 |
 |
 |
 |
| The silversmith's
forge is quite simple, a small charcoal fireplace with a hollowed-out
log bellows in the background. Siilver is melted in old tomato paste
cans, then poured into bar molds. |
Here are virtually
all the tools used by the silversmith: a hammer and mallet. The pieces
of silver shown are for making the silver balls in the Akha headgear.
(The balls themselves are hammered in a mold made of water buffalo
horn.) |
Hammering out a flat
piece. This is MUCH trickier than it looks... |
Finishing work on
an Akha headband. Here the patterning is being hammered in (very delicately)
with a ball scriber. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Traditionally, most
of an Akha family's wealth would be on the woman's head. An Akha headdress
was traditionally made out of pure silver, and could weigh 1-2 kg
of pure silver! |
Me finishing the
transition to an Akha woman. Notice the elaborately embroidered jacket.
The red fluffy things coming off the head are cock neck feathers,
made into big fluffy lei-like things. |
And, the back of
the jacket. The cloth is handspun, hand-woven, indigo-dyed cotton.
The Akha use a 10" wide loom and sew the strips into a jacket
kimono-style, so there is no waste. |
Two silver spindles
I had the Akha silversmith make for me. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Making the red fluffy
things, two yarns and a bow. |
Preparing cotton
for spinning: first a bowstring is plucked repeatedly through the
cotton to fluff it up... |
...then the cotton
is rolled into a puni using a small wooden board and a dowel... |
...and finally, spun
Akha-style, using a mid-whorl spindle. |
 |
 |
|
|
| Ceremonial wedding
skirt--white is a wedding color, the three colored lines have ritual
significance. |
Akha woman in headdress.
The style of headdress indicates the tribe; I believe this is a Lo
Mi headdress style, but I could be wrong. |
|
|
