Object Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Unknown |
Nationality or Tribal Affiliation |
Hmong |
Title |
World Map |
Type of Object |
Needlework |
Date |
ca. 1980s |
Medium |
Cotton/Thread |
Dimensions |
H-91.1 W-105.6 cm |
Collection |
Missoula Art Museum Collection |
How acquired |
Gift of Susan Lindbergh Miller in honor of Montana's Hmong Community |
Object ID |
2011.10.03 |
Statement about this object |
The neutral fabrics, representative embroidery, and large scale of this cloth indicate it was made in a Thai refugee camp with the intent to sell. Story cloths were unique products of the camps. Missionaries provided blue, gray, and tan fabrics were not part of the traditional Hmong color palette. Women began sewing larger cloths in the camps, since their agrarian lifestyle was displaced and they were no longer confined to sew after farm chores were complete. Men, who received formal education, contributed to the design and writing. These cloths were exported to relatives overseas and sold to generate income for those still in the camps. Once the camps closed, the primary support system for making and selling story cloths dissolved. Furthermore, Hmong living in Laos today are expressly forbidden from documenting history via story cloths, and the work can continue only in secret. |
Subjects |
Maps Patterns (Design elements) Trees Birds Animals Mermaids |