable of judging at a glance the quality of a textile. The ability to produce intricately woven pieces using the finest quality yarns, a variety of weaves, and the richest dyes reflects well not only on the weaver but also on her family”. ( Mary Connors, Lao Textiles and Traditions.)

The Lao people have been raising silkworms, dying silk, and weaving with many motifs and designs for at least 3000 years.

The folk tales, poems and proverbs of Lao culture are woven into the textiles. The traditions of the community, the motifs and the use of different types of textiles are transmitted orally from grandmothers and mothers as they teach young girls the techniques of weaving.

Many of these stories are woven into the sihn (the simple elegant ankle length skirt worn by Lao women) and each woman’s personal aspirations and dreams materialize as butterflies for beauty, birds for success and snakes for fertility in her textiles.

The most prevalent designs are the nagas which appear in many many forms and has its origins in both Buddhist and animist tradition. The naga is the gigantic mythical serpent that lives in the Mekong river which is inseparably intertwined with the livelihood of the Lao people.

The Lao speak of their mother ngueak, a serpent goddess that had a human face and could turn into a human at will. She had powers over water, a crucial resource for growing rice and the source of life force and well-being of the people. The serpents guarded the treasures of the earth, living in caverns full of gems and crystal water and often ventured into the realms of humans, seducing and procreating with them. They are loved as ancestors of the Lao people in myths and legends.

In Buddhist iconography, there are serpents called nagas, the most famous of which protected the Buddha from floods at the enlightenment. The naga is the link between the realm of the gods and humans, the profound and the mundane. They can become human, protect and bring rain. The naga represents female energy, the power of nature and the earth.  (Elli Findley, Trinity College).

The Lao people show their respect to the Naga in different ways and will not hurt snakes and nagas. The people avoid wearing red clothes, red headscarves and red banded skirts when crossing a river because red is the color of the nagas crest. When a naga sees people wearing red as they cross the river, it will assume they do not respect him and will teach them a lesson.

There is a poem addressing the supernatural powers of the Ngeuk Laeng saying:

Help me to make water run uphill:

Help me to bring the boat through the rapids:

Help me to take the Ngeuk Laeng to crush the mountain.

The “candlehouse naga” is invoked in a festival to give thanks to the river and ask for its blessing. The drought naga (Ngeuk Laeng) is believed to have the power to cause storms, rain and drought.

We will try and post additional patterns and their meanings after speaking with Kongthong during her visit on Saturday.

If college textbooks had been published in magazine form, there is no doubt I would have been an A+ student.  I do love books of all kind but something about the sight of a magazine just makes my heart beat a little faster. What mysteries and new ideas are waiting inside these delicious little packages that entice me to explore further? Such time and effort are lavished on the magazine form; who made the rule that says scholarly topics must be treated in boring, drab, colorless style lacking in beauty and sense of design. After all, knowledge is beautiful; why put it in an unattractive package? Of course you shouldn’t need to be enticed to learn, but why not absorb beauty, intrigue and good design sense while you are already engaged?

So what wonderful treasures did I find irresistible on the news stand this month? I have barely begun to read them yet but some of the things that caught my eye:

American Style, which deals with art, craft, and design issues, has a terrific discussion about “Who are (art) Collectors?” and “What makes them tick?”  I love this magazine because it always shows the interesting ways that art collectors integrate their collections into their environments.

The front cover of Antiques shows a beautiful eclectic collection of folk art and the editor’s letter begins the issue by discussing the definition of folk art. And again, we see how collectors find innovative ways to live with their treasures.

Even the ads in these two publications are gorgeous!

I bought Time magazine for its tribute to Ted Kennedy, but tucked near the back is a thought provoking article about the cultural symbolism of Michelle Obama’s hairstyles to African American women.

Afar turns out to be the premier issue of a new magazine published in San Francisco and promises “Experimental travel connects you with the authentic essence of a place and its people, deepening your understanding of the world, its cultures, and yourself.” The article that caught my eye is “On the road in Morocco” focusing on the culture of the indigenous Berber people.

How could I not purchase Steppe focusing on Central Asia, an area that has captivated my interest since learning as a child about the Silk Road and Marco Polo. Silk ikats, yurts, Buddhism, Islam, Babur’s Gardens, the magic of towns like Bukhara, Samarkand:  ahhhh!