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Eco-friendly Tribal Chic handmade Jewels for Free Souls
Hmong Hill Tribes People & Crafts
Hill Tribes is a term used in Thailand for all of the various ethnic groups who mostly inhabit the high mountainous Northern and Western regions of Thailand, including both sides of the border areas between Northern Thailand. In the 19th century the people living in the mountain ranges were the largest non-Buddhist group in Thailand. Their mountain locations were then considered remote and of difficult access.
In the Thai official documents the term "hill tribe" (Chao Khao) began to appear in the 1960s, but "highland Thais" is a more recent term also used to designate the people groups living in the mountainous areas.
The six major hill tribes within Thailand are the Akha, Lahu, Karen, Hmong/Miao, Mien/Yao and Lisu, each with a distinct language and culture.
The Hmong are an ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity (苗族) in southern China. Hmong groups began a gradual southward migration in the 18th century due to political unrest and to find more arable land.
The Hmong practice shamanism and ancestor worship. Like other animists, they also believe that all things are endowed with spiritual beings and so should be respected.
Hmong families in Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos practice subsistence agriculture, although they have chickens, pigs and cows, the traditional staple of the Hmong consists mostly of vegetable dishes and rice.
Hmong textile art (Paj ntau or Paj ntaub, or "flower cloth" in the Hmong language). consists of bold geometric designs often realized in bright, contrasting colors. Different patterns and techniques of production are associated with geographical regions and cultural subdivisions within the global Hmong community. These cloths, ranging in size up to several square feet, use figures to represent stories from Hmong history and folklore in a narrative form.
Today, the practice of embroidery continues to be passed down through generations of Hmong people and paj ndau remain important markers of Hmong ethnicity.
There are approximately about 92,000 Hmong people living in Thailand these days. The production and sale of handicrafts provides them with a viable alternative, and helps to revive handcraft traditions which otherwise might have been forgotten. Each of the hill tribes has its own unique culture and crafts traditions. There are mainly two sub-tribes of Hmong, namely the White and the Blue (Green). White Hmong women produce some of the most exquisite needlework to be found anywhere in the world, Blue Hmong women are the only producers of batik cloth among the tribal people. Their clothing is richly decorated with magnificent embroidery, applique, cutwork, pom-poms, batik cloth and silver jewellery.
