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In 1975, the Hmong people of Northern Laos found themselves in a desperate situation, following the withdrawal of the US army at the end of the Vietnam War. Many made the perilous journey across the Mekong River to refugee camps in Thailand.  As time began to stretch out before them, they developed a new form of the embroidery that was a part of their folk-art tradition, this time as a way to tell their stories: the men would draw the narrative of their lives, including depictions of life in peacetime, the war and their flight to the camps; and the women would embroider over them.  Begun as a pastime, they soon discovered that they could sell these story cloths and make some much needed money.  Other cloths were kept as heirlooms for future generations to understand their roots – especially important for later generations of Hmong born in the countries where their parents and grandparents had sought refuge.

This gallery features embroidery and illustrations from picture books about Hmong refugees and their families.  These stories all highlight not only the beauty and intricate craftsmanship of the story cloths themselves, but also, more importantly, the bridge that these artefacts provide as cultural heirlooms between generations of families and communities.  Young readers empathise with the young protagonists of the stories and also “read” the illustrative narrative of the story cloths, which give a first-hand account of war, bloodshed and life in a refugee camp in a language that is enduring without being traumatising.

August 2010

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