Come on I didn't misspell "Karma" for "Krama" as you thought. :-)
The Krama
The Krama
Krama (sometimes written Kroma) is a kind of shawl or scarf that has been used by Cambodian men women and children of all ages from as young as a baby to older ages, for centuries. It is safe to say Krama is one of the national symbols of Cambodia. Although you may find other similar scarves in some south-east Asian countries, Khmer Krama has unique distinctive look and patterns. It is made of silk or cotton and often found in gingham pattern commonly pink with white check and blue with white check. However different provinces tend to produce their own varieties of patterns and colours of Krama. For instance, according to Insightguides.com, Kampong Cham province in eastern Cambodia produces large silk Krama in the shades of burgundy, maroon, crimson, indigo and emerald.
Blessing in disguise
"Krama is a sturdy traditional Cambodian garment with many uses" - Wikipedia has it right. It maybe just a thin cotton tissue but Krama is such a 'big' thing that I think it should have more letters. Big, in term of its multiple uses you can imagine. I grew up noticing the Krama's presence around me because it was the only clothing item that the poors can afford to buy and we could use it to make different things instead of buying those other things which we couldn't pay anyway. I remember clearly, my mother and father would have Krama wrapped around their heads as they went to "Stung Srov" (do rice planting) or do other works in rice field. They often took the young three of us along with them as they went to do field works and to make sure we don't crawl into the fish ponds nearby during those minutes they were busy, they used Krama to tie our ankle with one end and another end was tied up to the tree. Lunchbreak, saw us sitting together under the big tree, my little brother would be all weary and tired. Mother would find the right trees and take the Krama to make a hammock so my brother could sleep in. I kid you not, you can even sway it! Let it be a thin scarf. Between the 80s and early 90s my parents had other job beside being rice field farmers and a low-paid staff at a nearby university (where I later studied and met my husband who worked there). They did bread delivery. They usually rode bicycle with a big basket tied to the back of their bicycle to stock up breads to distribute to some food sellers in the village markets. Sometimes we wanted to go with them. Space problem on a bike? Yes. But problems sometimes teach people to find solutions right? And guess what to the rescue? Our faithful Krama of course. They secured each end it to the North Road type of handlebars of their bicycle which then it resembled a little pouch-like hammock for sitting. We sat face forward and held on to our parents' wrists. Man, my parents and their heads are amazing!
Krama can be worn around the heads, necks, shoulders, hips and as shorts (require special technique to fold and toss it backward under your crotch). Sometimes it is a good emergency kit. If you broke your leg or your arm, after "Krou Thnam Khmer" (herbal medicines doctor) applied big blob of pounded plants roots together with rice wine on your troubled area, he would use Krama to wrap around (your broken part) to secure the medicines to stay in place and to keep warm for better healing process. If you had a brawl because that dude in the village looked so rude at you and you didn't like it, you started to fight which you granted injuries like dark blue swollen spots. While complaining why did you fight or how reckless you are and sometimes even threathening to disown you, your mother will send someone to buy a block of ice from a local drink shop which she would wrap it in Krama and ask you to "sa'om" (kind of steam) your injuries. If there were any open cut, the spare Krama (which I am sure everyone has) will be torn and used it as a kind of 'elastic' bandage.
Walking in Cambodia, you would see a baby being carried in Krama that is folded and thrown around shoulder to form a baby sling. The tired tuk tuk or cyclo drivers would lay down and cover their face with it. It can be folded to form shopping bags, pressed to form aprons, sarongs or skirts. When the weather is too hot to bear, my husband would tuckle off his pants and wrap Krama around his hip for a more comfortable feeling. Our good friend just wrote he usually wears it after shower or at the beach. It also makes a good towel to dry yourself, a nice blanket for young children, a comfortable rounded pillow and last but not least, it is used as an improvised fly-whisk to swat away flies. It is so widely used that even in a Sherlock Holmes-like type of case, Krama can be used as evidence to identify where one's father has gone.*
Krama then and now
I don't recall if any Cambodian ever use Krama as elements of decoration or crafting in the past like they do nowadays. These days you would find cushion covers, bed sheets, photo album covers, curtains, table runners, totes that are made from it. In a clothing line, it is being designed into bow ties, head piece accessories, dresses, cardigans, fashion bracelets etc.
Just over six years ago, I roamed around Germany with my Khmer Krama and as soon as a photo of me with it around my neck was shown around to some Khmer people, some didn't like and some expressed a kind of horror to why I wore Krama like "Khmer Kahom" (Khmer Rouge) in a modern country like Germany? Unpleasant words went on and on. Now it is different. It is fashionable to run around having a piece of Krama around you. Literally, you will be praised as a person who is so devoted to your own heritage by bringing it to other countries to show them some of what your country has. It is also very common to give Krama as souvenir gifts to other people especially foreigners. You wouldn't do such thing some years back because as mentioned above it is more the things for the poors or the less elegants.
Every once in a while I allow myself a photo of me on Facebook. Weeks ago I had a picture taken of me having my head wrapped with Krama, it got plenty of positive feedbacks. I introduced Krama to our young children and now they love to use it for dress up play. Sometimes they have it on and casually enjoy their time in a garden to feel closer to Cambodia where their Khmer Oma and Opa still live.
In a few months, we will use it to keep our Olaf the snow man 'warm' around his neck. Give him a bit of a Cambodian touch, straight out of Cambodia!
Got Krama?
*A childhood friend of us came home from school to find his father is gone. He came to us and asked us to accompany him to look around. We saw a blue with white check Krama strung across a dried-up well far behind his house. He picked it up and sniffed it and exclaimed "That's my father's Krama! He always has it wrapped around as shorts and it has his smell!" He asked us to have a sniff too to which we kindly refused. The father didn't fall in the well. He put Krama there after changing to working clothes and left with an ox cart to collect rice sacks.
Blessing in disguise
"Krama is a sturdy traditional Cambodian garment with many uses" - Wikipedia has it right. It maybe just a thin cotton tissue but Krama is such a 'big' thing that I think it should have more letters. Big, in term of its multiple uses you can imagine. I grew up noticing the Krama's presence around me because it was the only clothing item that the poors can afford to buy and we could use it to make different things instead of buying those other things which we couldn't pay anyway. I remember clearly, my mother and father would have Krama wrapped around their heads as they went to "Stung Srov" (do rice planting) or do other works in rice field. They often took the young three of us along with them as they went to do field works and to make sure we don't crawl into the fish ponds nearby during those minutes they were busy, they used Krama to tie our ankle with one end and another end was tied up to the tree. Lunchbreak, saw us sitting together under the big tree, my little brother would be all weary and tired. Mother would find the right trees and take the Krama to make a hammock so my brother could sleep in. I kid you not, you can even sway it! Let it be a thin scarf. Between the 80s and early 90s my parents had other job beside being rice field farmers and a low-paid staff at a nearby university (where I later studied and met my husband who worked there). They did bread delivery. They usually rode bicycle with a big basket tied to the back of their bicycle to stock up breads to distribute to some food sellers in the village markets. Sometimes we wanted to go with them. Space problem on a bike? Yes. But problems sometimes teach people to find solutions right? And guess what to the rescue? Our faithful Krama of course. They secured each end it to the North Road type of handlebars of their bicycle which then it resembled a little pouch-like hammock for sitting. We sat face forward and held on to our parents' wrists. Man, my parents and their heads are amazing!
Krama can be worn around the heads, necks, shoulders, hips and as shorts (require special technique to fold and toss it backward under your crotch). Sometimes it is a good emergency kit. If you broke your leg or your arm, after "Krou Thnam Khmer" (herbal medicines doctor) applied big blob of pounded plants roots together with rice wine on your troubled area, he would use Krama to wrap around (your broken part) to secure the medicines to stay in place and to keep warm for better healing process. If you had a brawl because that dude in the village looked so rude at you and you didn't like it, you started to fight which you granted injuries like dark blue swollen spots. While complaining why did you fight or how reckless you are and sometimes even threathening to disown you, your mother will send someone to buy a block of ice from a local drink shop which she would wrap it in Krama and ask you to "sa'om" (kind of steam) your injuries. If there were any open cut, the spare Krama (which I am sure everyone has) will be torn and used it as a kind of 'elastic' bandage.
Walking in Cambodia, you would see a baby being carried in Krama that is folded and thrown around shoulder to form a baby sling. The tired tuk tuk or cyclo drivers would lay down and cover their face with it. It can be folded to form shopping bags, pressed to form aprons, sarongs or skirts. When the weather is too hot to bear, my husband would tuckle off his pants and wrap Krama around his hip for a more comfortable feeling. Our good friend just wrote he usually wears it after shower or at the beach. It also makes a good towel to dry yourself, a nice blanket for young children, a comfortable rounded pillow and last but not least, it is used as an improvised fly-whisk to swat away flies. It is so widely used that even in a Sherlock Holmes-like type of case, Krama can be used as evidence to identify where one's father has gone.*
Krama then and now
I don't recall if any Cambodian ever use Krama as elements of decoration or crafting in the past like they do nowadays. These days you would find cushion covers, bed sheets, photo album covers, curtains, table runners, totes that are made from it. In a clothing line, it is being designed into bow ties, head piece accessories, dresses, cardigans, fashion bracelets etc.
Just over six years ago, I roamed around Germany with my Khmer Krama and as soon as a photo of me with it around my neck was shown around to some Khmer people, some didn't like and some expressed a kind of horror to why I wore Krama like "Khmer Kahom" (Khmer Rouge) in a modern country like Germany? Unpleasant words went on and on. Now it is different. It is fashionable to run around having a piece of Krama around you. Literally, you will be praised as a person who is so devoted to your own heritage by bringing it to other countries to show them some of what your country has. It is also very common to give Krama as souvenir gifts to other people especially foreigners. You wouldn't do such thing some years back because as mentioned above it is more the things for the poors or the less elegants.
Every once in a while I allow myself a photo of me on Facebook. Weeks ago I had a picture taken of me having my head wrapped with Krama, it got plenty of positive feedbacks. I introduced Krama to our young children and now they love to use it for dress up play. Sometimes they have it on and casually enjoy their time in a garden to feel closer to Cambodia where their Khmer Oma and Opa still live.
In a few months, we will use it to keep our Olaf the snow man 'warm' around his neck. Give him a bit of a Cambodian touch, straight out of Cambodia!
Got Krama?
*A childhood friend of us came home from school to find his father is gone. He came to us and asked us to accompany him to look around. We saw a blue with white check Krama strung across a dried-up well far behind his house. He picked it up and sniffed it and exclaimed "That's my father's Krama! He always has it wrapped around as shorts and it has his smell!" He asked us to have a sniff too to which we kindly refused. The father didn't fall in the well. He put Krama there after changing to working clothes and left with an ox cart to collect rice sacks.
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