In the part of Northern Thailand, known as the Golden Triangle, there are six groups of hill tribes, which originate from Southern China. These are the Karen, Hmong, Lahu, Akha, Lisu and Mien or Yao. Each of these tribes has its own language, dress, religion and traditions.

Young girls start to embroider at five or six years old and learn the traditional five motifs which have been passed down from generation to generation, adding patterns as their skill increases and finally creating new compositions. This keeps their embroidery a living and constantly evolving art.

The Mien call themselves “Mauq Zovj” or “Crazy about Needlework” and they are very skilled, working from the back of the cloth, so that the pattern is only seen when the cloth is turned over. Four of the five traditional motifs are stitched in weave-stitch, in vertical lines, which look like weaving. The other traditional motif is stitched in a horizontal/vertical stitch, following the warp and weft of the fabric and giving a lacy effect. The diagonal cross-stitch has only evolved during the last sixty years but is very widely used. The Mien used to dye their own fabrics and silken threads with natural dyes but now use modern threads which make their work extremely colourful and although there is no set number of colours, many women use five colours.

Teenage girls spend much of their time embroidering their clothes so that their skill may attract a husband, whilst mothers embroider their son’s clothes to attract a suitable bride. When a couple are betrothed, the bridegroom has to provide his bride with cloth and thread. On an auspicious day, the bride begins to embroider the wedding garments, which include her entire outfit, a head covering, a sash for the bridegroom, white scarves for both of them and trousers for the bridegroom’s mother and while she is doing this, she does not have to work in the fields. During the wedding, embroidered rectangular cloths cover an ornate headdress worn by the bride and these become family heirlooms.

The Hmong people of Northern Thailand have the same roots as the Miao people of South West China and consist of the “Hmong Deaw” or “White Hmong” and the “Mong Njua”, literally translated as “Green Hmong” but commonly called “Blue Hmong”.

Hmong women possess amazing skills with a needle and thread and produce some of the finest needlework anywhere, decorating the clothing of every member of the family from the tiniest baby to the most ancient grandparents and the bodies of their dead for the journey to the next world! Women often still weave their own cloth on looms which combine back-strap and foot-treadle techniques.

Silver belts and jewellery in the form of neck rings, earrings, engraved bracelets, pointed rings on every finger and chains with fish, butterfly, wheel, bell and lock pendants are worn. When young Hmong couples marry the bride price is paid in silver ingots, for silver has a great significance and symbolises wealth and a good life to the Hmong people.