Textile Traditions in Contemporary Southeast Asia (Studies in the Material Cultures Of Southeast Asia No. 17). Textiles Traditions in Contemporary Southeast Asia includes eight chapters that examine different aspects of the cultural role of textiles in Southeast Asia today. The topics include the relationship between textiles and art with case studies of Tai peoples and Indonesia, The revival of natural dyeing among the Palaung of northern Thailand, the influence of Christian missionaries in northern Thailand, the use of woven banners by Buddhists in northern Thailand and Laos, the secularization of lotus stem weaving in Burma, the changing nature of textile production among the Phutai of Laos, and the use of mortuary blankets among the Kalinga of the Philippines. The chapters are accompanied by over 149 color plates.