Luang Prabang, Laos: Ethnology Museum. Detail in B&W of an Akha tunic decorated with silver.

Across Southeast Asia, there are numerous tribal groups whose “area” is not defined by national borders. Instead, tribal members may be spread across more than one country.
Each group has has its own spoken dialect and dress is a marker of ethnic identity among the various tribes and subgroups. Women’s garments are distinctive to each group with variations on indigo-dyed cotton, embroidery and silver decoration signifying tribal membership, gender and status.