Talieng｜Living Environment and Round Tables

The journey to a Talieng village takes about two days: roughly six hours by long-distance bus from Pakse in southern Laos, followed by four to five hours along mountain roads by jeep.

The village lies in the mountains of southern Laos at an elevation of approximately 1,100 metres. Many of the roads are unpaved red earth, making both visits and the transport of round tables difficult during the rainy season.

Living Environment in the Mountains

Mist is common, and temperatures can fall below 10°C at night.

Homes are gradually shifting from traditional wooden and raised-floor houses to concrete construction, while firewood continues to be used for cooking.

Small coffee plots and fields are scattered around the village, with forest extending beyond them. In addition to rice, corn, millet and pumpkins are also cultivated.

The Round Table at the Center of Meals

Talieng round tables are used for sharing meals.

Cooked rice is spread directly across the tabletop, with soup and side dishes placed in the center as the family gathers around it. The weave is fine enough to keep grains of rice from falling through, and the tabletop is built in three layers. Its structure supports the weight of a meal and the demands of long-term use.

The table is generally kept in one place indoors and maintained through repeated repairs and reinforcement. In rooms where firewood is burned, the materials are gradually exposed to smoke, changing in color and texture over time.

Two Kinds of Bamboo

Two kinds of bamboo are used for different parts of the round table.

The bamboo used for the tabletop has internodes about one metre long, so nodes are rarely visible on the finished surface. The length of these internodes also relates to the maximum diameter of the table that can be made.

A different bamboo is used for the cord that secures the rattan around the outer edge. Thin strips are made from the outer skin of a bamboo locally referred to as “hemp bamboo,” valued for its strength and durability.

Both are gathered from the forests and areas beyond the fields around the village, then processed according to their purpose.

A Three-Layered Tabletop

The tabletop is assembled from three layers.

A fine bamboo weave forms the surface, while reinforcement on the underside supports the entire top. The dense weave and structural strength correspond to its use as a surface on which cooked rice is spread directly.

The underside is rarely seen in daily use, yet it reveals the detailed work that supports the table over time.

Making Without a Ruler

Craftspeople making Talieng round tables work without rulers or measuring scales, judging the thickness and form of each material by eye and hand. Although every piece of bamboo differs, they bring multiple legs to the same height and finish the tabletop level.

The holes for the legs are opened with an iron stake heated in the hearth. The sections that receive the legs are sometimes made from wood rather than bamboo.

Each leg is shaved individually to fit its hole and adjusted to the required height. Once its position is set, a slit is cut into the end and a bamboo wedge is driven in to secure it.

Some experienced craftspeople complete the table without nails, wire or adhesive, relying only on the way the materials fit together.

Leg Lines Shaped by Each Maker

Each Talieng round table differs in the number, thickness, length and curvature of its legs.

In the village, a simple jig made from three bamboo poles is used to give the leg material a gentle curve. Each craftsperson adjusts the spacing and fixing points of the poles while shaping the form.

Rather than standardizing fine specifications, each table is completed according to the condition of the material and the maker’s judgement. The lines of the legs reveal individual characteristics and can sometimes offer a clue to who made the piece.

Several craftspeople in the village hold the skills required to make these round tables, and the knowledge is transmitted across generations.

Storage and Smoke-Curing

In the wooden houses of craftspeople, bamboo materials and finished baskets are suspended from the beams. They are stored and dried indoors, gradually exposed to smoke from the wood fire.

Storage, drying and smoke-curing take place within the same living environment. Because the round tables are also used in this space, their color deepens and the surface of the materials changes over time.

Bamboo for the tabletop, bamboo for fastening, and wood for the legs: the materials that form the round table are obtained from the environment surrounding the village.

Materials close at hand are selected according to purpose, processed, and formed into a round table that supports the meal.

The structure of Talieng round tables reflects the mountain environment and the everyday life shaped within it.