Silk and silver in Surin

Posted by Mr Tuk Tuk on October 21st, 2011 filed in Up Country, shopping

The southern Isarn province of Surin is more famous for its elephants and the annual November Elephant Roundup than its heritage silk weaving and silver ornament production villages. People living in the village of Ban Na Dang set up a silk cloth production co-operative in 1990. People producing bolts of the fine cloth here use natural ingredients such as jackfruit tree bark to dye the silk threads. People operating silk looms at their houses welcome visitors and, in some cases, offer finished articles for sale.

The centrally located Ban Tha Sawang village is home to the Chan Soma silk production facility. A loom in this centre is three metres high and has enough space for 1,400 cords. It takes four operators to run this loom and it is used to create pha mai yok thong. This magnificent creation, which translates to gold inlaid silk in English, follows an ancient style and uses fine silkworm strands and gold thread. The weavers are only capable of turning out five centimetres of the intricate brocade on the loom a day. Any lengthy piece of silk can take weeks to complete.

At Khwao Si Narin District, artisans have learnt the art of producing fine silver ornaments from their forefathers. The district was renowned for its silver amulets more than a century ago. Nowadays, the emphasis is on silver jewellery, belts and other ornamentation. Various locations here offer creations for sale at prices that compare favourably with Bangkok or Chiang Mai.