Traditional hat or turban
This turban-style headdress uniquely belongs to the Hmong from Xieng Khouang, Laos. Traditionally, this headdress was not hand sewn together as a hat, easily put on and removed. It was a long piece of purple fabric, carefully wrapped around one’s head by another woman to make a turban. The siv ceeb, thin black and white striped cloth, was wrapped around the outer edge of the turban. Only in the late 1990s did Hmong women sew the fabric into a hat, and at this time they began to use many different fabrics, colors, and decorations. The art of wrapping the fabric into a turban is almost forgotten, as more and more young women adopt the hat.
©Kieron Nelson 2015 "Vanishing Cultures Photography" All rights reserved
