Week 8- Speaking Through Cloth

Week 8: (Re)making Identity Through Fashion
ASA 141
Franchesca Flores

Photo from "Hmong Story Cloth," from Kansas Historical Society 

I always love a story that emphasizes and acknowledges women for their hard work and struggles in life. Ava L. McCall speaks in her article, “Speaking Through Cloth” about Hmong history and shines a light specifically on the women. Paj ntaub, pronounced “pon-dow,” is an intricate and unique textile art that was a medium and form of art for Hmong women. 

When the soil became depleted from the slashing and burning in the village of the Hmong communities, they had to relocate every now and then, so there was never a set foundation for the families to grow up in. In their homes, the paj ntaub was their home decoration that held stories and history about the Hmong people, what they practiced, and how they lived. More so, these textiles and embroidery techniques were combined with fashion that not only made statements about the people wearing them but was a way to distinguish each different community. These women and girls spent most of their lives growing up learning how to sew and embroider textiles and clothing because it wasn’t only a way to tell a history, but it was a business and a way that these women made money. The designs that were seen on the textiles can be seen on the front of their shirts and on the collars, this was a part of the Hmong culture, it was permitted that the collars and shirts did not get left blank. 

The way of living and making money for the Hmong women is something that is completely relatable to the students I see in the design and art department. Not only are these students telling their stories and how they feel, but they are also making business and life out of it. It doesn’t only become a form of practice, but a lifestyle. With that, the question I want to pose is, what ways does America show their history other than historical documents?