Timeless Muse II

Akha artisan Thikaporn is proud to present this stunning headdress, hand-crafted by her own mother, Sadaporn. She adorns the cotton headdress with an aluminum trapezoid cap as well as beads and pendants. A waterfall of Thai coins dating from 1952 to 1965 is flanked by multicolored beads carved of little leaf boxwood and glass. Colorful feathers complete the stunning design of this headdress.

Originally from Yunan in China, Akha people live in Thailand's northern hills. Akha women are well known for their spectacular traditional costumes which include a headdress, a jacket worn over a halter-like garment, a short skirt, a sash with decorated ends, and leggings. Akha people are a proud and timeless culture, struggling to preserve their ancestral values through their traditional skills and knowledge. Akhas believe in continuity and see themselves as a link in the chain of life, which includes birth, procreation, the preservation of the Akha way of life – which venerates family life – and death, seen as a meeting with their ancestors.