Various Lao textiles - ikats of Phuan

The Phuan tribe comes from the former Phuan KIndgom around the current Xieng Kuang Province in the current central east Laos.

As it has border with Viet Nam, it was prosperous with trades. However, it also meant that the wars from outside world affected them often as well. The region experienced the French invasion, Viet Nam war (a lot of unexplded bombs were dropped in this area during the Viet Nam war), which forced peopple to fled to Vientiane (current capital of Laos), Luang Prabang (second largest city of Laos), Xamnua (a city in the further north east Laos) or even to Thailand.

Even with such situation, they did not abondon the skill and tradition of weaving. Rather, they kept changing the pattern depending on the place they ended up.  

Phuan people use not only ikat weaving but also continuous and discontinuous supplementary weaving, which was populary used with silver threads for the formal wear of wealthy families in larger cities of Laos.