What is a Hmong story cloth called?

Paj ntaub
Paj ntaub, or “flower cloth,” has been an integral part of Hmong culture for centuries.

Why are story cloths important to Hmong?

Usage and Significance Today, Hmong story cloths often serve as a primary source that connects the diasporic Hmong community to its past, preserves and evolves traditional elements of Paj Ntaub, and helps raise global awareness to the experience and treatment of the Hmong during the Secret War and beyond.

What was the original intention for making story cloths?

Esther Krinitz created her tapestries in order to share her memories of childhood and survival with her daughters; they also served as a means to keep her memories of family alive for her and in this way, to soothe the pain of their loss.

What river did the Hmong people cross?

the Mekong River
To escape retribution, thousands of Hmong fled across the Mekong River to refugee camps in Thailand.

Why did the Hmong leave China?

The Hmong migrated from southern China in the nineteenth century to the mountainous areas of Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. After helping the American CIA during the Vietnam War, the Hmong people were forced to flee for their lives.

What is the Hmong flag?

The flag hoisted is all red, with in each corner a yellow figure (like Siva, in the upper part with four arms and in the lower part with only two arms); in the upper centre is a yellow six-pointed star and in the lower centre is a yellow circle (the sun); in the centre of the fly are three arrows: the upper arrow is …

How long is a Hmong wedding?

two-day
The wedding is usually a two-day process. At the end of this first wedding feast, the couple will return to the bride’s family’s home, where they spend the night preparing for the next day.

Which city was famous for cotton clothes in medieval times?

The most extensively produced and traded fabrics during the medieval period, especially under the Mughals was cotton. Delhi, Lahore, Agra, Patna, Banaras, Ahmedabad, Burchapur and Dacca were the major producers of cotton textile.

What fabrics were used in the 1800s?

1800s. Wool, cotton and linen for the common people and silk, cotton and linen for the noble/rich. Linen- for shirts, underdresses and lining. Plain cotton- for shirts, underdresses and lining.

Why did the Hmong have to leave Laos?

One hundred and fifty thousand Hmong have fled Laos since their country fell to communist forces in 1975. Displaced from their villages, which were either bombed out or burned by the North Vietnamese and the new Lao communist regime, many Hmong became refugees in their own country.

Why did the United States recruit the Hmong for the war?

In the late 1960s, when the Vietnam War spread into Laos, the United States recruited the Hmong to fight against communism. Wanting to hold on to their land and the independence they had maintained for thousands of years, the Hmong saw communism as a threat to their autonomy.

Why was embroidery important to the Hmong people?

Knowledge of the scripts was not so relevant in the lives of the Hmong and was eventually lost. Today the motifs in Hmong embroidery are used as decorations in clothing, accessories, and crafts. Traditionally, Hmong embroidery is used as a form of decoration on clothing to make it bright and beautiful.

What did the Hmong women wear on their waist?

On the story cloths, the women depicted the war experience through embroidery needlework, and similarly the village life that the Hmong were once familiar with when they lived in Laos. The squares normally found on the qua sev, a belt that is traditionally worn on the Hmong women’s waist with Hmong clothes, were also adapted to larger sizes.

What kind of script did the Hmong people use?

According to oral history in the Hmong community, it is said the Hmong women hid the ancient Hmong paj ntaub script in the clothing of the Hmong people, especially in the pleated skirts of the Green Hmong. From this time forward, the scripts became motifs or symbols in Hmong embroidery.

How is the Hmong textile museum made possible?

The www.HmongEmbroidery.org project was made possible through the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Asian Pacific Endowment of the Saint Paul Foundation. Without these funders, this project would not have come together. www.HmongEmbroidery.org is a unique, virtual Hmong textiles museum.