We are presenting a programme on weaving process of clothes with lotus fibres.

The lotus fibre cloths are manufactured in Kyaint Khant village in Inlay region. Inlay Lake is situated 3,900 ft above the sea level in Nyaung Shwe Township, Southern Shan State. The water surface in it is 12 miles long 2 miles wide. Inlay is a very large lake stretching from North to South. It is also a place where Badonmar lotus (Nelumbium speciosum) are thriving abundantly Kyaint Khant village, locating in the Southern part of Inlay, is the only region that is manufacturing lotus fibres cloths in the Shan State.

Extraction of fibres from lotus for weaving cloths is not easy. In the months of June and July, the lotus are blooming abundantly in the Inlay lake and so lotus stalks are harvested from the lake.

Before the stalks are harvested, nine offertories are presented to the spirits of the lake as a traditional custom for abundantly blooming of the lotus for extraction of much fibre. In harvesting the lotus, tender stalks are chosen to take out fibres. On the next day, thorns on the stalks are removed and then the stalks are cut into two pieces to be ready for extraction of fibres. 4 inches equal sections are marked with a knife on the 4 or 5 lotus stalks and then these lotus stalks are broken. The broken lotus stalks are rolled on a 3 feet wooden table with wet hands to produce lotus fibres.

If the lotus stalks are kept for a long time, they will become dry and unusable. That’s why, the fibres should be drawn out of the stalks and after one day they have been harvested. For weaving fibres cloths, only Padonma lotus with hard stalks are useable, as other stalks do not produce the fibres.

After obtaining the lotus fibres, these have to be turned into lotus thread skeins not to tangle and then are dried in the sunshine. Later, the dried lotus thread skeins are placed on a spinning wheel to produce spools. After that, the five spools are put on a larger spinning wheel step by step for trusting stronger threads. Next these lotus threads are placed again on a spinner and they are changed again into lotus thread skeins.

Then, these lotus skeins are put on a loom to prepare them for wrapping. The lotus threads, used as weft, are put into shuttles. The loom is fenced with lattices and banana and sugar cane plants according to the traditional custom. In the past, Inlay region manufactured only lotus robes but now, various kinds of lotus cloths are being woven there. About 220-thousand lotus stalks are needed for weaving, a single robe, which takes a month to be completed. While weaving cloths with lotus threads, it is needed to wet the lotus threads constantly.

After weaving the lotus cloths, they are dyed without chemical substances. Colours produced from natural fruits and vegetables are utilized in dying the lotus cloths. By boiling dry gooseberries will produce gray colour. Similarly, boiled lotus leaves will give greenish-yellow colour and the boiled bark of Shorea robusta tree will produce brown and reddish-brown colour. After dyeing the cloths, they are being washed and are dried in the sunlight. Although the colour of lotus cloths resembles that of cotton, they are lighter and studier than other cotton-wears. New lotus fibres cloths have the fragrance of lotus and you feel coolness in hot season and warmness in cold season by weaving them. Moreover, the lotus fibres clothes are comfortable to wear in all seasons.