The stucco relief discovered at theKhu Bua archaeological site, which dates back to the 650-700 C.E. period of theDvaravati culture, depicts four female figures wearing shawl-like garments.
The termsbai is the contracted form of vowels which has its ultimately original roots from theAustronesian term*cahebay,[2][3] which was diversified as the first exodus inTaiwan as theFormosan term*sapay[2][4] fromsouth China between 5,000–4,500 BCE, and the second exodus to thePhilippines,Indonesia, and others occurred around 3,000–2,000 BCE.[5]
Its vowel sequence was contracted from south China to the first exodus:*cahebay→*cahbay→*cahpay→*sapay (meaning: 'to hang').[4] According to the Proto-Austronesian Phonology ofCornell University Southeast Asia Program (SEAP), there is the diversity of the term*cahebay or*sapay into subgroups of other languages families as follows:
Indo-European languages:spāy (unverified Sanskrit religious vocabulary as assumed by French.) from theSanskrit of Khmer inscription on the Tāmrakumbha Indian brass water jug (K.669C Line 18) aged 972 CE atPreah Vihear.[12]
Sbai is derived from the Indiansari, which may have been introduced to Southeast Asia through theIndianized Kingdoms, the most notable beingFunan,Srivijaya, and theKhmer Empire, which spread clothing and other traditions and elements of Indian culture.[1]: 153
There are multiple texts and stories inKhmer culture concerning the history ofsbai, which was likely introduced during theFunan era from India alongsidechong kben in the first century AD, making it one of the earliest major civilizations to use their own version of the sbai. Thesbai is mentioned in the legends ofPreah Thong and Neang Neak. In one scene, Preah Thong clings to a piece of cloth worn on the Nagini in order to make the journey to theNāga's kingdom; that piece of cloth is asbai. In that tale, thesbai is symbolic of the tail of Neang Neak, the Nāga princess.[17][18]
In theAngkorian period, although it was common for men and women to be topless; however, clothes for the upper body were worn: the bas-reliefs ofBayon,Preah Khan, and other Angkorian temples depict women wearing a shawl-likesbai while religious male figures are adorned with stylizedsbai. AtAngkor Wat, there are depictions of topless Apsaras holding sbai connected to theirsampot, while the northern wall of Angkor Wat depicts a group of ladies wearing longsbai holding various offerings.
For men, especially Brahmin and Buddhist monk, thesbai calledsbong sbai trai chivor,[21] and is considered the robe of Hindu and Buddhist monks.[22] For women,sbai can be freely used and in different ways such as to wrapping it around the body, covering the shoulder, and commonly covering the breast and stomach over the left shoulder. Different styles ofsbai are used by Cambodian women based on their preferences and traditions.
Laos
Lao women wearing colorfulsabai orphaa biang in traditional dance
In Laos, this garment is known asphaa biang or sabai. It is common for Lao women to wearsabai as it is considered traditional clothing. Asabai can also be worn by men in weddings or when attending religious ceremonies. The type ofsabai typically worn by Lao men often has checkered patterns.Sabai can also be a long piece of silk, about a foot wide, that is draped diagonally over the chest covering one shoulder with one end dropping behind the back.[23]
Malaysia
In Malaysia, Sebai is a cloth wrapped around the neck to cover the shoulders with both ends hanging on the chest similar to a scarf hung over the shoulders.[24]
Theethnic Mon is also known to have similar tradition of wearing the shawl-likesabai calledyat toot inMon language, diagonally over the chest covering one shoulder with one end dropping behind the back like that worn by Lao women. This tradition distinguished them from other ethnic groups in Myanmar. The Mon people of Myanmar and Thailand today were the descendants of various Indianized polities, notablyDvaravati. Artifacts from Dvaravati sites in what is now Thailand depicted a group of ladies wearing what is similar tosabai.
Artifacts found inethnic MonDvaravati sites depict group of ladies wearing what is similar tosabai.Sabai (Thai:สไบ,RTGS: sabai,pronounced[sābāj]) or pha biang (Thai:ผ้าเบี่ยงpronounced[pʰâː.bìaŋ]) is shawl-like garment, or breast cloth. Sabais can be used by women or men. The sabai is also known as a long piece of silk, about a foot wide, draped diagonally around the chest by covering one shoulder which its end drops behind the back. Sabais could be worn around the naked chest or on top of another cloth. The practice of wearing Sabai along with Victorian cloth was a common practice during the reign of King Chulalongkorn and lasted until the reign of King Vajiravudh when Westernized clothing became more fashionable.
Gallery
QueenAng Mey and her daughters wearingsbai in the 1800s
^abcdeWolff, John U et al. (2010).Proto-Austronesian Phonology with Glossary Vol. II. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Southeast Asia Program Publications. p. 838.ISBN978-087727-533-6
^Blust, Robert A., Pawley, Andrew, and Adelaar, K. Alexander. (2009).Austronesian Historical Linguistics and Culture History A Festschrift for Robert Blust. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University. p. 118.ISBN978-085-8-83601-3 "*cahebay 'hang'".
^abcWolff, John U et al. (2010).Proto-Austronesian Phonology with Glossary Vol. I. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Southeast Asia Program Publications. pp. 215, 217, 522.ISBN978-087727-532-9
^West, Barbara A. (2009). "Austronesians,"Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania. New York, NY: Facts On File, Inc. pp. 64-65.ISBN978-0-8160-7109-8LCCN2008-3055
^Diffloth, Gérard. (1984).The Dvaravati Old Mon language and Nyah Kur. Bangkok: Chulalongkorn University Printing House. p. 166.ISBN9789745637832 :— "V42.*lɓak NyK: to wear (cloth) across the shoulder [v.tr]; /ne̫ec - /: cloth for bathing, wrapping around the head... Mon: to wear around the neck; (Ri): to hang (cloth) on shoulder, on a line, in order to dry…"
^Headley Robert K., Rath Chim, and Ok Soeum. (1997).Modern Cambodian-English Dictionary. Kensington, MD: Dunwoody Press. p. 1,385.ISBN978-093-1-74578-2
^Charoensappapuech, Supat. (2020)‘สไบ’ คำเขมร ที่ (อาจ) ไม่เขมร [Sabai, in which is not Khmer word] (in Thai).GotoKnow. Retrieved on 10 November 2024.
^Shellabear, William Girdlestone. (1916).An English-Malay Dictionary. Singapore: Methodist Publishing House. p. 446.:— "Scarf (skarf), s. (round the neck) sapu-targan lehir,sbai;* (round the waist) bngkorg; (over shoulder to carry children) ambin,* slendang."
Raffles, Thomas Stamford. (1817). "APPENDIX E. No. I. A Comparative Vocabulary of The Malàyu, Jàvan, Madurese, Bàli, and Lampùng Languages, arranged under the following heads, viz.,"The History of Java Volume II: With a Map and Plates. London: Cox and Bailey Limited. p. 97.:— "(ENGLISH) Linen robe or cloth, (MALÁYU) slindang;sbai, (Jáva) kemben, (Bása kráma) kasemékan, (Súnda) karémbong, (Madúra) ..........., (Sumenáp) sa-ung-sa-ung, (BÁLI) tangkálong, (LAMPUNG) kakámban."
^Wilkinson, Richard James. (1908).An Abridged Malay-English Dictionary (Romanized). Kuala Lumpur: The F.M.S. Government Press. p. 194.:— "sĕbai, a kind of scarf passing behind the neck and with the ends hanging down over the chest."
^Soutif, Dominique and Estève, Julia. "TEXTS AND OBJECTS Exploiting the Literary Sources of Medieval Cambodia," in Hendrickson, Mitch; Stark, Miriam T.; and Evans, Damian. (2023).The Angkorian World. London; New York, NY: Routledge. p. 31.ISBN978-081-5-35595-3,978-135-1-12894-0doi:10.4324/9781351128940
^Spaulding, Levi; Hutchings, Samuel; Pillai, C. Appasamy; Knight, Joseph; Winslow, Miron (1888).English and Tamil Dictionary: For the Use of Students and Colleges. (3rd ed.). Madras: Higginbotham and Co. p. 1,211.
^Corriente, Federico (2008).Dictionary of Arabic and Allied Loanwords: Spanish, Portuguese Catalan, Galician and Kindred Dialects. Leiden: Koninklijke Brill NV. p. 259.ISBN9789004168589
University of Madras (1986).Annals of Oriental Research [Journal of Oriental Research of the University of Madras], 32: 145. "cālvai < P. Shal 'shawl'"
Lafayette, Maximillien de (2018).Etymology, Philology And Comparative Dictionary Of Synonyms In 22 Dead And Ancient Languages Vol. III: C-D (Cabbut- Dyutho) From A Set Of 6 Volumes: Origin And History Of Words And Dialects, Akkadian, ... [sic] ... , Urdu. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Times Square Press. p. 92.
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