PA NDAU: The Needlework of the Hmong.
1982 · Cheney, WA
by White, Virginia.
Cheney, WA: Virginia White, 1982. Third Printing. Octavo, white full-color illus. stapled wrappers, 24 pp. Near-Fine. From Introduction: The purpose of this booklet has been to partially fill the void of information relating to the Hmong refugees of Southeast Asia and their textile folk art, primarily their needlework. The availability of this wonderful work is increasing in the United States as more refugees reach America and to fully understand its artistic signficiance some general background information is needed. This volume does not pretend to be definitive in any way. Its information came from both American and Southeast Asian printed sources as well as interviews of Hmong people, American teachers of Hmong refugees and people who travel regularly to Thailand to deal in Southeast Asian textiles. Added to these sources were social workers, government agencies and lay-people working with refugees. One of the primarly conclusions drawn from these intereviews and conversations was the lack of standardization in areas regarding design and cultural interpretation. This underscored the great difficulty in doing a really accurate study of indigenous and refugee needlework forms. That will have to wait for some of the disruptions of war to dissipate. Thus, for the time being, a general overview seems most appropriate as there is a great danger in assigning any cultural aboslutes at this time. As language barriers break down, new research efforts are sure to beomce more easy to do... (Inventory #: 60853bd)