The Resilient Thread: The Revival and Future of Cambodian Textiles

The Resilient Thread: The Revival and Future of Cambodian Textiles
Chapter One: The Weaver's Return: The Revival of the Silk and Sampot Tradition In 1979, after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, the looms of Cambodia were silent. The ancient art of silk weaving, a tradition that had created the magnificent textiles of the Angkorian Empire, was functionally extinct. The master weavers had been murdered, the mulberry groves had been destroyed, the looms had been burned for firewood, and the very knowledge of the craft existed only in the fragile memories of a handful of survivors. The revival of this complex and beautiful art form from a state of near-total annihilation is one of the most remarkable and hopeful stories of modern Cambodian cultural history. It is a story of the resilience of the human spirit and a powerful partnership between the last keepers of an ancient tradition and the new opportunities brought by Cambodia's re-engagement with the world. The Last Masters: The Keepers of Memory The entire future of Cambodian silk rested on the shoul…