Hmong Textile Art

Hmong Textile Art
The Tie That Binds a Culture

by Patricia Lynne Grace Cummings

If you have ever laid eyes on a piece of Hmong Textile Art, you know that it is love at first sight. The intricately stitched creations of pa ndau are made with loving hands and utilize a number of techniques including cross stitch embroidery, surface embroidery, reverse appliqué, and appliqué. They call to mind a similar, yet different technique of Kuna Indian-made molas from Panama which also utilize appliqué and representational figures.

Types of Patterns

The Hmong people produce two types of textiles: geometric and pictorial. Each piece is uniquely made and is one-of-a-kind art, yet certain recurrent themes are present. Animal symbology related to the belief systems of the Hmong people (the "H" is silent and the word is sometimes pronounced mung) are ever present. “Snail’s House,” “Elephant Foot,” and “Ram’s Head,” are a few of the design names.

Two blocks (above) by Ia Moua Yang which feature Dragon's Tail and Hearts.

Hearts are very often used as a design motif. Another intricate design is that of the Dragon’s Tail with its Sawtooth-like appendages. In contrast to the jewel tones and batik fabrics sometimes used in today’s pa ndau creations, here is a photo of an antique Hmong wall hanging that I was given in 1992 that has the motif, “Elephant’s Foot” rendered in just two colors.

Click on any image for a larger view.

The pictorial wall hangings reflect a culture which relies heavily on oral tradition to tell the story of its people. These stories are translated into cloth. Initially, the wall hangings, which are not quilted, featured human figures, images of war, and depictions of the forced departure of the Hmong people from southeast Asia. The photo here is one shared by Betty Wilson of Wisconsin from her personal collection.

Marketing Opportunity

The above photos are the bottom and top of a back panel on a denim shirt purchased in Nevada. Click on each image to see embroidery details. Scans courtesy of Patti Ives.

Today, the Hmong people sell their stitched pieces at craft fairs and quilt shows. They have extended their product line to include Christmas ornaments and clothing accessories such as tote bags, wallets, vests, pillows, and garments. More recently, wall hanging designs have concentrated on religious themes. Betty W. reports that 90% of the wall hangings she is seeing in local craft fairs in Wisconsin are of this type. As she said, “Time heals.”

Hmong Christmas ornament

Sometimes colorful blocks can be purchased separately, either to frame, or to use in one’s own quilting projects. The blocks shown in this article were acquired at a quilt show in Pittsfield, Massachusetts several years ago and were being sold at the Berkshire Quilt Festival by Ia Moua Yang of Michigan.

The above block, an "Elephant's Foot" by Ia Moua Yang, is beautiful with its jewel tones.

Age Old Tradition

Although they left their homelands behind when they emigrated to America, the Hmong people have preserved their cultural traditions through the making of pa ndau or “flower cloth.” This type of appliqué, adorned with embroidery, originated with the creation of ceremonial clothing for major life events. Celebrations of births, weddings, and even death required specially made cloth created by the woman of the house.

Today, the old traditions are continuing but are now encompassing new celebrations such as those for New Year that are held in cities with large Hmong populations in the United States. At these events, daughters can show off their new, specially created pa ndau outfits, usually made by their mothers. The skills needed for this traditional stitching are transmitted from mother to daughter, or from grandmother to granddaughter, (as grandmothers sometimes have more patience).

Poignant Children’s Story

The Whispering Cloth: a refugee’s story (Boyds Mills Press, 1995), is a book for children that packs a very powerful message about the plight of a Hmong girl. One morning, she awakes to find both of her parents lying in pools of blood. She and her grandmother escape across the Mekong River in a small boat, under gunfire, and make their way to a refugee camp on the other side. While in the camp, her grandmother guides her as she learns how to make pa ndau.

As she works, the cloth begins to tell the stories of her life and eventually, it comes to include the big airplane that will take them to America. Though fictional, the book recounts how the young girl initially created this pa ndau with the idea of selling it to a trader. What do you think happened? I won’t give away the ending but will say that it is very moving and is one that all who have ever held a needle could understand well. The book was written by Pegi Deitz Shea, illustrated by Anita Riggio, and the needlework images were stitched by Iou Yang.

Origins of the Hmong People

The last twenty-five years or so have seen a large number of Hmong immigrants to the United States. The origin of these people is thought to have been in Siberia, Tibet and Mongolia. Nomadic, they later migrated to China. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Hmong began to leave China because of the cultural discrimination they faced there. They settled in the mountains of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, raising crops and animals.

Language Group

During World War II, China tried to force the Hmong to abandon their language, a Miao-Yao language in the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. The word Miao in Chinese means "barbarians", whereas the word "Hmong," the name given to themselves, means "free people."

It was not until the 1950s that the Hmong had any kind of written language, and that system is still not uniform. With the struggle to gain facility in the language of their new country (English), as with all immigrants, there is always the danger of the previous language being lost, especially with each succeeding generation.

Luckily, in this case, the Hmong do not have to rely solely on the spoken word but can also express themselves with story art created by busy needles.

The Vietnam War and the Flight to Freedom

During the Vietnam War, this peace-loving, agrarian people supported the United States by fighting the Viet Cong and by acting as CIA operatives. Surprisingly, it has been stated that the Hmong population lost more soldiers in battle there, than did the United States. When the United States withdrew troops from Vietnam in 1975, the Hmong people fled Laos. More than 200,000 Hmong refugees have resettled in places such as Minneapolis, Minnesota and Fresno, California, and in various cities of Wisconsin. There are still Hmong people who are being held in Communist camps, persecuted for their attempts to aid the United States.

Resources

There are seemingly few books that describe the stitching methods used by the Hmong people. Creating PA NDAU Appliqué: A New Approach to an Ancient Art Form by Carla J. Hassel (Wallace-Homestead Book Company, 1984) is the first book I ever found on this subject. This out-of-print book is a wonderful resource, particularly if one wants the challenge of trying to make a project of this kind.

A more recent book is called The Pa Ndau of Ia Moua Yang-Keeping Alive the Treasure of the Hmong: The History, Technique and Symbols of Pa Ndau by Ia Moua Yang and Carolyn Shapiro, 2002. This is a more personal look at the tradition of “Cloth Flowers” through the eyes of a native. Ia provides a lot of insight into the significance of these textiles within the family. She also discusses the symbolic meanings of color and their use to ward off evil spirits. (The Hmong believe strongly in the spirit world). Clear step-by-step diagrams, directions, and photos are provided in this invaluable resource. (Contact information available upon request).

A wonderful online article by Associated Press Writer, Jean H. Lee, describes Thong Ly, a student at California State University in Fresno, as saying the “pa ndau” is as important to his people as the American flag is to American people. To read more of his thoughts, and to hear about a quilt that was made (for the student center at CSUF) that celebrates the Hmong people and their culture, see: http://www.hmongnet.org/culture/pandau2.html

Not Just More Pretty Things

I hope that you have enjoyed reading about the Hmong people and their stitch traditions. In their hands, cloth, needle, and thread take on a greater meaning and bring to mind the life they left behind. If you see any of these textiles for sale, please consider the four thousand year tradition behind them and appreciate their cultural significance. Although they are lovely, they are not just more pretty things. They are the song of the heart of a people who are struggling to maintain the integrity of their own cultural values and beliefs. We can only hope that these people will find acceptance and peace in our land and will continue to create these beautiful stitched pieces for many years to come.

Many thanks to Betty Wilson for contributing the photograph of a Hmong wall hanging to this article, and for her ongoing friendship and encouragement.

A big thank you, as well, to Patti Ives, for the scans of her denim shirt, and for her friendship and support.

Note on October 30, 2003: Since first posting this message several days ago, I have found additional information.

The University of California at Irvine's library website has some wonderful images of Hmong textile art available to see online at: http://www.lib.uci.edu/libraries/collections/sea/hmong.html

In addition, a reader has written to say that the hospital of the University of Iowa in Cedar Rapids has a large display of Hmong baby carriers.

A friend let me borrow a remarkable book called Dark Sky, Dark Land: Stories of the Hmong Boy Scouts of Troop 100, written by teacher and Boy Scout leader, David L. Moore (Tessera Publishing, Inc., 1989).

The book is a written account of the hardships and terror of the Hmong people as they sought to escape from Laos into Thailand at the end of the Vietnam War. This riveting set of stories is definitely not bedtime reading. Moore wanted to collect oral histories and preserve them for posterity. He has done that well.

The charcoal drawing of each youth helps to create even more of a sense of drama and reality, driving home the reality that these are real boys being discussed. This is a book which is definitely worth the read.

Michigan State University related site:
http://museum.cl.msu.edu/s-program/mtap/Collections/hmong.html#top

Correct Spelling of H mông

Another book on H mông culture has been written by Sandra Millett: First Peoples: The H mông of Southeast Asia. She explains that there is a space in the word H mông, and generally a tent like figure over the "o."

A written H mông language is a recent event.

7/6/05: Also, don't miss Judy Anne Breneman's article: "Hmong Needlework: Traditions Both Ancient and New" at: http://www.womenfolk.com/quilting_history/hmong.htm

Additional Links

Hmong Homepage: http://www.hmongnet.org

Quilt Ethnic: http://www.quiltethnic.com/hmong.html

Hmong history and culture:

 http://www.culturalorientation.net/hmong/hhist.html

Textile Art of the Hmong, Dao and Cota People of Vietnam:

http://www.sidewalkgallery.com.au/stg_viet_textiles.html
Newspaper Article

Our website article was listed as a resource in the Allentown, PA news-
paper, Morning Call, on April 23, 2005. To read their online article about 
the Hmong people and their needlework, please see: 
http://tinyurl.com/euojr

Hmong Textile Art The Tie That Binds a Culture

Hmong Textile Art
The Tie That Binds a Culture