Threads of life
The H’mong of Vietnam’s northern mountains are among the few people left in the world who, for the most part, still make their own clothes.
“Even if they buy the yarn at a local market, they still typically weave and embroider the fabric themselves”, according to the People of the World Foundation, which promotes education for and about indigenous peoples, in an article published on http://www.peoplesoftheworld.org.
H’mong clothing, especially the women’s, shows their hard-working character, cleverness and sense of beauty, it says.
Red is used extensively because the H’mong believe the colour is the symbol of strength, happiness and luck and also guards against evil.
Against an indigo background, the collar and sleeves of a H’Mong woman’s dress are embroidered with splendid patterns. The pleats of the skirt symbolise her native mountains, and the patterns are said to follow the ancient H’mong calligraphy. Other patterns come from nature – images of crops, domestic animals, the moon and the sun. Fabrics are also adorned with small silver beads or bells.
The H’mong grow the hemp that provides the raw material of the fabric, and raise their own silkworms for the embroidery thread. According to
On the mornings of spring markets, the girls don their best clothes as they are likely to meet boys there. If a boy fancies a girl, he will edge up close to her and tear a thread or a bead off her dress. If she welcomes his attentions, she will come back to the market to meet him at night. After that a wedding may well take place, according to a report by Nguyen Duc Thinh from the Institute for Traditional Culture Research.
When the bride finally goes to the groom’s home, her wealth and social position are indicated by the quality of the dress her mother made for her. According to Dr.Thinh, this dress is a H’mong girl’s most valuable possession. She keeps it carefully and wears it for her funeral, so that her mother will be able to recognise her in the next world.
