Woven Souls
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Silk Headdress 'Pha Biang' of the Tai Daeng
ethnic group of Laos

This may be a Tai Daeng woman's head wrapper.
It is folded lengthwise to create a narrow strip and
wrapped around like a crown.
An interesting note is that these do not
have weft ikat which is otherwise commonly present.
Weft Ikat, among the Tai Daeng,
is technique that is associated with lower body garments
such as hip wrappers and skirts due to ritual reasons.

This piece is made in a unique design plan,
where the two ends of the cloth
do not bear the same weaving picture.

The Tai Daeng are one of the 38 different ethnic groups
from Lao that observed textile traditions
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