Myanmar · Embroidery / Appliqué / Textile
ကာလဂါ (Kalaga)
Kalaga (ကာလဂါ) is the Burmese tradition of producing large embroidered and appliqué wall hangings depicting scenes from the Jataka tales, royal court narratives, and mythological subjects — used to decorate Buddhist temples, royal pavilions, and elite residences. The technique combines multiple crafts in a single object: a velvet or heavy silk ground cloth, appliquéd colored cloth shapes building up the composition, padding under key figures creating three-dimensional relief, and heavy couched metallic thread outlining all elements. The defining characteristic of kalaga over other Southeast Asian textile arts is the use of sequins, mirrors, and glass beads integrated with the embroidery to create a shimmering reflective surface that catches candlelight in temple settings — the visual effect is designed for night-time ceremonial viewing by lamplight. The procedural knowledge centers on the padding and metallic thread couching that creates the three-dimensional luminous surface.
Risk level: Endangered · Myanmar national ICH list
Burmese silver repoussé (ငွေပုံ ngwe pon — 'shaped silver') is the silversmithing tradition of Myanmar — producing ceremonial bowls, betel containers, Buddha image stands, and personal ornaments through combined repoussé and chasing with a…
The carving and finishing of jadeite (kyauk sein) in Mandalay, the principal cutting and trading center for jade mined at Hpakant in Kachin State — the world's dominant source of gem-quality jadeite, sometimes described in trade literature…
Inle Lake lotus fiber weaving (ကြာသီးထည် kyar thi hta — 'lotus stalk textile') is one of the rarest textile traditions in the world — practiced only on Inle Lake in Shan State, Myanmar, and in a small number of locations in Cambodia.
The forging of the dha (da) — the single-edged, guardless curved sword or long knife that is Myanmar's most historically significant edged-weapon tradition and one of the ten canonical 'Pan Sel Myo' craft categories (Panbe, blacksmithing).
The sadaik (စာဒိုင်း) is the lacquered wooden chest used to store Buddhist palm-leaf manuscripts (parabaik) and paper manuscripts in Burmese Buddhist monasteries — one of the most functionally and aesthetically significant craft objects in…
Pathein hti (ထီး — 'umbrella/parasol') is the traditional paper umbrella making tradition of Pathein (Bassein) in Ayeyarwady Region — Myanmar's primary umbrella-making center for over 200 years.
The Weißstickerei (white embroidery) tradition of Appenzell Innerrhoden — the fine white-on-white embroidery worked on white linen with white thread, producing extraordinarily detailed floral and figurative patterns visible only through…
The bobbin lace tradition of the Rhineland — historically influenced by the Mechelen (Mechlin) lace tradition of the Spanish Netherlands (now Belgium), whose proximity to the Rhineland through trade routes made Mechelen bobbin lace…
The hand-weaving of white cotton into the zuria, a long ceremonial dress, followed by mekab, a counted-thread cross-stitch embroidery technique applied to its borders in precise geometric grids, practiced by Tigrinya weavers and…
The embroidery tradition of St. Gallen — the most significant luxury embroidery production center in the world, whose Schifflistickerei (shuttle embroidery machine) and hand embroidery traditions have supplied haute couture houses (Chanel,…
Su embroidery (苏绣) is the embroidery tradition of Suzhou, Jiangsu — considered the finest of China's four great embroidery schools (Su, Shu, Xiang, Yue).
The bobbin lace tradition of Geneva — a distinct lace style that developed in the 16th century alongside the city's thriving luxury textile culture, influenced by the Venetian needle lace (punto in aria) brought by Italian merchants but…