ကယားထည် (Kayah Hte)
Kayah (Karenni) backstrap weaving is the textile tradition of the Kayah people (ကယား) of Kayah State (formerly Karenni State) — one of Myanmar's smallest states and home to multiple culturally distinct Kayah sub-groups. The weaving tradition uses a back-strap loom with a complex supplementary weft system producing the characteristic Kayah textile: a red-dominant ground with geometric diamond and zigzag supplementary weft patterns in white, black, and green — the combination varying by Kayah sub-group. The red ground is significant: Kayah people were known as 'Red Karen' by colonial administrators because of the distinctive red of their traditional dress. The supplementary weft pattern is inserted by a count-by-touch technique similar to Lao jok (CRAFT-0407) but with smaller heddle groups and a more complex over-under count sequence specific to each Kayah sub-group's pattern vocabulary.
Risk level: Endangered · Myanmar national ICH list
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