EXCEPTIONAL AKHA CRAFTSMANSHIP - 100% HANDMADE AKHA TAPESTRY IN COTTON

~ Featuring ~
* HANDMADE USING TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES, NEVER FACTORY PRODUCED: 100% handmade by Akha craftspeople from Northern Thailand, using manual methods with great care and attention - a genuine cultural gem! *
* TOP QUALITY COTTON: Hand-spun and hand-woven natural cotton guarantees the highest product quality - natural and organic living *
* VERSATILE FIT FOR ALL ROOM TYPES: Measurement: 72 x 39.4 inch
* ETHICALLY SOURCED: We directly source all our products from genuine ethnic minority groups - each purchase is a unique chance to help our social mission to improve the livelihood of marginalized ethnic minorities and preserve their cultural heritage! *
* GLORIOUS MARRIAGE OF ETHNIC DESIGN WITH QUALITY HANDIWORK: Harmony of brilliant colors and design brings a distinctive tribal chic as either wall art or a table runner *

Each innovative and unique piece of artistry marries irresistible ethnic design with exceptional quality material to guarantee an elegant ethnic aesthetic brought to your living space! Striking abstracted symbols and totemic figures drawn from Akha tradition combine with powerfully colorful patterns to produce an unforgettable artistic triumph. Hand-spun and handwoven cotton ensures a top quality product that lets the intricate design shine through. Will match modern minimalist schemes as a distinctive piece of wall art, and also naturalistic schemes as a table runner under natural wooden furniture. Would bring a new dynamic to a modern-style muted color pattern, or would compliment other brightly colored pictures or decorations in the home of an arts and crafts lover.

ABOUT AKHA WEAVING

Originating in the upland areas of Northern Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Yunnan province in southwest China, the Akha people consider textiles as a form of art. Lacking a formalized written language, the Akha people have for centuries carried both their history and culture through their handwoven products. Each piece produced therefore has a great cultural and aesthetic significance.

Young girls from Akha communities learn the traditional methods of spinning and weaving cotton from an early age. Despite the rise of machine-produced textiles, the Akha have continued to utilize traditional methods of production. Thread is spun on a hand spindle: the thread is dipped in a starch-rich solution of rice water, giving the thread flexibility to withstand the pressures of weaving. This is then woven on a backstrap loom: threads are inserted through heddles, separating every other thread, and then through wooden reeds, which keeps the thread in straight lines. The threads are then tied onto end beams mounted on a loom frame, two pairs of bamboo poles around six meters apart, and secured behind and above the wearer. The weaver stands in the middle, operating two treadles by foot to shift the string heddles. The finished product is unique and of exquisite quality.

Item#: THHASZGB104
Material: 100% Cotton
Measurements: 72 x 39.4 inch
* MACHINE WASHABLE: Cold water and a gentle setting recommended *

Help us to Help!

With this purchase you are contributing to our great cause! Interact China is a social enterprise committed to the mission of improving the quality of life of marginalised ethnic minorities and preserving their cultural heritage by promoting their products worldwide. We travel around China and Southeast Asia to work directly with the local artisans and bring their beautiful handicrafts directly at your door. A big thank you for supporting us!