Tai Lue Culture Center, Wat Yuan

Tai Lue Culture Center of Ban Yuan is located in the area of Wat Yuan Witthaya School. It was established as a museum in 1987 by the initiative of Provost Supat Promkhun, the abbot of Wat Yuan, who is currently the monk dean of Chiang Kham District, with the idea of conservation and inheritance for textile knowledge which was the remarkable handcraft of Tai Lue people. As he saw that weaving was going to be disappear from household, community, due to economy and society were going to change, he invited the villagers to cooperate starting from collecting 4 looms at the temporary building of the temple. There were elderlies who were skillful helped on weaving, and people in the community jointly helped on management.

Later, this was supported by Ms. Ladawan Wongsriwong, who was a descendant of Ban Yuan. She was a coordinator and supporter until finally TAT provided some budget for constructing the building in 1993. In 1995, appliances were donated. Inside the museum, there are exhibits telling about the history of Tai Lue people, way of life simulation, for example, bedroom, sword, and livelihood tools in the past time. The exhibits about “Pup Sat” or folk textbook and antiquities related to belief and religion on the second floor of the building. The most notable exhibits are the ancient Tai Lue textile, for example, the textile in ceremonies like Pha Chet Luang used for offering as Buddhist worship, Pha Chet Noi used to place under a napery or decorate offerings given as alms, robe (of a Buddhist monk), or Pha Munjana for offering to monks at the end of Buddhist Lent. Tai Lue clothes are various from governing-class clothing consisting of a vest or Sua Pa, a position man clothing, weaving demonstration, as well as other activities for tourists to participate and learn about Tai Lue textile, for example, fiber production process, cotton spinning and rolling, to weaving. You can see the whole process or try to weave as well.