Keeping the tradition alive

Keeping the tradition alive

Sorba Sansutthiwong, 60, is a Lahu, an ethnic group that resides in Ban Pa Kha in Lampang’s Muang Pan district. He is holding a woven bamboo backpack that he designed and was made by his wife. The shape is a rectangle, unlike typical bamboo baskets used to store rice or other items in his home. It also has bright multicoloured shoulder straps made of fabric, which almost look like crafted strips used for decorating his cloth.

“I designed this bag for a laptop,” he said while opening the top to show me the inside.

For Lahu, craftwork belongs to women while the man’s…