Burmese SPDC members greet Abhisit Vejjajiva

''Acheik'' (; ) or ''luntaya acheik'' (လွန်းတစ်ရာအချိတ်; ), is the name of the indigenous Burmese textile pattern. It features intricate waves interwoven with bands of horizontal stripes, embellished with arabesque designs. ''Luntaya'' (; ), which literally means a "hundred shuttles," refers to the time-consuming, expensive, and complex process of weaving this pattern, which requires using 50 to 200 individual shuttles, each wound with a different color of silk. The weaving is labor-intensive, requiring at least two weavers to manipulate the shuttles to achieve the interwoven wave-like patterns. Acheik htamains

''Acheik'' is most commonly used as a textile for male ''paso'' or female '' htamein.'' The color palettes used in ''acheik'' incorporate a bold array of contrasting shades in a similar color range to create a shimmering ''

trompe-l'œil ; ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional surface. , which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into perceiving p ...

'' effect. Designs for men feature simpler zig-zag, cable and interlocking lappet motifs, while those for women interweave undulating waves with arabesque embellishments such as floral motifs or creepers.

Production

The towns of

Amarapura Amarapura (, , ; also spelt as Ummerapoora) is a former capital of Myanmar, and now a township of Mandalay city. Amarapura is bounded by the Irrawaddy river in the west, Chanmyathazi Township in the north, and the ancient capital site of Ava ...

and Wundwin remain major domestic centers of traditional ''acheik'' weaving, although in recent years, cheaper factory-produced imitations from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

have significantly disrupted Myanmar's traditional

cottage industry The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work, like a tailor. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the p ...

Origins

''Acheik'' weaving originates in

, near the Pahtodawgyi pagoda. The name ''acheik'' may derive from the name of the quarter in which the weavers lived, ''Letcheik'' Row (လက်ချိတ်တန်း); the term itself was previously called ''waik'' (ဝိုက်), referring to the woven zig-zag pattern. While some sources claim that the ''acheik'' pattern was introduced by Manipuri weavers during the late 1700s, there are no comparable Manipuri textiles that resemble ''acheik''. The wave-like patterns may have in fact been inspired by Neolithic motifs and natural phenomena (i.e., waves, clouds, indigenous flora and fauna). ''Acheik''-type designs are found on pottery dating back to the Pyu city states (400s-900s CE), as well as in temple wall paintings dating back to the Bagan Kingdom era (1000s-1200s CE). Tributary gifts bestowed to the Burmese royal court may also have provided an additional source of inspiration. The textile became popular during the

Konbaung dynasty The Konbaung dynasty (), also known as the Third Burmese Empire (တတိယမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်), was the last dynasty that ruled Burma from 1752 to 1885. It created the second-largest empire in history of Mya ...

, during which

sumptuary law Sumptuary laws (from Latin ) are laws that regulate consumption. '' Black's Law Dictionary'' defines them as "Laws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expenditures for apparel, food, furnitu ...

s regulated who could wear ''acheik'' clothing. The ''acheik'' pattern was exclusively worn by members of the royal court, officials, and their entourages.

References

{{Textile arts Burmese clothing Ceremonial clothing Culture of Myanmar Silk Woven fabrics Handicrafts

Silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

Textile techniques

Production

Origins

See also

References