Some of the Story Cloths, like the one on the top, incorporate text. The inclusion of English text increases the accessibility of Hmong history to non-Hmong individuals, providing additional context to better understand their culture and the artist’s story conveyed through their embroidery. Some of the text has spelling mistakes, as cloth artists may not be literate in English.
Traveling wedding party.
These Story Cloths are early iterations created by Hmong refugees in Ban Vinai. They display distinct stylistic differences compared to later Story Cloths, which typically feature blue, gray, and red backgrounds and borders, as seen in other pieces throughout this exhibition. Additionally, there are variations in the embroidery styles. While a satin stitch is predominantly used for most of the embroidery, the faces are outlined with a running stitch rather than being completely filled in like the rest of the embroidery in the piece.
Woman preparing food.
The cloth with the orange border illustrates Hmong village life in Laos before the Secret War, while the black cloth depicts two families coming together for a wedding.
Stitched and embroidered by an unknown Hmong artists.
Collection of the Hmoob Cultural and Community Agency, gift of Jan Folsom.
