![Khmerr restaurant dancer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Khmerr_restaurant_dancer.jpg)
A ''sampot'' ( km, សំពត់, ), a long, rectangular cloth worn around the lower body, is a traditional dress in
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
. It can be draped and folded in several different ways. The traditional dress is similar to the
dhoti
The dhoti, also known as veshti, vetti, dhuti, mardani, chaadra, dhotar, jaiñboh, panchey, is a type of sarong, tied in a manner that outwardly resembles "loose trousers". It is a lower garment forming part of the ethnic costume for men in the ...
of
Southern Asia. It is also worn in the neighboring countries of
Laos and
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
where it is known as
pha nung
The panung ( th, ผ้านุ่ง, , ) is a traditional garment worn in Thailand. A long strip of cloth, described in 1921 by the US vice-consul, as "a piece of cotton cloth 3 by 10 feet" is wrapped around the waist, reaching below the knees ...
( th, ผ้านุ่ง ).
Origins
The Sampot dates back to the
Funan era when a Cambodian king ordered the people of his kingdom to wear the Sampot at the request of Chinese envoys.
It is similar to the
lungi
The lungi is a type of sarong that originated in the Indian Subcontinent. The Lungi, which usually multicoloured, is a men's skirt usually tied around the lower waist below the navel. it can be worn as casual wear and night wear, in places and ...
and
dhoti
The dhoti, also known as veshti, vetti, dhuti, mardani, chaadra, dhotar, jaiñboh, panchey, is a type of sarong, tied in a manner that outwardly resembles "loose trousers". It is a lower garment forming part of the ethnic costume for men in the ...
worn in the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
, the
longyi
A longyi (; ) is a sheet of cloth widely worn in Burma (Myanmar). It is approximately long and wide. The cloth is often sewn into a cylindrical shape. It is worn around the waist, running to the feet, and held in place by folding fabric over wi ...
worn in
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
, and the
sarong
A sarong or sarung () is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist, worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Northern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric often has woven plaid o ...
worn in
maritime Southeast Asia
Maritime Southeast Asia comprises the countries of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and East Timor. Maritime Southeast Asia is sometimes also referred to as Island Southeast Asia, Insular Southeast Asia or Oceanic Sout ...
.
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...
weaving was an important part of Cambodia's cultural past. People from
Takéo Province have woven silk since the Funan era and records, bas-reliefs, and
Zhou Daguan
Zhou Daguan (; French: Tcheou Ta-Kouan; c. 1270–?) was a Chinese diplomat of the Yuan dynasty of China, serving under Temür Khan (Emperor Chengzong of Yuan). He is most well known for his accounts of the customs of Cambodia and the Angkor temp ...
's report have shown that looms were used to weave sompots since ancient times.
[Green, Gillian. "Textiles at the Khmer Court". ''Arts of Asia'' 30 (4): 82–92.]
Complex methods and intricate patterns have been developed to make the cloth, one of which is the hol method which involves dyeing patterns on silk before weaving. What remains unique to Cambodian weavers is the uneven twill technique. The reason they adopted such an unusual method remains unclear.
However, little is known about the
Old Khmer
Old Khmer is the oldest attested stage of the Khmer language, an Austroasiatic language historically and presently spoken across Cambodia, Southern Vietnam, and parts of Thailand and Laos. It is recorded in inscriptions dating from the early 7th ...
vocabulary for these fabrics, and if the sampot today was simply changed over time from the original Angkorian textiles. The ancient
bas-reliefs
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
however provide a complete look at what fabrics were like, down to patterns and pleats. Silk woven cloths are used in
weddings
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marria ...
and
funerals
A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...
and for decoration of temples.
[Joachim Schliesinger. Ethnic Groups of Cambodia Vol 2: Profile of Austro-Asiatic-Speaking Peoples. 312 pag. , ]
File:Arte de Camboya Guimet 01.JPG, Khmer deity wearing ''sampot samloy
''Sampot chang samloy'' ( km, សំពត់ចងសម្លុយ, ) is a tube garment wrap around the lower body, length to foot, worn by a large community in Cambodia. As an important style divided from traditional Sampot tied with the an ...
'', Guimet Museum
The Guimet Museum (full name in french: Musée national des arts asiatiques-Guimet; MNAAG; ) is an art museum located at 6, place d'Iéna in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. Literally translated into English, its full name is the Nationa ...
File:Divinité féminine Musée Guimet 22971.jpg, 9-10th century Khmer female deities wearing other design of ''sampot.'' Guimet Museum
File:Clevelandart 1994.202.jpg, 10th century Khmer male deity wearing ''sompot.'' Cleveland Museum of Art
File:Awatdevatasupperlevel01.JPG, Devata
''Devata'' (pl: ''devatas'', meaning 'the gods') (Devanagari: देवता; Khmer: ទេវតា (''tevoda''); Thai: เทวดา (''tevada''); Javanese, Balinese, Sundanese, Malay: ''dewata''; Batak languages: ''debata'' (Toba) ...
s dressed in ''sampot tep apsara''
Textiles
There are three important silk textiles in Cambodia. They include the ikat silks (chong kiet in Khmer), or hol, the twill-patterned silks and the weft ikat textiles. Patterns are made by tying natural and
synthetic fibers on the weft threads and then it is dyed. It is repeated for different colors until the patterns firm and cloth is woven.
Traditionally, five colors are used, predominantly red, yellow, green, blue and black. The Sompot Hol is used as a lower garment and as the sompot chang kben. The Pidan Hol is used as a ceremonial hanging used for religious purposes.
Variations
There are many variations of the sampot, each is worn according to class. The typical regular sampot, known also as the
sarong
A sarong or sarung () is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist, worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Northern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric often has woven plaid o ...
is typically worn by men and women of
lower class. It measures approximately one and a half meters and both ends are sewn together. It is tied to secure it on the waist.
*The ''Sampot Phamuong'' (, ) are many different variations of traditional Khmer textiles. They are single colored and twill woven. There are currently 52 colors used in Sampot Phamuong. The Phamuong Chorabap is a luxurious fabric using up to 22 needles to create. Phamuong variation are rabak, chorcung, anlounh, kaneiv and bantok. It usually uses floral and geometric motifs. The most
valued silk used to create the Phamuong is Cambodian yellow
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...
, known for its fine quality in the region. New
designs
A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...
draw inspiration from ancient patterns on old silk.
*The ''Sampot Hol'' ( ) is a typical traditional textile. There are two kinds of Sampot Hol, one is a wrapping skirt that uses a technique called chang kiet and twill weave. Influenced by the Indian patola, it developed patterns and techniques over the centuries to become a genuine Khmer art style. The sampot hol has over 200 patterns combined with three to five colors, yellow, red, brown, blue, and green. There are four variations, sampot hol, sompot hol por, sampot hol kben, and sampot hol ktong. Patterns are usually geometric motifs, animals, and flower motifs.
In daily life
![Khmer Style Blue Evening Dress](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Khmer_Style_Blue_Evening_Dress.jpg)
The sompot is deeply rooted in Cambodia. Even though the
French brought a degree of
Westernization
Westernization (or Westernisation), also Europeanisation or occidentalization (from the ''Occident''), is a process whereby societies come under or adopt Western culture in areas such as industry, technology, science, education, politics, econo ...
to Cambodia, Cambodians continued to wear the sompot.
Royalty and government officials used the
sampot chang kben with a formal jacket. The sompot chong kben and sompot phamuong are still worn by Cambodians today during special occasions, and rural and poor Khmers still prefer it over Western-style clothing for its comfort.
The material used by poor and rural Cambodians is not hand-woven silk but printed
batik-patterned cloth imported from
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. It is still popular with both men and women alike and is regarded by the people of Cambodia as their
national garment
A folk costume (also regional costume, national costume, traditional garment, or traditional regalia) expresses an identity through costume, which is usually associated with a geographic area or a period of time in history. It can also indicat ...
.
See also
*
Khmer Traditional Dress
*
Cambodian clothing
*
Culture of Cambodia
Throughout Cambodia's long history, religion has been a major source of cultural inspiration. Over nearly three millennia, Cambodians have developed a unique Cambodian culture and belief system from the syncreticism of indigenous animistic beli ...
*
Culture of Thailand
The culture of Thailand has evolved greatly over time, from its relative isolation during the Sukhothai era, to its more contemporary Ayutthaya era, which absorbed influences from all over Asia. Indian, Chinese, Burmese, Khmer and other Sout ...
*
Sompot Samloy
*
Longyi
A longyi (; ) is a sheet of cloth widely worn in Burma (Myanmar). It is approximately long and wide. The cloth is often sewn into a cylindrical shape. It is worn around the waist, running to the feet, and held in place by folding fabric over wi ...
*
Lungi
The lungi is a type of sarong that originated in the Indian Subcontinent. The Lungi, which usually multicoloured, is a men's skirt usually tied around the lower waist below the navel. it can be worn as casual wear and night wear, in places and ...
*
Malong
The malong is a traditional Filipino-Bangsamoro rectangular or tube-like wraparound skirt bearing a variety of geometric or okir designs. The malong is traditionally used as a garment by both men and women of the numerous ethnic groups in the mai ...
*
Patadyong
The patadyong (pronounced ''pa-tad-jóng'', also called patadyung, patadjong, habol, or habul), is an indigenous Philippine rectangular or tube-like wraparound skirt worn by both men and women of the Visayas islands and the Sulu Archipelago, si ...
*
Sarong
A sarong or sarung () is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist, worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Northern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric often has woven plaid o ...
*
Sinh
Further reading
*
References
External links
*https://web.archive.org/web/20070927205831/http://www.camnet.com.kh/cambodia.daily/selected_features/color.htm
*http://www.bookrags.com/research/clothing-traditionalcambodia-ema-02/
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