tribaltextiles.info

I wanted to add a few photos of some Li textiles that I have been able to add to my collection in the last couple of years. I really enjoy viewing the other pieces that have been posted on this site, thanks!

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Mark Johnson

http://www.markajohnson.com
Mark A. Johnson Tribal Art

Mark

Absolutely scrumptious!

Of course I am not surprised that you have some very, very special Li pieces. Thank you SO very much for sharing them with us.

Could I be really greedy and ask for a few detailed shots?

1. li_sarong_2182 - a detail of the procession
2. li_mini_skirt_2004 - a detail of a section of one of the bottom bands
3. li_mini_skirt_1866 - a detail of a section of the bottom band around one of (the series of) 'men' in the wide bottom band. I have not seen one of these skirts with a wide bottom band and with such large figures - this one really 'wows' me!
4. li_jacket__1923 - does this blouse include beadwork? I am very interested in the embroidery rectangles immediately under the sleeves. Could we have a close-up of this section? Is it just embroidery or embroidery and beads?
5. li_jacket__2028 - some nice dragons. I haven't seen a (Run/Ba sa dung) blouse with the bands over the shoulders. Are they embroidery or weaving? I note that the sleeve bands are each different.

I don't suppose that you have information about any of them? They all look special as if they were celebration pieces i.e. weddings, other festivals.

I know that you have the 1938 National Geographic with the article by Leonard Clark on his trek on Hainan among the 'Big Knot Lois' (the Ba sa dung (Run dialect)). I find it amazing to believe that such beautiful and fine work has been created under the conditions that he describes in that article. http://www.tribaltextiles.info/forum/Ba-Sa-Dung-Li.htm

Thanks again for a spendid show of textiles.

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Pamela

http://www.tribaltextiles.info
on-line tribal textiles resource

Hi Pamela,
Here are some details you requested.
Regards,
Mark

_________________
Mark Johnson

http://www.markajohnson.com
Mark A. Johnson Tribal Art

Hi Pamela,
I was having a problem submitting the photos so on my third try I decided to just go with two images to see if it worked. So I will submit the rest in smaller groups to be sure they get through.

I do not know much more about the Li pieces than anyone else does, but I was told the Sarongs with the bands of figures are from the Ha-Li group and could be 100 years old or more. Comparing them to 19th century Tapis-Sarongs from the Lampung district of South Sumatra, I certainly can believe they could be that old.

Regards,
Mark

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Mark Johnson

http://www.markajohnson.com
Mark A. Johnson Tribal Art

The details of the bottom and side panels of the Li Jacket with bead trim

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Mark Johnson

http://www.markajohnson.com
Mark A. Johnson Tribal Art

Here are the details of the Li Jacket with the vertical banding. Those bands are loom woven strips that were added on.

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Mark Johnson

http://www.markajohnson.com
Mark A. Johnson Tribal Art

Here is another one of the Li mini-skirts with the bold figures.

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Mark Johnson

http://www.markajohnson.com
Mark A. Johnson Tribal Art

Another Ha-Li Sarong

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Mark Johnson

http://www.markajohnson.com
Mark A. Johnson Tribal Art

Yet another Ha-Li Sarong

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Mark Johnson

http://www.markajohnson.com
Mark A. Johnson Tribal Art

Another Li Jacket

_________________
Mark Johnson

http://www.markajohnson.com
Mark A. Johnson Tribal Art

Mark

I feel as if someone has just knocked all the breath out of me! These are fantastic textiles!

Thank you very much indeed for taking all that trouble to photograph them - including the extra details that I asked for, and then some! The reason you probably had some difficulty posting the photos is that there is a 5 photo cap on any one message (unless it happens to be me as Administrator either directly or by editing).

I think it gives us all something to aspire to! I thought I had some quite fine Li textiles until I saw yours. Have you had them for very long? I feel that you may well have found some of them quite early on. November 2001 was my 'road to Damascus' when I saw my first Li textile but didn't know what it was. At that time (in Kaili) I could have bought lots of Li textiles, mainly Ba sa dung (Run dialect) skirts and blouses for relatively reasonable prices. There were one or two Meifu Li headcloths but I was not offered any Ha or Meifu Li ikat woven skirts on that visit. I don't think that the Li textiles had quite taken off then - they were already attracting some attention by their quality but the 'buzz' hadn't started...I think. Olivier posted a request for help for information on Li textiles in June 02 on the old forum as he had bought some Li textiles in Chiang Mai.

Many thanks once more for sharing...

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Pamela

http://www.tribaltextiles.info
on-line tribal textiles resource

Hi Pamela,
I bought most of these over the last few years, one here, another there, type of thing. Unfortunately, I let a few other really good ones go in the beginning as I didn't know what was going on or what quality levels existed at first. I think I bought my first examples here in the States around 2001 and then by 2002 I started looking for them overseas. Since then others have come to me from various sources. I tend to gravitate to these types shown: the jackets, the mini-skirts, and the sarongs with figures. I also like the ikat sarongs that remind me of Flores textiles, but I sold off the only really great ones in the beginning before I really understood what I was looking at.

I still have some other good (but more typical) examples that I am selling off, but I have decided to only buy exceptional pieces and hold on to them for awhile until all of this finally shakes out (as it usually does). Personally, I love these Li textiles and have no problem living with them for now.

I have collected in so many areas over the last 30 years and only Central Asian ikats, and textiles/beadwork from Borneo, Sumatra, Toraja, and Timor have really held my interest over the long haul. However, most of those areas have been cleaned out of the best examples years ago and it cost some real money to purchase the quality that I would be interested in today. These Li pieces have been an exciting exception as this is the first "new" area that has attracted me in years and great pieces at reasonable prices are still available (to some degree). Plus, I love the learning process when new material hits the market and no one knows what is really out there.

Great fun!!!

Mark

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Mark Johnson

http://www.markajohnson.com
Mark A. Johnson Tribal Art

Hi Pamela,
I forgot to mention that I have recently read a book on the Tangkhul Naga, written by a Tangkhul. The author has tried to work out the history of the Tangkhul (one of the larger groups, mostly found on the Burmese side of the border). Of course, he claims the Tangkhul are the original Naga and everyone else split off from that core group. He mentions that the Tangkhul migrated through Burma, by way of Southern China, coming down from the central plains of China. The odd bit is that he claims that the Tangkhul are decended from one of the Li groups on Hainan Island! It seems they moved south, then onto Hainan, and then some split off, moved back into southern China, and then moved westward to Burma and then up into hills to become the current Tangkhul Naga. He sites all sorts of oral history, with names, etc. Interesting...
Mark

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Mark Johnson

http://www.markajohnson.com
Mark A. Johnson Tribal Art

Mark,

Thanks for the further info. The book you refer to about Tangkhul Naga and possible past migrations of the Li sounds interesting.

I have been having a day taking photographs of some of my Li textiles and I thought I would add a couple of textiles here (a bit brave of me considering the very fine ones you have posted!) First I am going to post a Ha Li skirt (usually thought to be for a wedding) - and, I think from the 'Traditional Culture of Li Ethnic Group' these wedding skirts are of the 'Hayling' Ha Li and they come from Sanya and Lingshui.

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Pamela

http://www.tribaltextiles.info
on-line tribal textiles resource

I am going to add another skirt which is probably an 'every day' skirt by the same Ha group as made the beautiful wedding skirts. I found this interesting because you can see how the images are built up.

At first sight of the detail of the figure you might think that it was created by supplementary weft. However, examination of the back of the textile strongly suggests embroidery. On the wedding skirts such a figure would be additionally outlined in embroidery.

I have added two details of the reverse of two motifs illustrating that the 'supplementary weft' is probably embroidered on finished cloth and not executed as part of the original weaving.

There are thin stripes of very simple ikat in both this skirt and the wedding skirt.

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Pamela

http://www.tribaltextiles.info
on-line tribal textiles resource