Object Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Unknown |
Nationality or Tribal Affiliation |
Hmong |
Title |
A Long Time Ago The Hmong's Story |
Type of Object |
Needlework |
Date |
1977 - 1986 |
Medium |
Cotton/Thread |
Dimensions |
H-66.496 W-86.22 inches |
Collection |
Missoula Art Museum Collection |
How acquired |
Gift of Susan Lindbergh Miller in honor of Montana's Hmong Community |
Object ID |
2011.10.01 |
Statement about this object |
This cloth was made in a Thai refugee camp and tells five traditional Hmong legends in words and images. The stories and figures are very similar to another story cloth of legends, MAM Collection Object ID 2010.05. From top to bottom, the stories in this panel are: The King's Seven Daughters, When Plants Harvested Themselves, Ngao Njua and Sheena, The Woman and the Tiger, and How Hmong Name [sic] Began. The neutral colors and large scale of this flower cloth are typical of those made in the Thai refugee camps with the intent to sell. 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. Relatives who had relocated oversees also sparked new interest from Western buyers, and embroiderers in the camps would export their cloths to generate additional income. |
Subjects |
Legends Text Hmong Family Animals Animals in human situations Rescues Floods Creation Farming Agriculture Qeeg (musical instrument) |