About Our Products
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Naga Textiles
Little is known about the early history of the Naga people. Ancient Sanskrit books speak of a golden skinned people of the sub-Himalayan region thought to be ancestors of the present day Naga who occupied the mountains 2000 years ago. The Naga are quintessentially hill people, numbering about a million, and are spread throughout north-east India and north-west Burma. Our Naga textiles are from the Burmese side
Renowned for their fierceness and tribal battles, the Naga later developed harmony and diversity in their society. This vibrant culture exemplifies an exotic society and the Naga throw and runners are resplendent with complex and deeply symbolic designs. Traditionally, the Naga throws are worn as body cloths and to this day remain an important indication of status and tribal belonging.
The production of textiles is the preserve of women. Both cotton and hemp are used to make Naga throws on hand looms, using the back-strap method. After the cloth has been woven, small patches of embroidery are added using a porcupine needle. A number of plant extracts are used to dye the cloth including indigo, mahogany and lacquer.
Naga throws sold in villages are limited in supply, and while designs and colours peculiar to each tribe recur, throws and runners are often unique and exact replicas cannot be found. Minor imperfections expected from completely hand crafted products may be present, but we carefully handpick every item to ensure the highest possible quality. Prices vary according to the complexity and overall quality of the piece. Naga textiles are very well crafted and resonate with a primal quality, adding a wonderfully warm ambience to a room.
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Silk Textiles from Laos
The tradition of silk weaving in Laos, a small country in SE Asia is over 1000 years old. Passed down from mother to daughter for generations, silk weaving continues to serve as a beautiful expression of an ancient culture.
In the past, Laotian women only weaved for themselves and their family, breeding the silk worms, extracting the silk and dying it with natural dyes before taking an heirloom textile as inspiration for their own piece. The women of Laos are proud and passionate about silk weaving, and describe it as a work of great joy. Silk weaving is an important Laotian tradition and provides an income for many women and their families.
The many ethnic groups in Laos provide a vast pool of influences and have led to a wonderful variety of patterns, colour schemes and shapes over past centuries. After a long period of decline in the art of weaving, this wonderful tradition experienced a revival in the early 1990s. Today several studios in Laos are weaving silks of breathtaking quality and design and are receiving deserved recognition from around the world. The demand for loom woven silk textiles from Laos is on the rise as more and more people come into contact with and have the opportunity to appreciate this wonderful art form.
Thanks to hundreds of years spent perfecting the cultivation of silk, the thread used in Laos is of a consistently high quality. After the silk is dried and spun it is then dyed using natural plant extracts. These include the indigo plant (producing blue, black and green), mahogany tree (dry earth and brick red), ebony fruit (grey), annatto seeds (orange), jackfruit (yellow) the bark of the Indian trumpet flower tree (green) and almond leaves (olive). Ancestral dyeing techniques are of a very high standard and great care is taken selecting the plants from which the dye is extracted. Most places in the world today use synthetic dyes, which lack the natural beauty of dyes produced from plant extracts.
Once a design has been decided on, the silk weaving begins on a traditional wooden loom. It is an amazing experience to watch a detailed motif (design) slowly emerge, day by day. One quickly develops an appreciation for the skill and patience required by the weaver. A single piece can take days, weeks, even months to complete. Traditional designs and patterns, called motifs include symbols like diamonds, birds, snakes (Naga), elephants and other animals and flowers. These are not merely ornamental. They have symbolic significance, offering both status and protection to the owner. The starflower and other geometric designs bring good luck and prosperity. Animal characters are believed to bring fertility and protection, while patterns such as the firestone and spinning tools represent wisdom and creativity.
Unlike machine made textiles the surfaces are not perfect, but instead show the beautiful characteristics and nubs of hand-woven and dyed silk. We carefully handpick every silk in our store to ensure the highest possible quality at the most reasonable price. When considering the value of a silk please take into account the time and skill required to make these mesmerising textiles. Silk is a durable fibre but we do recommend dry cleaning. The silk can be ironed with a moderately hot iron, using a thin cloth between the iron and the silk.
Our silk tapestries can be used as wall hangings, table runners, bed runners or wraps. Certain pieces also look wonderful framed. Our antique silks sometimes combine cotton with silk, especially the pieces that were originally the hem of skirts worn by Laotian women. These pieces are in short supply and will increase in value over time.
These exquisite textiles woven by the women of Laos lend a wonderful, warm ambience to the home. They capture much of the mystical, exotic and playful sense of the East that we have come to love.
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Opium Weights
These curious weights have long attracted the interest of travellers to Burma and are now very much coveted by collectors as they become harder to find. Opium weights have been used to weigh various substances in the market places of Burma since antiquity. The term "opium" weight is somewhat a misnomer. It arouses the romantic notion that these weights were used to weigh and measure out wads of acrid smelling opium that would then be smoked on platform beds by dreamy Orientals with glazed over eyes in darkened dens. The term "opium" weight for these measures was probably coined by a foreigner with a lively imagination and an allure for the mystical East. While it is true that some of the smaller weights could have been used for measuring the heady sap, "opium" weights served a much wider, more useful and down to earth purpose. They were used to weigh the daily items of commerce found in the Burmese market place including food, raw materials and metals, both ordinary and precious. Items were measured by a beam hung with two baskets or trays.
Great care was taken in weighing the amount of molten metal used in casting to ensure that the purported weight was accurate. The weights and measures system was subject to the scrutiny of the king, who, after assuming the throne, had a master set of weights made in the animal of his choosing. These weights were kept in the Hluttaw (parliament) and citizens were expected to ensure that the weights they used conformed to the standard weights.
Early adventurers to the court of Pegu in the sixteenth century noted that silver bullion was weighed with these "curious animal" weights. Yule, an emissary of Queen Victoria, illustrated one in his book, A Narrative of the Mission Sent by the Governor General of India to the Court of Ava in 1855. These weights were also once used over much of Thailand and Cambodia. While historical records are sketchy, it’s thought the first opium weights date back to at least the 12th Century. Traditional weights in bronze stopped being made soon after the British took over Burma in 1885, after which they were replaced by the uninteresting round iron weights used throughout the world today. It is difficult to date opium weights to any greater accuracy than say within 50 years due to a lack of accurate and detailed records.
A Burmese palm leaf manuscript written by Nandabahu, an administrator to one of Burma’s most illustrious kings, Alaunhpaya (1752-1760), made a list of the various styles of weights in use. These include the chicken. stork, stag, elephant, goat, bird of paradise, toe naya, Tibetan bull, crested horse, crested bull, heron, bear, mynah, hintha, and koel. In general, the weights can be divided into birds and quadrupeds. It is sometimes difficult to tell the various styles of birds apart as constant handling over centuries has blurred many of the distinguishing details. Unfortunately, it’s thought that a lot of the earlier weights were melted down and remoulded in the styles of the day.
Some weights have a stamp or seal on the base, which can be hexagonal, octagonal or simply round. A popular seal is the star flower with four to nine petals. Some of the loveliest weights found to date are from the nineteenth century. The value of a weight is influenced by the level of craftsmanship, the rarity of the style, the age, and the composition of the bronze alloy. For example, elephants are quite rare – an elephant with superior craftsmanship is highly sought after by collectors. As well as birds, another popular animal is the toe, a fabulous beast supposed to inhabit the Himalayan forest. It has the face of a lion, the hooves and tail of a horse and horns. Some of the earliest forms of toe date back to the 17th and 18th century. Weights were measured in tical- 1 tical equals about 15 grams, 100 tical was referred to as a viss (approx. 3 ½ pounds). Weights of this size often had handles for ease of lifting.
Fakes and replicas abound, but can be fairly easily spotted. Some of the animals currently being produced such as cats, peacocks, monkeys and rats were never used when genuine antique weights were being cast. Another indicator of a copy is a strong brass colour. Genuine weights are normally quite dark, sometimes with a reddish colour due to a high copper content with older weights or in some cases silvery, when silver has been added to the alloy. Genuine opium weights are normally scarred and pitted as a result of continued rough use, though there are exceptions, such as well crafted weights that were possessed and relatively unused by the aristocracy.
It is no wonder that opium weights are growing in popularity as a collector’s item. They are aesthetically engaging and represent a fascinating period in history- each weight has a story to tell and some sense of individuality. A genuine weight will only rise in value over the years. Dealers in shops in the backstreets of Burma and Thailand already complain that good weights come to them far less frequently than before. If you venture to Burma or Thailand to hunt for weights, expect dealers to know the value of the rarer and better made weights. Be warned, collecting opium weights can become addictive- finding and taking possession of a weight that stirs your blood is exhilarating. You may find each weight purchased is soon joined by another to keep it company. An excellent source of information on the subject is "Earth to Heaven: the Royal Animal Shaped Weights of the Burmese Empires" by Donald and Joan Gear.
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Bronze Bells
Antique bronze bells have become a sought after collectors item. The bells of old are far more beautiful than bells used today. They were crafted from bronze and bear a range of interesting designs and the seal of the maker. The different styles reflect different uses – the round bells were worn mostly by elephants, the oblong bells by buffalo and the more regular shape were temple bells. Bells worn by animals were used to help farmers or mahouts (elephant keepers) locate their animals after they had been grazing in the jungle or fields. Temple bells were used to wake monks and announce meal times and to call the monk to chant. The value of a bell depends on the age, quality of the material used, the design, and of course, it’s appeal to you. The bells we offer are between 40-150 years old. Each bell has its own individual characteristics, ring tone, and story to tell. We collect bells from Burma and Thailand and guarantee their authenticity. Every bell comes with its own quality custom built stand.
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For more information about any of our collections please contact Kristin or Scott at sabai@loxinfo.co.th
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sabai designs supports Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary for abused and injured elephants in northern Thailand. The founder of the park, Sangduen ‘Lek’ Chailert, has been passionately championing the rights of the Asian elephant for decades. There are currently 30 elephants living at the park, together with the 34 dogs, 15 cats and 2 cows that Lek has rescued over the years. At the park, the elephants are free to roam, forage and form bonds naturally and are not made to work.
www.elephantnaturefoundation.org
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sabai designs
Chiang Mai, Thailand & Sydney, Australia
Registered Australian Business
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