About this lecture

“Sarsikyo”, the unique Buddhist dedicatory ribbons, are barely known even in Myanmar, their place of origin, let alone in the outside world. In the past century, the number of researchers who have paid attention to these fascinating objects/texts can literally be counted on one hand. In this lecture, Vanessa Chan, currently a serving diplomat in Myanmar, will be speaking about “sarsikyo” both as woven textiles, a fascinating element of the Buddhist material culture of Myanmar, and as texts, a unique source of historical information about the hopes and beliefs of Myanmar Buddhist donors for two hundred years, from the pre-colonial royal era, right up to the early 1980s.  She will also speak briefly about her successful attempt to revive the weaving of “sarsikyo”, and her hopes for their acceptance both as a subject of serious historical and sociological study, and for their restoration in modern form as a small but integral part of Buddhist culture.