Although an 84-year-old Kalasin woman recognised for her beautiful hand-woven prae wa silk is now too frail to weave, her exquisite workmanship will not disappear as her four daughters have vowed to carry on her craft.
Kammai Yokasing is one of the eight craftsmen awarded "The Master Artisans of Thailand" status by the Support Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand (SACICT) (Public Organisation) this year. She is known to be a key driver who brought back the famed prae wa silk to life after it suffered a drop in demand in Kalasin.
Wassana Songprakhon, the second of Kammai's four daughters, said her siblings all want prae wa silk-making techniques to be passed on.
She said when her older sister retired from her job, the other sisters agreed to set up a learning centre where people can come to be educated in prae wa silk with its signature sheen and exquisite lozenge pattern typically set against background colours of pink, purple, blue and different shades of brown.
Prae wa silk is the cultural inheritance of weavers in Kalasin which originated with the Phu Thai ethnic groups in the north of Laos and Vietnam. The distinctive prae wa fabric, apart from its appearance, is much prized for its smooth texture afforded by hand-spun silk threads.
However, the time-consuming weaving method and lengthy efforts involved in producing prae wa silk have pushed up prices of the cloth, which is the one of the factors that make them rare. That rarity has hurt their popularity.
Speaking of how her mother has helped bring back prae wa silk from oblivion, Wassana said this happened when King Rama IX and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit in 1976 visited Ban Phon in Kham Muang district, where her father lined up to greet them. He served as the chief of the district education office at the time.
As a wife of state official, Kammai was a member of the reception committee on hand to welcome the monarch along with locals from Phu Thai ethnic group.
She borrowed a silk shawl from the locals to wear at the reception ceremony.
"The Queen came over and commented on the beauty of (the shawl) my mother was wearing," Wassana said.
The Queen also asked to buy the cloth but Kammai told her she had borrowed it from someone else, according to Wassana.
After the event, the Queen's two ladies-in-waiting -- Thanpuying Suprapada Kasemsan Na Ayudhaya and Thanpuying Jarungjit Thikara -- gave six kilogrammes of silk yarn to Kammai to weave into shawls similar to the one she wore to the reception ceremony.
It was hard to find people in the village who were up to the task, considering that a standard-size prae wa cloth of a moderately-intricate pattern takes as long as six months to weave.
Kammai figured she needed quite a few experienced weavers to perform the job. First, though, she had to find an incentive to draw people to the project. She announced that weavers who join would have a chance to be part of a reception party to meet the Queen in person the next time Her Majesty visited. This promise instantly rallied several weavers.
After an arduous weaving period, the silk cloth was produced and later handed to the Queen at Klai Kangwon Palace in Prachuap Khiri Khan's Hua Hin district by the group, led by Kammai. This marked the starting point for the locals to band together and form a silk weaving group.
"She (the Queen) gave us some challenging ideas, such as how it might be possible to add new colours to the cloths and widen them to make outfits that are unconventional, as well as changes to the techniques of dyeing and laundering and changing colour shades and patterns," said Wassana, adding the Queen also said her mother was a fan of classic colours.
Wassana herself learned all techniques in making silk cloth from her mother, ranging from weaving, dyeing to cultivating mulberries and raising silkworms.
"All her daughters must be able to weave silk cloth. Anyone who cannot do it would not be allowed to get married," said Wassana.
Kammai had an audience with the Queen every year. Apart from producing fabrics for making into the Queen's attire, the silk outfits were also given to the Queen's visitors and foreign diplomats.
Kammai felt the highest honour when she was introduced by the Queen to foreign guests as "my friend".
The grand dame of prae wa silk stopped producing silk cloth years ago as she suffers from atherosclerosis although her loom and other weaving apparatus are kept in workable condition.
"We will be the torch bearers. Now we have the duty to pass the knowledge of prae wa silk production," said Wassana of herself and her siblings.
Another noted recipient of this year's "The Master Artisans of Thailand Awards" is 83-year-old Kam Pinaduang, from Phu Sang district of Phayao. He is known to be a master craftsman of Lanna-style perforated flags, so called tung luang. Tung simply refers to flags native to the North.
The paper tung are generally used as decorations at religious mass ceremonies, such as the ordination of monks.
Kam is an expert in tung luang production. The craftsmanship of the native design on flag has fascinated many people, including monks, students, teachers and local leaders, who are eager to learn the flag-making technique, starting with the drawing of the pattern on the sheet.
"I have never studied how to draw patterns before," Kam said, adding all the patterns spring from his imagination, particularly the unique style of the elaborate kranok pattern. He makes a point of developing new designs for his work based on traditional ideas.
Kammai and two of her daughters, including Wassana Songprakhon, at the award ceremony. photo by Nauvarat Suksamran
His outstanding work includes tung depicting 12 zodiac signs connected to the Lanna people's belief. The tung flags serve various purposes. Among them are the tung chai, conventionally used in a blessing ceremony, and the tung thep phanom, which decorate temples and religious buildings.
He also crafted tung thep phanom to show the royal monogram to commemorate the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The monogram came about in 2011 when the late King was receiving treatment at Siriraj Hospital for his ailments.
Kam said he has been making the flags for more than 60 years and the "The Master Artisans of Thailand" award he picked up recently made him proud.
Every pattern he created for the tung came is dedicated to the Lord Buddha, he said, adding the award has been a great source of support and inspiration and has compelled him to share his knowledge of the art with the next generation.
"I will go at it for as long as I have the strength to do it. I want this precious artwork to be passed on," said Kam.
Phra Rat Pariyat, the Phayao ecclesiastical provincial governor, said his father donated tung luang to many temples in Phayao and the nearby provinces of Nan, Chiang Rai as well as the provinces in the Northeast.
The monk said he brought the flags his father made to religious sites in India and Myanmar to pay homage to Buddhism. His father believes giving tung as a religious offering is a merit-making gesture.
Amparwon Pichalai, chief executive officer of the SACICT which organises "The Master Artisans of Thailand Awards", said the centre helps master craftsmen so they can continue producing artistic treasures, many of which are at risk of being lost with no family member or anyone else to keep alive the arts.
The artworks can only survive if there are markets for them. The centre is also looking at ways to spur creativity in the works.
The centre also wants these craftsmen to exchange ideas with those in other countries, she said, adding it will sponsor their travel to make such exchanges possible.
According to Ms Amparwon, awards are also given to those who follow in the footsteps of the master artisans. They do not necessarily have to be descendants of these artisans. However, they must have engaged in the art and consistently produced handicrafts for at least 15 years. These individuals are a new breed of artisans who can maintain the identity of these artworks.
Kam Pinaduang works with his monk son, Phra Rat Pariyat, to create perforated sheets for the 'tung', a distinctive Lanna flag at the family home. The sheets bear elaborate designs in gold and silver colours. photos by Saiarun Pinaduang
