At the top, a man is cooking food. Next to him, a man and woman are grinding rice. The man moves an aluminum rod back and forth over a stone while the woman puts the rice through a hole in the stone above.
The next part shows a family. The couple is pounding rice in the chopper. The husband pounds the rice with a long log, pushing up and down with one foot, and carries his baby on his back. besides them, a man is going to take water with a large basket. Below him, another man is feeding pigs.
The bottom part shows a woman is weaving cotton cloth and a man is pounding some seasonings for the bird just steam done.
Actually, the Hmong (Miao) Minority is one of the largest minority groups in China, and has a long history. Traditionally the Miao live in mountainous regions in the south China, and build simple, single-story houses out of wood or thatch with forestry. The Miao people believe that everything in nature has a spirit, which incombination are mighty enough to control their lives. They worship their ancestors so much that memorial ceremonies are very grand.
The staple food of the Miao ethnic minority is rice. You can find a lot of pictures on their story cloths about grinding rice. And home-made rice wine are common at the table. Glutinous rice becomes a must during festivals and celebrations.
When I was showed a story cloth in class, I think there is something in common with Chinese Miao's craftworks. The batik paintings are characteristic folk craftworks created by waxing, painting, dyeing, dewaxing and rinsing treatment on cloths. And their painting describes some old traditions and activities. We like their unique art, and often use them as a beautiful decoration in our room.
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