Our Woven Heritage: Celebrating Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI Heritage)

This May, we at the Marin County Free Library are proud to present a variety of offerings celebrating Our Woven Heritage: Celebrating Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI Heritage), highlighting textiles and clothing and their importance as a means of sharing stories and shaping cultures. Asia is one of the world's largest regions, rich in diverse cultures, and its unique clothing is made from a variety of textiles produced from each country's local raw materials.

Examples include:

• The traditional Japanese Kimono, made from a single piece of silk, has existed for more than 1,300 years.
• Batik fabric from Indonesia is special because of the technique used to produce it.
• The sari is a well-known traditional textile worn by women in India.
• Thailand is also known for its silk made from silkworm cocoons, which is hand-woven and of the highest quality.
• People know the Vietnamese Ao Dai dress for its beauty and elegance.
• Let us not forget China and the Han dynasty’s loose-fitting clothing, known as Hanfu.
• Piña, made from pineapple fibers, is used to make unique Philippine clothing.

The wide variety of techniques, names, and textiles reflects the cultures and traditions, as seen in special garments worn from past centuries to the present.

The Silk Roads were a network of routes that connected Asian goods, such as silk, precious metals, and other commodities of the time, to other parts of the world, including Europe. Silk was so valuable that it became as valuable as currency and gold and was used by High-ranking figures from different Dynasties. Each one of those Dynasties brought its own techniques and styles of creating textile fabrics, clothing, and art. It is also important to acknowledge that the raw materials and techniques for making textiles differ, and that the images were symbolic of status, religion, or rank in society. Some antique Chinese Robes are attainable through auction houses like Dreweatts and are of high quality and in good condition. Each article has a story and a very distinct style.

Silk was very important in trade, but recent discoveries claim to have found fibers from wool, cotton, and hemp. The article goes into detail about how such fibers reveal how people lived and what raw materials were available to them.

Please use Discover and Go for free and discounted museum passes, and visit the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles. If you want to explore more from the comfort of your home, use our other platforms, such as My China Roots and Asian Life in America. Maybe you want to try learning one of the many Asian languages on Mango Languages and Liñgöpie.

The Chicago Field Museum holds one of the largest collections of Asian textiles in the US.

Artistic fabrics are an art form, with various handmade techniques.

The presence of textiles is still so prevalent that UNESCO has held photography contests focused on textiles.

To see an archive of fabrics and textiles with a variety of patterns and names, please visit the National Asian Art Museum webpage. You will see a variety of textiles used in tea ceremonies.

Events

Please join us in celebrating AANHPI Heritage at our special events this month:

Hula Performance

• Haopinaka: Hawaiian Music and Dance: Sunday, May 17, 12:30pm-1:30pm at Corte Madera Library

Short Film Series

• Short Film Series and Discussion with Filmmaker Felicia Lowe: Wednesday, May 6, 6:00pm-7:00pm at Novato Library

Filipino Textiles Presentation

• Filipino Textiles and Fabrics: A History: Saturday, May 9, 11:00am-12:00pm at Point Reyes Library

Asian Art Museum Presentations

• The Silk Road: Globalization in the Ancient World: Tuesday, May 5, 7:00pm-8:00pm online on Zoom. Registration required to receive a Zoom link.
• Glorious Civilizations: An Exploration of Southeast Asia: Tuesday, May 12, 12:00pm-1:00pm at Novato Library
• The Language of Flowers in Asian Art: Sunday, May 31, 1:00pm-2:00pm at Corte Madera Library

Fabric Bookmark Craft 

• Crafternoon: Fabric Bookmark Kids Craft (for kids 5-12): Wednesday, May 13, 3:30pm-4:30pm at Corte Madera Library 
• Fabric Bookmark Kids Craft (for kids 5-9): Thursday, May 14, 3:00pm-4:00pm at South Novato Library
• Teen Crafternoon: Fabric Bookmarks (for teens): Thursday, May 21, 4:00pm-5:00pm at Novato Library
• Fabric Bookmark Kids Craft (for kids 5-9): Wednesday, May 27, 2:00pm-3:00pm at Marin City Library

Booklist

Check out the booklist below curated by our Cultural Celebrations staff:

View Full List

Disclaimer

While sharing these resources is intended to connect community members with relevant information, Marin County Free Library is not responsible for any third-party content that may be accessed through the sites referenced herein and does not endorse these organizations or the accuracy of the advice these organizations may provide.