The Piêu, scarf of love of the black Thai women
Among the women of the Black Thai ethnic group the scarf is not only attached to daily life, it is also a particular proof of the love of the couple.
The Piêu, that is its name, is a spiritual object, an offering that all women must know how to make.
The Piêu charms by its colors and its embroideries, it is the symbol of the talent and the virtue of the Thai woman.
This scarf is also a gift that they offer to the chosen one of their heart and an offering used during the ceremonies of worship:
“In the past, at parties, at the ball-tossing game, when the boy threw the ball to a girl and the girl caught it she had to bring him a Stake if she liked the boy. The scarf then became an excuse to make a promise of love.”
“The tradition is that brides offer Piêu to their mothers-in-law on the wedding day. But they also offer them as a token of love to their promised ones!”
“When a Thai woman has passed away, her “Piêu” will lead her soul to the other world.
When one of the spouses dies, the Piêu is cut in two, one half being used to cover the face of the deceased. The other person will keep the remaining half for the rest of his or her life and at the time of death, this half will be used to cover the face. This is how the couple will be able to meet in the other world.
Any Black Thai mother will take it to heart to teach her daughter how to make her Piêu from a very young age (about 8-10 years old), guiding her to mix the colors harmoniously. In addition to learning from their mothers, the young girls also learn from their friends, grandmothers, aunts… They take advantage of their free time to embroider Piêu like when they guard the buffaloes.
First of all, it is necessary to choose a beautiful white cotton fabric in artisanal weaving which will be then dyed in black with indigo, it is also necessary to choose the threads to be embroidered of various colors.
Each scarf has a length of 140 -150 cm, the decorations are only on two squares that are located at both ends of the scarf.
The traditional technique consists in embroidering on the back the motif that appears on the front.
It is often plants, flowers, animals that will be associated with the main motifs which will be in zigzag, herringbone, lace … they will vary according to each group.
There are also 3 kinds of patterns which are embroidered just at the ends of the squares, they determine the use of Piêu:
(in Thai language)
The “ta leo” to keep away evil spirits, to protect the soul of the person who wears the stake.
The “quat pieu” a noble article for a superior person.
The “sai peng” is a link of love for the couple.
Once the embroidery is completed, the scarf will be edged with red fabric along its entire length.
On its two ends, will be hung tiny cones of fabric, red, representing fern leaves.
To make a complete Piêu scarf with many patterns, it takes 2 to 4 weeks of work, a woman will embroider 30 in her life.
If in everyday life, Black Thai women prefer modern clothes for their comfortable aspect, it is out of question for them to give up their traditional clothes, and even less their Piêu scarf.
Nowadays, most of the young black Thai women don’t know how to embroider anymore.
Therefore, teaching them these traditional techniques has become a priority for the authorities and women’s associations of several localities in the North-West of Vietnam.
