The Fibers of Faith: Saa Paper and the Lanna Culture
Saa paper (กระดาษสา) has been made near the Ping River (แม่น้ำปิง) for centuries — first for Buddhist manuscripts in Lanna (ล้านนา), later for Bo Sang (บ่อสร้า…
The Fibers of Faith: Saa Paper and the Lanna Culture In villages near the Ping River (แม่น้ำปิง), the sound of wooden mallets on softened bark has marked the rhythm of papermaking for centuries. Saa paper (กระดาษสา) is made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree (ต้นปอสา, Broussonetia papyrifera), and it remains one of the most technically demanding crafts still practiced in the North. The paper's history in Lanna (ล้านนา) is inseparable from Buddhist manuscript culture. Before printing, monks transcribed Dhamma (ธรรมะ) texts onto Saa because it handled the humid mountain climate bett…