Textile in Isaan and Roiet
Textile and Roiet
In Roiet, some silk and cotton textile products are named from the technique of production such as nudmi, khid, and yeab while other of them named from the function they perform such as Sarong, Khaoma, Sabai, Krab, Bansukul, etc. These cloths are used in a variety of occasions such as ceremonies, rites and festivals. In the everyday life of Isaan people, in addition to garnments, there are many things made of silk or cotton textiles which used for many functions such as mattrasses, pillows, blankets, ceremonials flags (tung) and Buddhist canvas paintaings (Prabot paintings). Textiles play an important role in the society. For instance, when a child is bord a pa-oom is used as a blanket or mattrass in the craddle. In some families, Phakkhao ma (mans loincloth) is used as a baby cadle instead of a local bamboo basketry cadle bu tying in between two poles. Generally in Roi-Et, men wear pants with a wide waist but tied up with a cord or long cloth while working or staying at home. When going out for making merit or joining a ceremony, they wear silk sarongs and shirts with short sleeves and place a sabai (sash) over the shoulder. Women wear cotton, madame long tube skirts in blue with design. However, if they go out they wear silk mudmee (Ikat) and blouse with a sabai or sash wrapped around the body as a shoulder. When a man is ordained into the monkhood, he is drssed in a special costume. Hw wears long tube lower garnment with strapping in front of the waist, a long sleeve shirt and wearing a special pointed cloth hat or cover his head with a phamon square piece of cloth which is decorated with khid technique for protecting him from the sunlight and for beauty. In a wedding ceremony, it is a big job for the woman who will be the bride. She has to prepare many things which will be the souvenirs for the bridegroom parents and relatives who come on the wedding day. She has to weave Pja sin for the bridegroom’s mother, sarong and sabai or pha khao ma for bridegroom’s father, amke khid mattress and pillows for herselfs and relatives. When a man dies, the family has to arrange a cremation ceremony. Many pieces of cloth are used to cover the corpses and the coffin. Some pierce are offered to the monks as making merit for the dead. All these indicates the textile weaving has an important role in a woman’s life in the past and even in the present day.Useful Legal Resources for Expats in Thailand
Textile In Isaan And Roiet
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Isaan & Northeast Thailand
Frequently Asked Questions
What is textile weaving in Isan, Thailand?
The Isan (northeastern Thai) silk and cotton weaving tradition is one of Southeast Asia’s most sophisticated textile arts, with distinct patterns and dyeing techniques that vary by village and ethnic group. Mud-mee silk (the famous resist-dyed ikat silk of Isan) and matmee cotton have been woven in the region for centuries. Roi-Et province is one of the major weaving centers.
What is mud-mee silk?
Mud-mee (มัดหมี่) is a Thai ikat technique where threads are tied and resist-dyed before weaving, creating intricate geometric patterns in the finished cloth. The name refers to the tying (mud) and the me (threads). Each region has its own distinctive patterns — Roi-Et, Khon Kaen, and Surin are the most renowned production centers. Genuine hand-woven mud-mee is expensive but exquisite.
Where can I buy authentic Isan silk or cotton textiles?
Authentic Isan textiles can be purchased directly from weaving villages (the best experience), at provincial markets and silk shops in Roi-Et, Khon Kaen, Surin, and Nakhon Ratchasima, or at Jim Thompson stores in Bangkok (premium-priced but guaranteed quality). Avoid factory-produced imitations — genuine hand-woven silk has slight irregularities that are marks of quality, not flaws.
How do I identify authentic hand-woven Thai silk?
Test for authenticity: burn a thread — real silk smells like burnt hair and the ash crumbles; synthetic silk smells like plastic. Hand-woven silk has slight irregularities in the weave and a characteristic sheen that changes with light direction. Price is a guide — genuine hand-woven mud-mee silk typically costs 800–3,000 THB per metre minimum.
