Abstract
Embroidererd representational textiles of Hmong refugees from the war in Laos are generally referred to in the literature as “story cloths”. The article problematizes the concept of “story” in this designation, and points out the complex ambiguity of the temporal dimension by way of analysis of an exceptionally richly embroidered Hmong cloth. Four alternative readings of the cloth are proposed; it is hypothesized that a “mythical” reading will become predominant, as the Hmong integrate the turbulent events of the war into their mytho-historical collective memory.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 25-40 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Visual Anthropology |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 1996 |