Festival Jacket

ClassificationsClothing and Adornments-principal attire (upper body)

Culture Miao

Dateearly to mid 20th Century

Made AtGuizhou Province, China

MediumCotton, hemp, silk, beads and feathers

Dimensions66 × 50 in. (167.6 × 127 cm)

Credit LineAnonymous Gift

Object number2016.15.77

DescriptionThe importance of elaborate adornments and clothing extends to Miao children as well as adults. Ensembles for infants and young children would serve as evidence of a family’s wealth rather than as a means of attracting potential husbands, as is the traditional purpose of the ensembles of older girls. As early as six years old, Miao girls begin to learn the art of weaving and embroidery. The complicated arrangement of abstract and representational patterns and motifs have been practiced and adapted over centuries. As the art of textile making is instilled in each girl so has the history, beliefs and identity of the Miao people who until recently without a written language have depended in part on a system of visual language embedded and recognized in dress and adornment.

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