Crafts

The northeast is generally considered the poorest region of Thailand, but it is rich in cultural tradition and is particularly noted for the textiles woven there. The provinces of Nakhon Ratchasima, Surin and Roi Et produce particularly lovely Thai silk, with patterns that have been handed down from mother to daughter for many generations. The ethnic mix of the population results in crafts which are uniquely identified with the Northeast. Many of the people there are ethnically Lao, and near the Cambodian border many are ethnically Khmer.

Thai Silk
No one knows when textiles were first woven in Northeast Thailand. A tantalizing find of some ancient silk threads from an excavation at Ban Chiang, an obscure hamlet in the Northeast, has been interpreted by some archaeologists as evidence that silk was produced in the area 3,000 years ago. This view is controversial.

Sculpture and decorations from the Mon Dvaravati era (6th to 9th century) depict a great variety of woven garments. The textiles shown in the stucco statuary could have been imported, but seem more likely to have been domestic products.

When the Thai people began to infiltrate the area around one thousand years ago, they probably brought with them from southern China skills in sericulture (raising silkworms and harvesting the threads of the cocoons) and weaving which had been practiced in China since antiquity.

Certainly the silks of the Northeast, with their shimmering iridescent colors and nubby texture, have been a traditional folk craft there for hundreds of years. Village women raise their own silkworms and spin and dye the threads, then weave the fabric on primitive hand looms. It is painstaking and labor intensive work. It can take the combined threads hand teased from 8,000 or more cocoons to make enough silk for a single dress. The dazzling and vivid cloth the rural women create has been a prized possession of the Thai nobility throughout the history of the kingdom. Some colors and weaves were reserved only for the King and a few top ranking noblemen. When Thai silk was first introduced to Europeans, by a Thai diplomatic mission sent by King Narai to the court of Louis XIV, it caused a sensation.

Silk production declined after cheaper mass produced textiles from Europe, China and Japan began to be imported into Thailand in large quantities in the 19th century. In rural areas the traditional craft techniques were maintained, but it wasn't until after World War II that an American named Jim Thompson saw the commercial possibilities. Through a combination of dedication, luck and clever marketing, he was able to revive the craft, and turn it into the thriving industry it is today.

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