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This article is about the garment. For people with the surname, see Sbai (surname). For other uses, see SBAI.

The stucco relief discovered at the Khu Bua archaeological site, which dates back to the 650-700 C.E. period of the Dvaravati culture, depicts four female figures wearing shawl-like garments.

Sbai (Khmer: ស្បៃ [sɓaj]; Lao: ສະໄບ [sā.bàj]; Malay: Sebai; Jawi: سباي; Thai: สไบ, RTGS: sabai [sā.bāj]) or phaa biang (Lao: ຜ້າບ່ຽງ [pʰȁː bīaŋ]; Thai: ผ้าเบี่ยง [pʰâː bìaŋ]) is a shawl-like garment worn by women in Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand to cover the breasts, while in Sumatra, Borneo and the Malay Peninsula, the same term is used to describe a cloth hanging from the shoulders.[1]: 410  The sbai was derived from the Indian sari, the end of which is worn over one shoulder.[1]: 153 

Etymology

The term sbai is the contracted form of vowels which has its ultimately original roots from the Austronesian term *cahebay,[2][3] which was diversified as the first exodus in Taiwan as the Formosan term *sapay[2][4] from south China between 5,000–4,500 BCE, and the second exodus to the Philippines, 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 of Cornell University Southeast Asia Program (SEAP), there is the diversity of the term *cahebay or *sapay into subgroups of other languages families as follows:

History

Sbai is derived from the Indian sari, which may have been introduced to Southeast Asia through the Indianized Kingdoms, the most notable being Funan, Srivijaya, and the Khmer Empire, which spread clothing and other traditions and elements of Indian culture.[1]: 153 

Cambodia

Khmer traditional clothing: 12th century Khmer devatas wrapping sbais attached to their sampots, Angkor Wat
Khmer traditional clothing: newer 16th century bas-relief of Theravada Buddhist (not Hindu) Khmer women in long sbai, Angkor Wat.
Khmer traditional clothing: sbai tol patterned in ancient Khmer diamond-floral chakkachan kbach & samloy robab fashioned as sampot sarobap ka’at kbal neak, or “sampot folded like the head of a naga”.

In Khmer, the sbai (ស្បៃ) refers to an asymmetrical breast-sash, usually embroidered and of silk, worn for ballet performances and ceremonies.[17] Chinese chronicles relay from the founding legend of Neang Neak and Preah Thong that the latter wasn’t happy with Neang Neak’s nude state and so he “folded a piece of material to make a garment through which he had her pass her head.”[18] Scholar and ballet teacher Prumsodun Ok[19] writes that even today this describes how one wears an already-sewn sbai as opposed to sewing the material onto the wearer.[20] The sbai is used in traditional Khmer weddings during the rite of Preah Thong Taong Sbai Neang Neak (“Preah Thong holding on to the sbai of Neang Neak”), which represents the legend of the foundation of the Khmer people: groom carries the bride’s sbai from behind for a ritualistic walk to “symbolize their entering into her naga realm.”[21]

Different types of Khmer (Cambodian) sbai
Khmer woman wearing Khmer sbai and Khmer Sompot Chong Kben

At Angkor Wat, there are 12th century depictions of topless devatas (Khmer: tevoda ទេវតា) holding a sbai connected to their sampot, while the northern wall of Angkor Wat depicts a 16th century group of ladies wearing long sbai while holding various offerings.[22]

Khmer traditional clothing: Khmer ballerina Neang Sok (or “Mi Soc”) in a Khmer sbai & sampot, 1860s, by Emile Gsell.

For men, especially Brahmin and Buddhist monk, the sbai called sbong sbai trai chivor,[23] and is considered the robe of Hindu and Buddhist monks.[24] 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.[25] Prumsodun Ok on etymology:

…Monosyllable Khmer loan words become bi‑syllable in Thai with phka (flower) to phaka, spean (bridge) to sapan, and sbai to sabai. Ancient Khmers also referred to this garment in Sanskrit terms such as kapata and uttarasanga.[26]

In a village called Sampan Leu in the Sa’ang District of Kandal province, sbai embroidery is a tradition passed down over generations for some 40 families, and the commune chief says the practice goes back to ancient times for some villages. Villagers from teenagers to 60 year olds participate in the process. The designs themselves are decided by customers and the “predefined patterns” are passed on to the embroiderers. Pieces are often rented by those visiting Angkor Wat, for festivals, and also weddings, and material is not limited to silk. The in-demand sbais are crafted with authentic, traditional Khmer patterns by the artisans with the goal of preserving Khmer culture.[27]

Laos

Lao women wearing colorful sabai or phaa biang in traditional dance

In Laos, this garment is known as phaa biang or sabai. It is common for Lao women to wear sabai as it is considered traditional clothing. A sabai can also be worn by men in weddings or when attending religious ceremonies. The type of sabai 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.[28]

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.[29]

Myanmar

Mon women wearing traditional clothes in Mon State, Myanmar

The ethnic Mon is also known to have similar tradition of wearing the shawl-like sabai called yat toot in Mon 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, notably Dvaravati. Artifacts from Dvaravati sites in what is now Thailand depicted a group of ladies wearing what is similar to sabai.

Thailand

Thai women wearing sabai at Jim Thompson House

Artifacts found in ethnic Mon Dvaravati sites depict group of ladies wearing what is similar to sabai. Sabai (Thai: สไบ, RTGS: sabai, pronounced [sābāj]) or pha biang (Thai: ผ้าเบี่ยง pronounced [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.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Maxwell, Robyn J.; Gittinger, Mattiebelle (2003). Textiles of Southeast Asia: Tradition, Trade and Transformation. Periplus Editions. ISBN 9780794601041.
  2. ^ a b c d e Wolff, John U et al. (2010). Proto-Austronesian Phonology with Glossary Vol. II. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Southeast Asia Program Publications. p. 838. ISBN 978-087727-533-6
  3. ^ 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. ISBN 978-085-8-83601-3 “*cahebay ‘hang'”.
  4. ^ a b c Wolff, John U et al. (2010). Proto-Austronesian Phonology with Glossary Vol. I. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Southeast Asia Program Publications. pp. 215, 217, 522. ISBN 978-087727-532-9
  5. ^ West, Barbara A. (2009). “Austronesians,” Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania. New York, NY: Facts On File, Inc. pp. 64-65. ISBN 978-0-8160-7109-8 LCCN 2008-3055
  6. ^ Diffloth, Gérard. (1984). The Dvaravati Old Mon language and Nyah Kur. Bangkok: Chulalongkorn University Printing House. p. 166. ISBN 9789745637832 :— “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…”
  7. ^ Headley Robert K., Rath Chim, and Ok Soeum. (1997). Modern Cambodian-English Dictionary. Kensington, MD: Dunwoody Press. p. 1,385. ISBN 978-093-1-74578-2
  8. ^ Tumtavitikul, Apiluck. “Perhaps, the tons are in the consonants?,” Mon-Khmer Studies Journal (23)(1993): 32.
  9. ^ Charoensappapuech, Supat. (2020) ‘สไบ’ คำเขมร ที่ (อาจ) ไม่เขมร [Sabai, in which is not Khmer word] (in Thai). GotoKnow. Retrieved on 10 November 2024.
  10. ^ 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.”
  11. ^ 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.”
  12. ^ 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. ISBN 978-081-5-35595-3, 978-135-1-12894-0 doi:10.4324/9781351128940
  13. ^ “Calvai, Cālvai: 1 definition”. www.wisdomlib.org.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Corriente, Federico (2008). Dictionary of Arabic and Allied Loanwords: Spanish, Portuguese Catalan, Galician and Kindred Dialects. Leiden: Koninklijke Brill NV. p. 259. ISBN 9789004168589
  16. ^ Multiple sources:
    • University of Madras (1986). Annals of Oriental Research [Journal of Oriental Research of the University of Madras], 32: 145. “cālvai < P. Shal ‘shawl'”
    • University of Madras (1928). Tamil Lexicon Vol. III. Part II. Mylapore: The Madras Law Journal Press. p. 1,389.
    • 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.
  17. ^ Berthon, Magali An (2025). 100 Fashion and Textile Terms in Khmer, English, and French (PDF). p. 110.
  18. ^ Yung Wai-Chuen, Peter (2000). Angkor: The Khmers in Ancient Chinese Annals. Oxford University Press. p. 10. ISBN 9780195920093.
  19. ^ Brandeis University (2024). “Global Community Engagement presents Prumsodun Ok in “A Deepest Blue”“. www.brandeis.edu/.
  20. ^ Ok, Prumsodun (2018). The Serpent’s Tail: A Brief History of Khmer Classical Dance. p. 72.
  21. ^ Giordano, John T. (2022). The Marriage of Preah Thong and Neang Neak: On Cultural Memory, Universalism and Eclecticism. p. 60.
  22. ^ Ok, Prumsodun (2018). The Serpent’s Tail: A Brief History of Khmer Classical Dance. pp. 72, 73.
  23. ^ “លក្ខណៈពិសេសនៃពណ៌ស្បង់ចីវររបស់ព្រះសង្ឃពុទ្ធសាសនា”. Radio Free Asia (in Khmer). 2015-01-21. Retrieved 2019-09-07.
  24. ^ “Civara, aka: Cīvara; 10 Definition(s)”. Wisdom Library. 2009-04-11. Retrieved 2019-09-07.
  25. ^ Ok, Prumsodun (2018). The Serpent’s Tail: A Brief History of Khmer Classical Dance. p. 72.
  26. ^ Ok, Prumsodun (2018). The Serpent’s Tail: A Brief History of Khmer Classical Dance. p. 72.
  27. ^ Kim Sarom (2023). “Crafting identity: Sbai’s modern tradition”. phnompenhpost.com/.
  28. ^ Bonnie Ghazarbekian, Jane Siegel, Sawaddi, 15 years, p.130.
  29. ^ “Carian Umum – Sebai”. prpm.dbp.gov.my (in Malay). Retrieved 2020-11-15.

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