This piece comes from the end of a 'phaa biang', a textile type that is composed of several sections. As sections become worn, they are replaced, and this is probably one such replacement. Lao-Tai women wrap 'phaa biang' cloths around one shoulder and the torso. These cloths are also used for healing practices ('phaa sabai'), as head wraps (phaa khan soeng), and as shoulder cloths ('phaa phai'). The plain quality of this section suggests that it was not from a wealthy family. It is decorated with supplementary weft weaving which forms the stripes and the zigzag patterns.

Asian Art Department, AGNSW, December 2011