Object Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Unknown |
Nationality or Tribal Affiliation |
Hmong |
Title |
Hmong Customs and Farm Life in Laos |
Type of Object |
Needlework |
Date |
ca. 1977-1984 |
Medium |
Cotton/Thread |
Dimensions |
H-158.8 W-163 cm |
Collection |
Missoula Art Museum Collection |
How acquired |
Gift of Susan Lindbergh Miller in honor of Montana's Hmong Community |
Object ID |
2011.10.04 |
Statement about this object |
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 (this cloth was made in Thailand and purchased in Missoula, MT in the mid 1980s). 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 |
Customs Farm life Irrigation Farming Animals Clothing & dress Shamans Dining Food preparation Agriculture Hunting |