Laos is a Buddhist country, but large segments of the population have a closer day-to-day relationship with the spirits who populate their lives. During times of sickness or death, the skills of a shaman are sought to invoke protection against evil spirits (pii). To search for a wandering soul or conduct a soul to heaven, the shaman requires the support of powerful textiles that invite good spirits and ward off evil.
This ritual hat (muu) is a significant piece of the protective costume worn by female healing shamans. The top seam is left open to allow good spirits to enter the shaman’s head, while the loose rag fringes frighten away evil spirits. The fringes emulate bird feathers to suggest the shaman’s flight in search of a lost soul.
Women weavers obtain designs for ritual textiles by listening to shamans, in a trance, chant descriptions of their animal helpers and the evil pii spirits. The effectiveness of the shaman’s work is determined by the power infused in these textiles.
The central design on this muu depicts a figure, dressed in shaman’s clothing, riding in a covered serpent boat. The roof of the boat is topped by candles to light the journey, and the birds at the top ensure a safe flight for the trance state.
Today, the practice of shamanic healing rituals in Laos may be endangered by the growing prevelance of Western medicine. Funeral rituals, however, remain critical for guiding a deceased’s spirit to the “heavenly village.”
Researched by Katrinka Ebbe
Katrinka Ebbe has been a docent at the museum since 2014. She has lived in Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and worked extensively on development programs to support low-income artisans in Asia and Southeastern Europe.