Ethnic tribal silver hair pin with traditional swirled decorative elements

CONDITION: good vintage condition

SIZE: 8½ ins h x 2 ins w (22 x 5 cm)

APPROXIMATE DATE: early 20th century

MATERIALS: silver

DESCRIPTION:

Here is a large single shafted hair pin made by hand by the Hmong (Miao) hill tribe artisans from the remote mountain villages in Northern Laos. It is made in silver using a traditional design.

Such hair decorations are typical of the accessories found in this area. They have a single long and broad shaft to penetrate the hair. The heading or top has eight motifs organized into spirals with applied globular elements.

The final picture shows some of the elaborate head pieces worn by Hill Tribe women.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

The “Golden Triangle” is the area where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar (Burma) meet at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers. Ethnic tribal peoples are scattered across this territory. For all these groups costume and jewellery have always been especially significant and an outward expression of beauty, wealth and prestige.

Combs and hairpins are made from a wide range of materials and are frequently associated with ritual and ceremony. They are proficient metal workers in silver, the preferred material, According to the Hmong shamanic belief, there is a spirit world and a physical world. These two worlds overlap in an interesting and unpredictable way. The Hmong believe that silver has the ability to interact with the spirit world. They traditionally wear large silver jewellery to gain the attention of ancestral spirits, especially during ceremonies. It is common to see Hmong hill tribe women with large unusual hair pins featuring traditional cultural motifs.

Lavish displays of head ornaments take the form of flat disks, cones and balls. Thus a variety of hair pins complement the lavish displays of jewellery and costume among women and young girls. Women generally wore their hair in a bun or knot secured by a series of long handled hair pins. It is common to see hill tribe women with large unusual hair pins featuring traditional cultural motifs.