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Acheik
(
??????
;
[??t???e??]
) or
luntaya acheik
(????????????????;
lit.
'
hundred shuttle
acheik
'
), is the name of the indigenous Burmese textile pattern. It features intricate waves interwoven with bands of horizontal stripes, embellished with
arabesque
designs.
Luntaya
(
??????????
;
[l???t?ja]
), 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.
[1]
[2]
The weaving is labor-intensive, requiring at least two weavers to manipulate the shuttles to achieve the interwoven wave-like patterns.
[3]
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
effect.
[3]
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.
[3]
Production
[
edit
]
The towns of Amarapura and
Wundwin
remain major domestic centers of traditional
acheik
weaving, although in recent years, cheaper factory-produced imitations from
China
and
India
have significantly disrupted Myanmar's traditional
cottage industry
.
[4]
Origins
[
edit
]
Acheik
weaving originates in
Amarapura
, near the
Pahtodawgyi
pagoda.
[5]
The name
acheik
may derive from the name of the quarter in which the weavers lived,
Letcheik
Row (????????????); the term itself was previously called
waik
(?????), referring to the woven zig-zag pattern.
[5]
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
.
[3]
The wave-like patterns may have in fact been inspired by Neolithic motifs and natural phenomena (i.e., waves, clouds, indigenous flora and fauna).
[5]
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).
[3]
Tributary gifts bestowed to the Burmese royal court may also have provided an additional source of inspiration.
[5]
The textile became popular during the
Konbaung dynasty
, during which
sumptuary laws
regulated who could wear
acheik
clothing.
[6]
The
acheik
pattern was exclusively worn by members of the royal court, officials, and their entourages.
[5]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
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