Dao women purchase cloth from the market in Sa Pa and dye it using indigo leaves from their own plot of trees. The cloth is left to soak in indigo for up to 30 days. When the main cloth is dry, embroidery is added using chemically dyed silk thread using ancient Dao motifs that are part of Dao cosmology. The Dao ascribe to a pantheist belief system that draws on the natural world and symbols used in the creation of textiles including the pine tree, peach blossom, tiger paw prints, along with bear and monkey prints. Images of people, horses, birds and the spirit of thunder also appear. Embroidery is a part of every Dao woman’s daily life and plays an important role in preserving the Dao cultural identity with symbolic motifs being precisely replicated throughout the generations.
Dimensions:
Length: 163cm, 44 in
Width: 20cm, 8 in
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