Luang Prabang is organising for the first time an art exhibition on a specific Laotian community, the Katu People. The exceptional exhibition takes place at the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre and will run until September 2014.
LUANG PRABANG- The Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre’s new exhibit is entitled, “Carving a Community: The Katu People”. The exhibit is the first in Luang Prabang, the former royal capital of Laos, to highlight the distinct cultural traits and crafts of this ethnic minority group residing in southern Laos and the central highlands of Vietnam.
Intricate weavings and basketry and bold woodcarving created by the Katu people are highlights of the exhibit. Of special interest is the carved decoration of the Katu communal meetinghouse.
Traditionally, the meetinghouse was the focal point of the village, where members of the community gather to carry out important rites, including buffalo sacrifice. Videos of this annual ritual and daily activities allow visitors to witness the folkways of the Katu.
The Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre collaborated with the Institute of Sociological Research of the Lao PDR, the University of Gothenburg-Sweden, and the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology to conduct research and present this exhibit on the culture and lifestyle of this little known group. The exhibition will run until September 2014.
The Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC) was launched in July 2007 to promote understanding of Laos’ ethnic diversity and advocate for the survival and transmission of its cultural heritage.It is the only independent non-profit museum and resource centre in Laos dedicated to the collection, preservation, and interpretation of the traditional arts and lifestyles of the country’s ethnic groups. TAEC’s permanent collections include over 400 cultural artefacts from more than 30 of the ethnic groups of Lao PDR.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
