Soft and comfortable Straw Sandals of Mulao Ethnic Group

Mulao people like wearing straw sandals because they are soft and comfortable, with good ventilation. People can walk easily when putting on them. The straw sandals weaved by Mulao people vary in style, including ox tendon straw sandals, nine layers of leather straw sandals, Chinese alpine rush straw sandals, rattan straw sandals, jute straw sandals, standing grain pole straw sandals, bamboo straw sandals, cotton thread straw sandals and wool straw sandals, etc.

Among the numerous straw sandals, the bamboo straw sandals, cotton thread straw sandals, and wool straw sandals are the most characteristic ones, which are still used so far. The bamboo sandals are the bamboo plaiting ones and the manufacture method is as follows: first, place the tender bamboo on the fire to bake it soft, then peel its skin with knife, reel off raw threads, and dry them after slight beating. When weaving, people need one belt, one bended bow, and one little stool. Before the little stool there places a T-shaped little shelf, on which four sticks of iron are hung. Knit the tip first, then the shoes body, and set up five shoes hands. At last, put the two uppers connected with the shoes body respectively going though the shoes hands.

The making skills of the shoes are simple and convenient, but they are durable in use, and suitable for walking on the rugged mountain paths and liver moss covered stone roads. The cotton thread straw sandals and wool straw sandals are produced particularly meticulously. The style is similar to the common straw sandals, but the cloth is mostly used to make the sole and the vamp is generally woven with colorful cotton or wool threads. The cotton thread straw sandals are worn when the young man are “walking on the slope,” or go to the country fair. On the tip of wool straw sandals there is large woo balls, and they are worn by the young women on the same occasion. Either the cotton thread straw sandals or the wool straw sandals is the sign of Mulao young men and women still being unmarried. When seeing the girls wearing the wool straw sandals, the young men can sing songs to pay court to her.