Support for a mosquito net to go round the top of the bed. This was an essential element in a woman's trousseau and showed off her skill as a brocade weaver.The motifs were to bring good luck and protection: siho, naga, frog, crab, etc. The net was not only to protect against insects, but also to provide a minimum of privacy in the traditional long house. This one is woven of silk and cotton, dyed with natural dyes, and has borders of a coarser hemp weave to take the weight of the net. See also photo of the reverse side. It was bought in Laos, but a stylistically almost identical one, seen at Thanh Nua in Vietnam, was estimated by its owner to date from the late 1960s-1970, when it was woven by her grandmother. (See also Pamela A.Cross "Lao Tai mosquito nets and curtains" online at tribaltextiles.info.)This band has clearly seen many years of wear, but is intact. Many are now cut up into panels to make then more saleable. It has not been cleaned or mended. The band is 728cm/8 yards long, which is fairly standard. The brocaded band is 18cm/7" wide with 5.5.cm/2" of hemp edging on either side.