Manuscript binding tape

‘Sazigyo’, a type of cord meant for tying palm leaf manuscripts, were traditionally woven by Burmese women as an act of merit. Traditionally, women were barred from entering monastic life so making and giving ‘sazigyo’ to monasteries provided an alternative means of earning merit. The makers who were commissioned to produce these cords often inserted their own names as well as the donor’s into the weaving.