Threads of Life Hemp and Gender in a Hmong Village

For centuries Hmong people have lived in the mountains of China and Southeast Asia They have in more recent history fled Laos as refugees and resettled in the Americas Australia and Europe This documentary was filmed in Chang Khian a village in the mountains of Northern Thailand With the traditional yearlong process of transforming the bark of hemp plants into cloth the complex relationships of men and women are revealed Women produce the cloth and clothing as the men perform healing ceremonies settle marriage agreements and conduct funeral rights The ready availability of massproduced inexpensive cloth combined with the fact that the cultivation of hemp is now illegal has brought the continuation of this traditional practice into question This film is of great interest to the study of gender and kinship textiles traditional crafts shamanism and social change