CHILD’S DRESS, C1900, TEKKE OR CHODOR WOMEN, CENTRAL ASIA, COTTON, SILVER, GLASS, EMBROIDERY, MUSEUM OF APPLIED ARTS AND SCIENCES (POWERHOUSE MUSEUM). PURCHASED FOR THE COLLECTION BY THE ORIENTAL RUG SOCIETY OF NEW SOUTH WALES 2003. PHOTO: NITSA YIOUPROS – TAASA Review September 2021

To disguise the babies from hostile beings that may be peering down, Miao women dress them in brightly coloured hats made to look like flowers, butterflies, fish and other creatures less attractive to evil forces than human babies (Corrigan 2001).

The National Gallery in Canberra holds a group of eight of these exquisite baby hats donated by Claudia Hyles in 2010.

Made from silk, cotton and velvet, they are adorned with sequins, quilting, appliqué and various embroidery stitches in silk and metallic thread. Similarly, hoods from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan not only shield the child from cold but are adorned with beads, buttons, coins and other ornaments to distract malicious forces...