“Lacquerware” (Khreung Khuen), a form of Lanna craftsmanship, was influenced by the Tai Khuen people. It indicates the wisdom of turning local materials into useful items that are refined, beautiful and valuable.
Lacquerware is a widespread craft in Southeast Asia. In the past, it was used for household items, ceremonial objects, worship figures, and artworks. The structure of lacquerware is made from wood, most commonly from bamboo, which makes the finished product lightweight. The process involves coating a woven bamboo frame with a black-colored tree sap called lacquer gum (yang rak). The finished item, once coated and decorated with various methods, is called lacquerware.
The history of lacquerware can be traced back to China, where archaeological evidence of lacquered vessels dating back over 4,000 years has been found in the tombs of important figures. The use of lacquer spread to Korea, Japan, Southern China, Vietnam, and Southeast Asia.
Lacquerware is named after lacquer because it is coated with the lacquer sap. To be specific, lacquerware is made from wood or woven bamboo and then lacquered to increase its durability.
In Thailand, lacquerware is most commonly found in the Lanna or Northern region. It’s believed that lacquerware existed in Lanna society even before the time of the “collecting vegetables in the basket, putting slaves in the city” era, which refers to the period when Tai Khuen people from the Khuen River Basin in Keng Tung were conscripted. Lacquerware was already widespread in Lanna before the Burmese occupation. Historical records in Burmese chronicles show that after the Burmese captured Chiang Mai, they repeatedly conscripted Chiang Mai residents and artisans and brought them to Burma. These artisans made lacquered items called “Yon-the,” which means “Yuan (Lanna) ware” or items made by the Yuan people. To this day, lacquerware with scratched patterns filled with various colors, known as Yon-the, is still being made in Bagan, Myanmar.
The reason these wood or woven vessels after being lacquered are called “Khreung Khuen” is because of the significant influence in the form, patterns, production methods, function from Tai Khuen people, and the fact that the craft has been passed down by Tai Khuen artisans.