Textiles of the Thai & Cham of Vietnam

TEXTILES OF THE THAI & CHAM OF VIETNAM & THEIR INFLUENCE ON OTHER TEXTILE TRADITIONS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

(Views expressed in this article are the personal opinion of the author, a narration of his experience.)

The origins and diffusion of weaving in Southeast Asia are poorly understood and subject to considerable speculation based on often very limited data. Useful historical written documents are almost non-existant and the archaeological record is poor. Much of what can be reconstructed is based on comparisons of words, techniques, and various stylistic features of textiles placed in the context of what is known about the history of the peoples in the region. It is with these limitations in mind that I would like to explore possible influence of the weaving traditions of the Thai and Cham peoples of Vietnam on other textile traditions in Southeast Asia.

PREHISTORIC AND HISTORIC CONTEXT

Byway of general background it is important to recognize that the early Mon-Khmerand Austronesian speaking migrants to Southeast Asia did not weave and that for much of the past in Southeast Asia beaten bark-cloth was made rather than woven cloth (see Howard 2006). Moreover, even when weaving did appear it did not diffuse throughout the region and until recent times many people either continued to wear clothing made of bark-cloth or other non woven materials or traded for woven cloth.

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About the Author:

Dr.Michael C. Howard is Professor of International Studies at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada. He has conducted research and written extensively on the peoples of Southeast Asia, Australia, and the South Pacific.

This article was originally presented at the 2^nd ASEAN Traditional Textiles Symposium, Manila, February, 2009.