Why Laos believes this serpent god deserves to be recognized by UNESCO
In Laos, a legend tells that a handsome water spirit, half snake and half human, known as Naga, attracts a beautiful weaver to be his girlfriend in the depths of the Mekong River. Although this dragon looking god can be seen all over Southeast Asia-smiling from the roofs, twisting on temple murals and forming the rails of stairs leading to prayer rooms-Naga is a particularly essential motive in Laotian tissues.
Kiang Ounphaivong, weaver of Ock POP Tok, a craft studio by Louangphabang (Laos), incorporates Naga elements into each fabric, as her mother and grandmother did before her. "maybe if I weave something really nice, the Naga will marry me too," he laughs.
Naga is so important in the everyday life of Laosians-and in textile manufacturing-that the country believes that UNESCO should take note. This year, Laos proposed that the Naga motifs of fabrics be recognized in the organization's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (PCI). This distinction recognizes the importance of beliefs, customs and skills such as dance, food preparation, and craftsmanship intrinsic to specific cultures and places. Traditions are inscribed during a December meeting in Paris; elements added to the list in previous years include Singapore street food, Portuguese fado music, and the making of bark fabrics in Uganda.
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Entering the list can give ancestral traditions sufficient recognition and good press to attract tourism. With weaving traditions in danger due to globalization, the go-ahead could come just in time for the Naga to continue slipping through Laotian traditional handicrafts for generations.
The roots of the Naga
The people of Laos, a small landlocked country between Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China and Myanmar, have been worshiping snake spirits in one way or another for more than 2000 years. Celebrated in handicrafts, architecture and festivals, the Naga, or Nak in Laotian, unites the country's various ethnic groups-there are at least 50 of them-and builds a bridge between their enduring animist and Buddhist beliefs.
