Antique Man’s Ceremonial Beaded Vest (Kuton), Gadding, Philippines

Mid-20th century tribal woman's tunic, Karen People, Burma A nice, graphic example of a woman's blouse from the Karen ethnic group in Burma/Myanmar. Th...

Traditional Silk Shaman’s Shoulder Cloth, Tai Daeng, Houaphanh Province, Laos. This is a man/woman healing cloth or shaman’s shawl, so named as the center se...

Antique Tribal Kachin Woman’s Jacket with Shells, Myanmar (Burma) A small, intricately woven woman’s jacket from the Kachin (Maru) tribal group located in the far northeast of Myanm...

Antique Aymara Woman’s Mantle (Ahuayo), Bolivia A large, finely woven and intricately patterned woman’s mantle from the Pacajes region of Bolivia displaying three wide vertical sect...

Vintage dayak tribal beaded decorated baby Carrier Borneo Indonesia. The Tribal baby carrier beautifully made with wood base decorated with bead work cloth and clam shell decoration....

pair of very decorative African clothing.

For the Yoruba people of Nigeria, beads and shells are applied to ceremonial garments and headdresses. Beads are an important part of Yoruba culture. henry John Drewal has written th...

An oversized and impressive cape worn during ceremonial dancing by Miao people (also known as Hmong in English) from Guizhou Province, China circa 1940s-1950s in a rarely intact and well-preserved condition. Miao people are diverse minority groups living in Southern China as well as Southeast Asia with complex sub-affiliations based on attires, languages, cultural customs and art tradition. They are renowned for their textile and silver craftsmanship as well as singing and dancing traditions. This cape, rather heavy in construction and striking in bold red and black, was made from wool, hemp and cotton. The surface showcases elongated diamond patterns in complementary woven wool and couched plaque on top of the cotton part. The pattern strikes the viewer with a strong sense of dignity and power. The heavy material and pattern are strangely akin to some of the Navajo weaving. The cape is in a form a jacket with long and wide sleeves, and it was meant to be used in ceremonial occasions. Our research reveals that the piece was from the Northwest Guizhou in an autonomous county called Weining. The area is of subtropical highland and the generally cold weather was reflected in the heavy materials used in this piece, in comparison with other textiles made in the warmer lowland. There is an older paper label with price tag in Chinese inside the cape. It was purchased in Guizhou decades ago by a US collection in MA. With a span of over 94 inches long, it makes a very impressive textile art piece for wall hanging. Not framed and easily shipping folded up. For a similar jacket from Weining, see "Miao Textile...