Identity of a Community: Hmong Textiles

​The study collection at Museum Textile Services is an amazing resource that allows us to learn new techniques, expand on our textile knowledge base, and safely train new staff and interns. The collection is diverse; it contains donated, bequeathed, and purchased textiles ranging from our backyard in colonial America to places as far away as Africa and Papua New Guinea. The oldest pieces were woven by the Chancay and Chimu cultures of ancient Peru nearly 1000 years ago! One of my first projects when I came to MTS was to rehouse new donations, including family textiles inherited from our director Camille Breeze's mother. In doing so, I was struck by the sheer beauty of four small embroidered textiles from the Hmong culture, which came to us from a long-time client. Their patterns, colors and vibrancy made me want to learn more about these textiles that were so foreign to me.

Sample of traditional Hmong stitches. Courtesy of Diary of a Quilter

According to author Carl L. Bankston III, "Social scientists estimate that there are between six and seven million Hmong in the world. Until recently, almost all Hmong lived in the mountains of southern China, Laos, Thailand, and northern Vietnam. Chinese oppression during the nineteenth century and the rise of communism in Vietnam following World War II pushed many Hmong into Laos, where about 300,000 Hmong lived peacefully during the 1960s. After the royal Laotian government was overthrown by Communist forces in 1975, about one-third of the Laotian Hmong were killed, another third fled to Thailand, and the remaining third stayed in Laos. Many of those who took refuge in Thailand found homes in France, Australia, or the United States. Overall, about 95,000 Hmong have settled in the United States. 

Women in traditional Hmong dress. Photo courtesy of The Art of Hmong Embroidery.

​Traditional Hmong embroidery was used as a form of decoration in clothing. Girls learned the art of embroidery from a young age from the female members of their family, also learning designs and patterns that were passed down generationally. As they got older, a girl’s embroidery skills made her more attractive as a potential marriage partner. Special embroideries were made for big events in one’s life, such as marriage and death. When a girl was married, her mother would give her a skirt, traditionally made of hemp, with a colorful pattern depicting a story or multiple symbols. The skirt was cherished throughout her life, and upon death, was then again worn by her and was believed to aid her in the spirit realm as she began her journey to meet her ancestors in the after life. 

Textiles are still an important part of ​modern Hmong culture. Techniques they employ include embroidery, applique, reverse applique and batik. Similar to embroidery, batik dye patterns and execution were passed down through generations of women.  All Hmong textile art uses symbols to tell stories, many taking a month or more to complete.  As I researched the embroidered piece that struck me most, I discovered that it was made as a collar to be attached to the back of a women’s jacket. I also identified many symbols used in this embroidery, which include; leaf frond (Nplooj Kaus Suab), maze, flower (Paj), hook (Tus Khawb), and cross (Tus cim caiv).  

Photo of traditional collar of Blue Hmong being worn. Photo Courtesy of Herbarium Design.

Hmong Collar from MTS Study Collection. Photo Courtesy of Museum Textile Services.

In addition to researching the fascinating history of Hmong culture, I also spot tested the textile for soiling and bleeding of colors, luckily with few results. I then made a custom fabric covered board, and archivally mounted the textile by sewing it to the board using a blind stitch.  I then framed it behind glass, using spacers to prevent the textile from touching the glass.

Detail of Hmong embroidered textile from MTS Study Collection.

Detail of Hmong embroidered textile from MTS Study Collection.

Detail of Hmong embroidered textile from MTS Study Collection.

The Hmong textiles that I researched and worked on from the Museum Textile Services study collection are only the tip of the iceberg in an amazing array of things that I am learning as an MTS intern. I’m grateful for the chance to research and conserve something that spoke to me, and to be able to share this knowledge with others through the MTS Blog. 
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Sarah Uhlendorf Stebulis graduated from Keene State University in 2002 with a BA in American History. She has been an interpreter, curator, museum director, and freelance registrar. In her free time Sarah is a fiber junkie and enjoys sewing, spinning, dying wool, and weaving.