The Shaman Coat from Vietnam

I will be leaving on a trip to Thailand, Laos and Vietnam soon and will be looking for more Shaman Coats in Hanoi.

These are wonderful handwoven lightweight (unlined) robes all beautifully hand embroidered in silk. Not old but definitely not made recently. I haven't been able to obtain any information on how old they actually are.

Despite an extensive search I have only found reference to them in one book: The Yao: The Mien and Mun Yao in China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand by Jess Pourret. Apparently the figures on the back represent a multitude of Gods and Saints. Very beautiful.

Shaman's Coat and Mola Jacket

I am expecting to go to Vietnam next month and hope to purchase some Shaman's Coats. I have made a connection with an antique dealer who has been successful in the past with scouting them out for me. They are not old old...but surely vintage. Most are made of handwoven fabric and the figures are all hand embroidered. Unlined. They run about 3/4 length and are very wearable.

A few weeks ago I finished my Black Mola Jacket which began life with an orange background. The black area is all strip pieced with several different fabrics to give it some interest.

And the two major molas on the back are beaded.