Kengtung Metallic Thread Tube Skirts

Cultural Transmission and Reproduction in Contemporary Lanna Culture

Abstract

The objectives of this research paper are to study (1) the history, meaning, and roles of the skirts within Kengtung court, (2) it re-evaluation in the contemporary context, and (3) factors and social contexts that contribute to such re-evaluations. The research employed a qualitative methodology combining documentary approaches and field studies. The findings are as follows: (1) Metallic thread tube skirts used by ladies of noble status in the Kengtung court were among the discerning garment items representing the wearers’ ethnic identity and nobility. They were woven by court ladies, with the weaving techniques passed on from one generation to the next. (2) The tradition metallic thread tube skirts have obtained new meanings as a kind of Lanna-style garment piece, one of the cultural products that projects the notion of multi-cultural fusion in contemporary society. (3) The value of the skirts as an object and the social context in which they are worn, represent to two main factors contributing to the symbolic transformation of metallic thread tube skirts. The presented findings contribute new facets to the study of Lanna textiles and clothing and may also be of value to other areas of folklore studies.