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Dong Sun Jacket The Dong minority has worshipped the sun since ancient times. They believe that the sun gives light and heat to the earth and enables all things to grow. This is why they call the sun "the ancestral mother." There are a total of nine circles on the material, each of which represents a sun. This is an expample of the motif of "the nine suns." A legend about the nine suns: The Dong's ancestors, Yi-sian and Yi-mei had six children; Dragon, Snake, Tiger, Thunder, Jian-lian, and Jian-mei. After Yi-sian and Yi-mei died, their children began to fight over territorial fights. Snake occupied the land, Tiger usurped the mountains, Dragon went underwater and ruled the seas, and Thunder was forced to ascend to the sky, while Jian-lian and Jian-mei remained on Earth. Dragon and Thunder ruled their territories be nevolently and perormed many good deeds, none of which went unnoticed by Sa-sui, the goddess of mercy, who then granted Dragon and Thunder big awards. This made Tiger and Snake very jealous and covetous of their brothers'gifts. They invited Thunder and Dragon for a big feast, got them very drunk, and then tied them up, plotting to kill them the next day. But Jianlian and Jian-mei sneaked in, gave their drunken brothers some water to wake them up, and untied them so that Thunder could fly back up into the sky and Dragon could escape into the sea. Before Thunder left, he gave the two Jians a gourd seed. Jian-lian and Jian-mei soon planted the seed, and in five days, it grew into a gigantic golden gourd. Meanwhile, the more Thunder thought about the injustices that had been against him by Tiger and Snake, the more furious he became, so he brought on a flood that lasted 99 days. The flood killed almost all living things on earth, but spared the Jian-lian and Jian-mei who had cut their golden gourd in half and used the halves as boats to float atop the floodwaters. The gourd that Thunder given them saved their lives. Finally, Sa-sui, the goddess of mercy, created nine suns to dry up the earth and revitalize the barren earth. The nine suns in this legend represent the rebirth of life, and this is the reason why the Dong people appreciates the significance of the legend. Dong women decorate their clothing. Condition: Arm
to arm: 32" It's very old. The coating has been faded off. Embroidery on cotton, hand sewn. To learn more hill tribe techniques of making textile please click here: |