WESmile Magazine May 2019

ART & CULTURE
KHON KAEN MUDMEE
World-renowned Thai Fabrics
MENTION MUDMEE (IKAT) OR MUDMEE SILK, WHAT COMES TO MIND IS KHON KAEN. THE
PROVINCE HAS A LONG HISTORY OF TEXTILE WEAVING DATING BACK 200 YEARS. THANKS TO
ITS RICH TRADITIONAL TEXTILE HERITAGE, KHON KAEN WAS RECOGNISED IN 2018 BY THE
WORLD CRAFTS COUNCIL AS “WORLD CRAFT CITY FOR MUDMEE”, THRUSTING THAILAND
INTO THE INTERNATIONAL LIMELIGHT.
บน : การปั่นไหมใส่หลอด
แยกเป็นสีละหลอด
แล้วนำไปใส่กระสวยเพื่อเตรียมทอ
Top : Spun silk yarns,
created by reeling
for use in shuttles,
come in different colours.
上 方 : 将 丝 线 分 开 颜 色 旋 进 线 轴 ,
再 拿 去 准 备 编 织 。
Khon Kaen’s agricultural society boasts
a saying that goes: “At the end of the rice
farming season, women weave textiles,
men make handicrafts.” Farmers engage in
mulberry, silkworm and cotton farming to
produce silk and cotton yarns for mudmee
weaving chiefly for home use. The fabrics
are usually considered priceless gifts for
their children. Isaan women learn various
weaving techniques that have been passed
down over generations. Though textile
weaving is common practice in Isaan, the
centre of raw materials is in Khon Kaen.
The province boasts plentiful silk shops and
mulberry and silk products including unique
mudmee silk textiles.
Pattern designs of Khon Kaen mudmee
are inspired by common sights and religious
beliefs, such as plants, animals and equipment.
There are 7 major pattern designs: mee kho,
mee khome, mee bak jab, mee kong, mee dok
kaew, mee khor and mee bai pai.
Khon Kaen Governor Dr Somsak
Changtragul initiated a scheme to develop
and promote Khon Kaen’s official pattern
known as “Khaen Kaen Khoon” that is a
กลาง : การสืบทอดการทอผ้ามัดหมี่จากรุ่นสู่รุ่น
Centre : The knowledge of mudmee weaving is being handed down from one
generation to the next.
中 间 : 一 代 代 传 承 的 扎 染 泰 丝 编 织 手 艺 。
ล่าง : เส้นไหมย้อมเป็นสีต่างๆ ด้วยสีจากธรรมชาติ
Bottom : Silk dyeing with natural dyes.
下 方 : 各 种 自 然 染 色 的 丝 线 。
บนซ้าย : ผ้ามัดหมี่ลายแคนแก่นคูน ลายประจำจังหวัดขอนแก่น
Top left : Khaen Kaen Khoon is Khon Kaen’s
official mudmee pattern.
左 上 方 : 孔 敬 府 的 孔 敬 金 链 花 扎 染 泰 丝 。
บนขวา : ผ้ามัดหมี่ของกลุ่มทอผ้าไหมมัดหมี่บ้านหัวฝาย
Top right : Mudmee textiles by The Ban Hua Fai
Mudmee Weaving Group.
右 上 方 : 邦 华 凡 村 扎 染 泰 丝 编 织 团 体 的 扎 染 泰 丝 。
combination of the 7 common patterns of Khon
Kaen textiles: khaen, dok khoon, pan bai sri, khor,
khome, kong and bak jab (mak jab). The name
of the official pattern is made up of 3 words:
“khaen” (the province’s symbolic bamboo
music regarded as Isaan’s “King of Music”),
“kaen” (the name of the province, meaning
“core”, regarded as “King of Isaan”) and “khoon”
(the golden shower flower, the province’s official
symbol regarded as “King of Trees and Flowers”).
Khon Kaen’s “Silk Road” leads to Chonnabot
district, the centre of mudmee production.
The Group of Women Weavers at the Ban Hua Fai
Cooperative, led by Boonsin Ratcharoen,
spearheads efforts to preserve local weaving
wisdom by setting up a learning centre
that exhibits the processes of mudmee silk
production. Their mudmee textiles are known for
their high quality silk thread, the use of natural
dyes, and the subtle weaving skills of weavers
and their beauty. The Mudmee Weaving Group
at Ban Hua Fai, led by Supanee Phoolankee,
has set up a community enterprise offering
textiles created by weavers in the local area.
Besides mudmee textiles with basic patterns,
the products here are highly innovative, including
“taem mee” silk that features unique patterns.
42 May 2019
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