Striped Bag with Khmu Vine Base

Women from the KHMU ethnic minority group in the north of Laos hand knot a locally foraged vine into bags and small pouches.  They gather the vine at the end of the rainy season, strip it into raffia-like fibers, twist the fibers together to make thread, and handknot it, a technique traditionally used for fishnets and tumpline bags. We purchase vine bags and pouches directly from Khmu women in Laos, often combining their work with other traditional textiles from Laos and Vietnam to create one-of-a-kind bags.