ALEH LAOCHoUNG

OMA TRADITIONAL JACKET

$900

This is an exceptional example of an Oma long jacket worn by women traditionally, made around 1947. We met Ms Aleh Laochoung, the maker, in Sengkang Kao Village, where she was born and raised. Now 90 years old (in 2023 when we met her), she made this jacket as a married teenager, who had recently had her first child. She went on to have 9 children total, 2 of them girls, whom she taught to weave, dye, and embroider, just like her mother taught her starting at the age of 8. The jacket is made of handspun, handwoven indigo-dyed cotton, created by Aleh herself, and you can see how the front right panel was made of two pieces from different rolls, thus the slightly different tones. The applique stripes on the sleeves (tsawzah) except for the black and blue are made of handspun cotton, which is very rare. The naturally dyed brown and purple are unusual tones, showing Aleh’s creativity, even at a young age.