Towering above the temple, it snakes over the weaving fabric.
Naga is the cultural treasure of this Southeast Asian country "Laos".
The head of Naga, a legendary half-human, half-snake god, is covered in a temple in Ta Qu, Kam Mun Province, Laos. In Laos, religions such as Buddhism and animism worship the god of water. It is also a major theme of Lao weaving.
In Laos, there is a legend that a beautiful half-snake, half-human water elf known as Naga lures a beautiful weaver girl deep in the Mekong River to be his bride. You can see this dragon-like god everywhere in Southeast Asia — smiling on rooftops, winding over temple frescoes, on stair railings leading to prayer halls — and Naga is a particularly important subject in Lao textiles.
Kiang Ounphaivong, a weaver at Ock Pop Tok at studio Luang Prabang in Laos, incorporates Naga elements into every piece of textile, as her mother and grandmother did before her. She smiled and said, "Maybe if I knit something very beautiful, Naga will marry me too."
Naga is of great significance in daily life and textile production in Laos, and Laos believes that UNESCO should take note of this. In 2021, Laos nominated the woven Naga motif to be inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).
Being on the list not only allows for recognition of ancient traditions, but also for attracting positive coverage to tourists. In a situation where weaving traditions are at risk due to globalization, this recognition may be timely for Naga to be passed on from generation to generation in lao traditional handicrafts.
【Origin of Naga】
Laos is a small landlocked country sandwiched between Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China and Myanmar. For more than 2,000 years, the Lao people have worshipped snake spirits in various forms. In handicrafts, architecture and festivals, Naga (Nak in Lao) unites at least 50 different ethnic groups in Laos and bridges between its enduring animism and Buddhist beliefs.
Luang Prabang in Laos is located at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. Legend has it that the city is guarded by 15 Naga or serpent spirits.
As early as 2000 BC, the Mon-Khmer settlers in Laos worshipped water spirits in the form of snakes, dragons and crocodiles. These early communities, which lived on farming, fishing and foraging, were and still have a strong connection to water. When Buddhism was introduced to Laos in the 14th century, Naga was designated as the protector of religion. In fact, when young Lao men were appointed Buddhist monks, they were called naks because they took the oath on behalf of Naga.
Viengkham Nanthavongdouangsy, a weaver and designer in Vientiane and a member of the Lao Handicrafts Association, said: "From the day we were born, we heard the story of Naga as our ancestor and protector. Every woman has a piece of something with a Naga motif on it. She worked with the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism to apply for Naga to be inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Lao women wear colorful hand-woven tube skirts with delicate Naga motifs curled up on the hem. This is just one of the many ways in which the serpent god intertwines with towns and villages, inextricably linked to everyday life.
From the Golden Triangle (where the Mekong River flows into Laos) to the southernmost part of Laos, various forms of snake gods add color to Buddhist temples, forming dramatic balustrades on the stairs to enter the temples; At Wat Si Muang, a 16th-century Buddhist temple in vientiane capital, a nine-headed golden eagle obscures a meditative Buddha statue. Long-tailed wooden boats for transport and tourism splash on the silt passages of the Mekong River, even mimicking the powerful silhouette of Naga.
【Naga of the city】
Tara Gujadhur, co-founder of the Center for Traditional Arts and Ethnology (TAEC), said: "Today, the Naga is integrated into indigenous animism and contemporary Buddhist practice." TAEC is a museum located in Luang Prabang, where you can see the Naga River snake in the textile collection exhibition or in the handicrafts sold in the gift shop.
Probably the best place to see Naga is Luang Prabang, a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage City that sits at the confluence of the Mekong and NamKang rivers. For foreign visitors, Luang Prabang blends dazzling Buddhist temples with French colonial architecture; But for Laos, it is an important transit hub for Naga, who is said to use the waterways to travel between the spiritual world and the human world. Snakes guard the city's 33 temples, and they roar at the foot of Mount Pussi, which stands in the center of the city, waving their tails on the pillars of the 15th-century Chantong Temple.
According to legend, 15 Naga people protect Luang Prabang, so every August, there is a rowing festival here, and in autumn, a lantern festival is held here, and snake-shaped floats parade through the town and into the Mekong River to commemorate these patron saints.
【Naga in Weaving】
Before the adoption of the written language in Laos, textiles would pass on oral history and folktales from generation to generation. In these stories told in silk and cotton, Naga is an awesome protagonist, both noble and treacherous, a guardian spirit capable of giving abundance or unleashing disaster.
Nanthavongdouangsy said: "In the past, women weave complex patterns to show their skills. Other women buy them because they show their status. "However, in the mid-20th century, decades of protracted wars and instability affected the production of silk and the acquisition of high-quality weaving.
More and more younger generations are migrating to urban areas, which means they are less likely to work in weaving. In bazaars and artisanal markets, factory-produced cheap keepsakes and trinkets have outpaced hand-woven textiles. Nanthavongdouangsy said, "If weaving disappears, so does the story of Naga."
Many Lao weavers, who are women, still work in their hometowns. On the traditional wooden floor loom, woven with silk or cotton, woven with white yarn, and woven with red, green and gold, Naga "body", these colors are associated with power and magic – as the emblem of the Naga. Weavers weave threads into squares, triangles, and parallel threads reminiscent of the marks left by a snake on a silk canvas.