Innovative Plant-Dyed Silk Textiles: Does Intangible Cultural Heritage Matter? A Trajectory Equifinality Model

Abstract

Natural silk textiles are regarded as integral components of cultural heritage, historically embedded within centuries of sericulture, natural dyeing, and communal weaving. The preservation of intangible cultural heritage in northeast Thailand is investigated through natural sericulture, plant-dyed silk—frequently produced with Indigofera tinctoria—and recent dyeing innovations. A qualitative methodology was employed, guided by the trajectory equifinality model (TEM). Interviews were undertaken with fifteen women weavers from Maha Sarakham Province. Through TEM analysis, four thematic domains were identified: natural sericulture, plant-dyed silk, dyeing innovations, and intangible cultural heritage (ICH). Plant-dyed silk textile production, sustained by ecological sericulture and dyeing practices, was found to support the safeguarding and promotion of intangible cultural heritage. Heritage preservation in the region was demonstrated to be reinforced by sustainable sericulture and innovative plant-dyeing.