Read and summarise textbook Chapter 17 - Influence of culture on design: Hmong People of South-East Asia pgs 255 -266.
Hmong People
- The Hmong people are also known as the Meo, Miao or Meau.
- A desire for independence dominates the lives of the Hmong.
- It is believed the Hmong people came to China from Mongolia, Tibet or Siberia. They settled on the banks of the Yellow River but hostility from the Chinese and lack of fertile land forced them to migrate in search of freedom and better farming land.
- About 95% of Hmong people are now located in southern China, Laos, Burma, Vietnam and Thailand. A small percentage migrated to America, Australia, France and Canada after the Indochina Wars.
- There are six major groups of the Hmong people:
- ‘Hmong Dub or Hmong Den’ (Black Hmong)
- ‘Hmong Do’ (Red Hmong)
- ‘Hmong Deaw’ (White Hmong)
- ‘Mong Njua’ (meaning Green Hmong, but usually referred to as Blue)
- ‘Hmoob Txaij or Moob Txaij’ (Striped Hmong)
- ‘Hmong Lenh or Hmong Hoa’ (meaning flowery cloth, so referred to as the Flower Hmong).
The names relate to the dominant colouring of their traditional clothing and headdress, and the provinces they came from.
Hmong Textile Production
- The Hmong people often live in mountainous regions where there is not a vast amount of land available for textile crops. The main fibres they use for their textile items are hemp, cotton, ramie and sometimes silk.
- Ramie is a plant from the same family as a nettle. It is harvested throughout the year and spun like hemp. It produces a lighter and softer fabric than hemp. The White Hmong use ramie for their white pleated skirts.
- Silk is used as yarn to decorate clothing and is rarely woven into fabric. Traditionally, village women made their own textiles, from fibre to fabric to product, with each family having their own plot of hemp and indigo. Today many tribes buy or barter for their cotton and hemp fabric.
Hemp Production
- Hemp is sown in March and harvested in August after it has flowered, when the plants are about 2 m tall. The leaves are removed from the stems and the stems are left to dry in the sun for about a week. They are turned every couple of days to make sure they are thoroughly dry throughout the thickness of the stem. The stems are then stripped back to remove the fibres and soaked in boiling water and ash. The women then beat the fibres to soften them and wind them into a skein ready for weaving.
Videos to watch
History of the Hmong Culture (7 mins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=2hYuXbtlvHg Hmong hemp weaving (2.5 mins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWq-Pcx82Nk
Hmong Batik(7.5 mins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCmXS_ctK68
DIY Batik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJzJXSvT1tw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=2hYuXbtlvHg Hmong hemp weaving (2.5 mins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWq-Pcx82Nk
Hmong Batik(7.5 mins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCmXS_ctK68
DIY Batik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJzJXSvT1tw
Activity - DIY Batik
Now, using a match stick, light a candle. Dip a paintbrush or skewer into the wax and create a design on a small fabric sample. Place the fabric into a dye vat to absorb colour. Then rinse the dye out and allow it to dry. Place the sample between two pieces of paper and iron until the wax melts out.
Activity - Written Task
Investigate ONE culture (can be Hmong) and write a paragraph analysing the factors influencing its textile design. You may choose to do a different culture study, however must ensure that you have all information about the culture.
Activity - Applying your learning
Find two images online which you think have an underlying inspiration based upon Hmong culture. You must justify this link through explicit reference to the elements and principles of design.
Section II - Question 12 - Design
2012 (b) For a textile art form from a culture you have studied, describe how a traditional production method has been adapted for use in contemporary design. (4 marks)
2015 (b) Explain how ONE textile art form can be used as a medium for communication. (4 marks)
2020 (b) Explain how a traditional textile production method or art form can be used in a contemporary textile item to express cultural identity. Use examples from a culture you have studied. (5 marks)
- Textile art form:
- Culture studied:
2015 (b) Explain how ONE textile art form can be used as a medium for communication. (4 marks)
2020 (b) Explain how a traditional textile production method or art form can be used in a contemporary textile item to express cultural identity. Use examples from a culture you have studied. (5 marks)
Section III – Question 14 & 15
2008 Q14
(b) Describe how fabric decoration has been used as a medium of self-expression and/or communication in the textile art form of the culture you have named in part (a). (4 marks)
(c ) Analyse how the religious practices and workers’ skills and status in your chosen culture have influenced the development of the textile production method or textile art form named in part (a). (8 marks)
2019
- Name a culture you have studied and identify a traditional textile production method or textile art form of this culture. (3 marks)
(b) Describe how fabric decoration has been used as a medium of self-expression and/or communication in the textile art form of the culture you have named in part (a). (4 marks)
(c ) Analyse how the religious practices and workers’ skills and status in your chosen culture have influenced the development of the textile production method or textile art form named in part (a). (8 marks)
2019
- The textiles of a culture can be strongly influenced by geography, technological development, religious practices, workers’ skills and the resources available.
- With reference to a culture you have studied, explain how textile production and/or textile art forms have been influenced by TWO of these factors.