ກະດາດສາ (Kradaat Sa)
Lao sa paper (ກະດາດສາ kradaat sa) is the traditional handmade paper of Laos, produced from the bark of the sa tree (Broussonetia papyrifera — paper mulberry) using a technique closely related to Thai saa paper and ultimately descended from Chinese and Japanese papermaking traditions transmitted through Buddhist monastic networks. Sa paper is used for Buddhist manuscripts, temple lanterns, parasols, and kite-making. The procedural knowledge centers on bark fiber preparation — cooking the stripped inner bark in wood ash lye, then beating to a fine pulp — and the sheet formation technique using a fixed wooden-framed mold lowered into a vat of diluted pulp. The thickness and texture of the final paper is controlled entirely by the concentration of pulp in the vat and the duration of mold immersion — both calibrated by experience, not measurement.
Risk level: Endangered · Not separately listed; embedded in Lao Buddhist heritage
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