Myanmar · Weaving / Fiber Extraction
ကြာသီးထည် (Kyar Thi Hta)
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 technique extracts fine fiber filaments from the cut stems of sacred lotus plants (Nelumbo nucifera) by breaking the stem and pulling the sticky filaments into a continuous thread, then spinning these threads together and weaving them into a textile used exclusively for monks' robes and sacred Buddha image coverings. The lotus plant's sacred status in Buddhist tradition gives the textile a ritual dimension: monks' robes woven from lotus fiber are considered the most meritorious offering a lay Buddhist can make. The fiber extraction technique — the moment of pulling filaments from the broken stem — must be performed at a precise angle and speed or the filaments break before they can be accumulated into sufficient length for spinning.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not separately inscribed; embedded in Inle Lake heritage context
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