To be or not to be... by lil_sizzler

Photography • (none) • posted on Nov 27, 2006

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Description

Hmong, whose name means "free people," once lived in central and southern China. As a result of persecution received in China in the 19th century, many Hmong families migrated into the mountains of Southeast Asia. After the fall of Saigon many fled to the US. Today, Minnesota has the largest (60,000) concentration of Hmong in the US. The Hmong people are generally divided into two subgroups: White Hmong and Green Hmong. These names come from the colors used in traditional clothing. This vividly colored outfit is commonly associated with White Hmong. It is usually handmade and beaded by the young maiden to be worn to be worn during the Hmong New Year festival which conveniently falls on Thanksgiving weekend. . The New Year is a time of courtship and celebration. By wearing elaborate clothing, young women show off their personal beauty as well as their textile skills. Finely sewn attire is considered a sign of a woman's hard work and increases her value as a wife. Wearing one's finest dress to a New Year celebration helps attract a prospective partner. I am about as Hmong as this Mannequin is alive. But I thought the outfit made for a nice picture. Thanks for your time.

Comments (9)

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1358

9:12AM | Mon, 27 November 2006

beautiful picture. the stitching and beading on the dress bears a striking resemblence to the way dresses are done by the First Nation People of the Plains (some still call them Indians, although not from India, odd that), like the Blackfoot, Cree, and Stoney. just a thot.

Valerie-Ducom

9:52AM | Mon, 27 November 2006

Oh yes, thank you for this information and I like so much this photographs!!! Excellent!!! Good day ;)

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Loloe

10:00AM | Mon, 27 November 2006

Nice capture of this superb dress! I agree with 1358, it looks like indian's dress. Bravo!!!

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Biffowitz

10:11AM | Mon, 27 November 2006

It's always great to see or hear about other people from around the world. Thanks for the glimpse into Hmong life. Great capture, and wonderful colors!!

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busi2ness

12:12PM | Mon, 27 November 2006

Exquisitely beautiful and fine work photographed. Interesting facts in the comment.

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mermaid

5:26PM | Mon, 27 November 2006

Thanks for sharing the interesting story of Hmong people and their clothing traditions... and for the very fine illustrating photo!

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danob

7:59AM | Wed, 29 November 2006

Lovely image and interesting facts Bravo

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sp1ke43

1:56PM | Wed, 29 November 2006

lovely picture, thanks for the information, at least I can say I learnt something today lol

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girsempa

5:59PM | Thu, 14 December 2006

I found a copy of this image at the xwall-site: http://xwall.metropoliglobal.com/galerias/datos/media/626/to_be_or_not_to_be_by_lil.jpg I suppose it's been copied and illegally posted by gdmora. I left a message under the image at xwall that this image is yours, and if it is posted there without your permission, that it should be removed as soon as possible...