Zinme and Luntaya Achiek Textiles: Historical and Socio-Cultural

Reflections Across Space and Time

By Kruamas Woodtikarn

 

This paper examines the history and development of zinme and luntaya achiek textiles of Burma/Myanmar.  Zinme are weft ikat, silk textiles in the form of tubeskirts and made at Inle Lake of Burma/Myanmar, and zinme is the Burmanization of Chiang Mai, the name of a city in northern Thailand.  Luntaya achiek are silk textiles woven with a tapestry technique also worn as a lower garment from the area of Amarapura, Burma/Myanmar. To first trace the history and development of these textiles, I examine the linkages among four weaving traditions from Manipura (India), Amarapura (Burma/Myanmar), and Inle Lake (Burma/Myanmar), and Chiang Mai (Thailand) with emphasis placed on the socio-cultural context of the textile production in the four areas.  An analysis of the exchange of weaving techniques among the weaving traditions from the four sites was conducted by researching archival sources and visiting contemporary weaving centers in the four areas.  The affects of zinme and luntaya achiek textiles from advances in weaving technology and revitalization of textile production were also examined. Cultural exchange through textile trade continues particularly between Chiang Mai and Burma/Myanmar as it did when interaction began several centuries ago despite disruptions from political instability, the closing of borders, and other events that affect relationships between nation-states.

 

Kruamas Woodtikarn is a lecturer at Chiang Mai University (Chiang Mai, Thailand) and deputy director of Chiang Mai University Center for the Promotion of Arts and Culture. She is co-editor of Lan Na Textiles: Yuan Lao Lue, a book on textiles of ethnic groups from northern Thailand and one of the organizers of an international conference entitled, “Textiles of Asia: A Common Heritage.”  Previous research and presentations on textiles include "Life, Faith, and Textiles: Passing on Knowledge about Textiles in Mae Chaem District, Chiang Mai Province" and "People Who Make Their Marks in the Cities of Chiang Mai and Kyoto: Tradition, Transition and Creation".