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.