Cambodia · Weaving / Silk / Cotton
ខ្សែក្រមាចាម (Cham Textile)
The Cham people of Cambodia — Muslim descendants of the ancient Champa Kingdom — maintain a distinct textile tradition separate from both lowland Khmer hol (CRAFT-0506) and highland minority textiles. Cambodian Cham silk weaving centers on the characteristic Cham sarong (kain) — a tube-shaped cloth worn by Cham women with a geometric supplementary weft stripe in contrasting colors. The technical distinction from Khmer krama (CRAFT-0513) is the tubular format: Cham sarongs are woven as seamless tubes using a circular warp setup — same principle as Karen (CRAFT-0450) and Palaung (CRAFT-0443) tubular textiles. The Cham community was among the most targeted by the Khmer Rouge (who viewed the Cham as a racial and religious enemy) — an estimated 36% of Cambodia's Cham population was killed, and their textile tradition was severely disrupted.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Cambodia national ICH list
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