Tribal Art and Artifacts of Southeast Asia

Tribal art and tribal artifacts have become sought after items for collectors and for those looking for something unique and possessing a primal energy that will lift the ambience of their home. Often the first source of tribal art that occurs to people is that from Africa, the Americas, Indonesia and Polynesia. Having spent the past 10 years in Southeast Asia, I have found a number of very interesting tribal works of art and artifacts and have begun a collection which I now feature in my gallery.

The hill tribe groups from which my collection draws include the Hmong, Chin, Naga, Yao (or Mien), Tai-Dum, Tai-Daeng, Lawa, Karen, Lahu and Lisu. Many of these groups centre around the infamous Golden Triangle. Each group is culturally distinct with fascinating rituals, ceremonies, and belief systems. To express their world view, a fantastic array of ritual objects, clothing and ornamentation have been created, displaying the impressive skills of these peoples.

Items that I have collected over the years include jewelry and objects of ornamentation, textiles, religious artefacts and objects of everyday use made with an unusual sympathy for aesthetics in design.

To read more about these peoples, view photographs along with examples of their creations, please visit sabai designs gallery