Lao Tai Blanket

Bed linens are a very important element in a Lao Tai woman’s dowry. While the mattresses, blankets, pillows, and mosquito nets are typically made by the bride herself, other family members occasionally help if it is a large dowry.

The Lao Tai people of Laos are a part of a larger group spread throughout Southeast Asia – also known as “Shan” in Burma, “Dai” in China, and “Tai” in Thailand. Geometric designs are common in their textile arts, and they sometimes include animal figures such as the monkeys in the border surrounding the outer large diamonds, and ram horns.

Two cotton panels sewn together and decorated with supplementary indigo cotton weft. The design features rams horns within a diamond grid.