This vest is part of a traditional Shynra aristocratic (Black Yi) young woman's suit. It is worn on special occasions such as weddings, funerals, traveling, or hosting a party. The color is simple but elegant.

Description:
Midnight blue sleeveless vest with red collar that has a sampler - stiched snowflake pattern in it, 2 brass buttons in a diagonal side closure, and an appliqued design at the neck and shoulder in purple, green and blue bands.
Width at hem: 58 cm
length: 62.5 cm

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Vests have always been popular garments for Nuosu women, but these days they are almost always worn over long-sleeved, market-purchased blouses of cotton or synthetics. Still, Nuosu women choose their color combinations carefully, combining traditional and modern clothing harmoniously.

Description:
Dark red velvet vest with center closing. There are five sets of coiled buttons made of a center of red and green fabric surrounded by tightly looped white fabric strips, giving the button the appearance of a "rosette," very common on vests in particular. White loops and knotted buttons complete the "frog'; closure.
From Ganluo County.

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This jacket shows the principle that older women wear darker colors--mostly. Bright accents, such as this tourquoise, add a light touch. Front closings and side closings are both common on Nousu jackets and vests.

Description:
Black velvet jacket lined with bright turquoise cotton cloth and white reinforced lining at back bottom vents. Three groups of 3 each turquoise cloth closures attached to front of jacket.
Made by Alu Avie, 1999, from Jynzygu Village, Hongqiao Township, Ninglang County.

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This middle-aged or older woman's skirt, made from synthetic fabrics, follows the same line as the skirts worn my younger women in Ninglang, but lacks the white band at the bottom. Made by Alu Avie, 1999 from Jynzygu Village, Hongqiao Township, Ninglang County.

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This older woman's skirt is made from heavy, homespun cloth, woven on a backstrap loom. Such skirts weigh several pounds, and are very warm in Liangshan's cold winters, but are said to have been very irritating to the thighs until one had worn them for a few weeks.
Made in Guabie district, Yanyuan County, in the early 1970s.

Description:
This five panelled skirt is woven of heavy wool yarn, top 10cm are dark brown with a narrow band in neutral color. the second panel is 20cm wide and woven of darker and lighter shades of brown. Third panel is woven of medium brown, 16.5cm wide. The fourth panel is 9.5cm wide and pleated. The color is the same medium brown as third panel. Last panel is also pleated, color is a light brown for 30cm, then a 1cm wide band in black, another 1cm band in brown, then 7.5cm in black ending in a 1cm band of light brown. Skirt is gathered at the waist and held by a three-sided braid, ending in short cords. The skirt is open vertically.
It took 6 months to finish the skirt from spinning woolen yarns, weaving and tailoring. The middle section is cylindrical with narrow pleats. The whole skirt is made of wool in its natural color. It is 26 years old.
Traditional Yanyuan old woman's handwoven and hand pleated wool skirt. It was a dress by day in the past, but the maker planned to use it as her own funeral skirt.

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Young women in Ninglang wear the largest headdresses in the Shynra area, one of the largest styles in all of Liangshan. They resemble the conservative, all-black hats of Shynra older women, but are decorated with colorful borders. They are supported by a wire or cardboard frame.
Made by Anyiemo Axjie, Shotzha Village, Lada, Daxing Township, Ninglang County, 1999.

See:
"Mountain Patterns" by Stevan Harrell, Bamo Qubumo, and Ma Erzi. 2000. Plate 9.

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Shynra young women's headcloths, usually consisting of a single piece of cloth, feature exquisite needlework. Many of them, from Ganluo, Xide, or Yuexi counties, are distinguished by embroidered green and blue patterns of butterflies, leaves, flowers, and birds

Description:
Headcloth consists of front panel made of wool cloth, embroidered in green and blue, three folds of corduroy cloth between front and back panels. Back panel is burgundy red velveteen, re-enforced with stiffener. Front embroidery shows seven butterflies among flowers and leaves executed in dark and light green, blue and turquoise colors.
Made by Loho Gaga, Nuogo, Xide County, 1999.

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Shynra young women's headcloths, usually consisting of a single piece of cloth, feature exquisite needlework. Many, from Xide, Yuexi, and Ganluo Counties feature butterflies, leaves, flowers, and birds.

Description:
Woman's headcloth, rectangular shape, embroidered front panel on black cloth, back panel red velvet and three folds between panels. Design executed in green and turquoise blue yarn, some white, showing floral motifs, spirals and a butterfly. Embroidered area is 20cm wide. The outer edge is done in green embroidery stitches and continues along short sides of folds. There are three folds. A 7cm wide flap of black fabric is folded over front panel. Back has been reinforced with a stiffener.
Made by Vazha Vuga of Malijiao Village, Luoge Township, Xide County.

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Shynra young women's headcloths, usually consisting of a single piece of cloth, feature exquisite needlework. In most places, the most prominent technique is cross-stitching, which is done in a remarkable variety of patterns. This kind of headcloth is worn on the head with hair braids arranged over it. They are held in place with a thread tied on the back.

Description:
Headcloth is completely covered with needlework and is a single layer with stiff interfacing, back lined in red cotton cloth. The pattern known as "eye-dazzler", diamond shaped, done in black, yellow, green, red, white and purple wool yarn. The two long sides show a geometric band embroidered in black and purple on one side and black and yellow on the other. Rectangular headcloth is edged in densely placed green wool yarn.

See:
"Mountain Patterns" by Stevan Harrell, Bamo Qubumo, and Ma Erzi. 2000. Plate 9. for example.

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This traditional Shynra woman's triangular tobacco pouch is hung at the waist on the right as an embellishment of the skirt. It is not only used to carry small items but also a fashion accessory favored by the Nuosu women. Compare the man's tobacco pouch.

Description:
Triangular black pouch with six pairs of streamers at bottom. A design, identical in front and back, has been cut out showing red wool lining underneath. Cutouts are couched with green braid. Six pairs of streamers in black, green, turquoise and purple are attached to bottom of pouch with looped and knotted white braid. A loop of brown cotton, 175.cm long, is attached to top of pouch.

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This traditional Shynra woman's triangular tobacco pouch is hung at the waist on the right as an embellishment of the skirt. It is not only used to carry small items but also a fashion accessory favored by the Nuosu women. This pouch, featuring an intricate cross-stitch design, is a particularly fine example. Compare the man's tobacco pouch.

Description:
Triangular pouch made of black cotton cloth, lined with natural colored cloth. Pouch is decorated with an needlework square executed in tiny cross-stitches in red, white, blue, pink, gold and purple geometric designs. This field is surrounded by a 1.5cm wide band embroidered in red, gold, blue executed in "iron chains" pattern. Around this square is an inset of red cotton cloth, 0.5cm wide, held by black stitches. The black cloth outside this square shows blue hand stitching.
Attached to the pouch is a needle case hanging from a 12cm long red braid which goes through the case and pull-out piece of cloth in black, ending in a pair of blue arrow-shaped pendants, 32.5cm long. Needle case is semi-round, front and back embroidered with multi colored yarns in a triscalion design.

Use:
Traditional Shynra young woman's triangular tobacco pouch. It is hung at the waist on the right as a decoration of the skirt. It is not only used to carry small items, but also a fashion accessory much favored by the Nuosu women embroidery.

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These are the middle-legged pants by which the Shynra region and its people are known, even though very few men born after 1950 still wear the traditional style.

Description:
Shynra young men's middle-legged trousers. Light blue, black bottom, decorated with bands of black, silver rickrack and woven multi-colored band.
Each pant leg W: 44cm
waist: 69 cm
Machine sewing; hand edging

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Unlike traditional pants, fancy needlework jackets are common attire for Nuosu men in the early 21st century. This jacket is identified as Shynra by the appliqué patterns and the cut of the front panel from neck to waist.

How constructed:
Machine sewn, hand embroidered. The jacket has a loosely fitting trunk with a longer front panel and narrow sleeves. It is inset with colored stripes of "coxcomb tooth" pattern around the shoulders and on the tail of the front panel. It is fastened with cloth-knot "frog" buttons.

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These are the middle-legged pants by which the Shynra region and its people are known, even though very few men born after 1950 still wear the traditional style.

Description:
Machine sewing; hand edging, applique.

Light blue at top, black at bottom, with 2 black rickrack bands above 1 red appliqued band and 3 red appliqued triskellion designs per leg.
Width: 28 cm at waist
Length: 98 cm

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Unlike traditional pants, fancy needlework jackets are common attire for Nuosu men in the early 21st century.  This jacket is identified as Shynra by the  appliqué patterns and the cut of the front panel from neck to waist.

Description:
This middle-aged man's jacket is sewn of black fabric, with right side closure, five "frog" closures, two at the neck opening, three at the side of jacket. They are done in red and black/blue/purple coils. Jacket is decorated around neck going to right side opening. There is also a decorative band around bottom of jacket, front and back. Decoration consists of a number of rows done by machine sewing, by couching, by insets of tiny rows of folded triangles with points opposite each other done in light and medium blue fabric, and one row in purple fabric. The sleeves are set in, they are narrow, 30cm circumference at wrist and repeat the design elements showing four rows of bands in blues and purple.

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Nuosu men and women both smoke tobacco and a native herb called yi nuo, or "black tobacco," which they grow in their gardens. Women carry their tobacco in cloth bags, but men often use deerskin pouches.

Description:
Pouch made of natural colored leather, semi-circular pouch below a horizontal strip and a bib-like shape above same. The pouch is double with a flap in center and loop and knot closure. The horizontal strips end in loops for attaching to a belt, as do the two top corners of the bib shape. Leather is very stiff. Edges are decorated with narrow leather strips fed through slashes in the wider bands.

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In traditional times, Nuosu people went barefoot much of the time, sometimes even in the snow. But for very cold weather there were felt leggings, and for rough terrain there were straw sandals. The leggings were reported to be very rough on legs until one had worn them for a few weeks.

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Nuosu men and women make and carry a wide variety of bags. Children who go to school need book bags. This bag adapts a traditional style to a modern use.

Description:
Black cotton bag with front showing inset done in sample style cross-stitch embroidery in red, green and black. Inset measuring 13cm X 16cm is surrounded by purple stitches. There are four red shiny triskelions rimmed in white couching placed in the cardinal directions around the inset embroidery. Back is orange cotton, bottom has five hanging red tassels, 25cm long and tightly wrapped with white wool for approx. 2-3cm at top. Red shiny strap with white cord couching in "wave" design.

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The most striking items of Nuosu children's clothing are the hats. These are similar everywhere, with minor variations, and tend to have designs built around the fern pattern, which has rich symbolic connotations in Nuosu folklore: the fern, which is one of the first plants to grow in spring, whose spores are innumerable, and whose offspring grow close by, symbolizes the proliferation and unity of descendants within the clan, and is celebrated in myth, history, personal names, and place names. In sewing the fern pattern on her child's hat, the mother makes every stich and every thread reflect her wishes for the health and prosperity of her child.

Description:
Child's hat of black velvet lined with multi-colored cotton cloth. Hat is circular in shape with earflaps. Crown of hat is sewn from 4 wedge shaped pieces and is 15.5cm in diameter. Center shows a stiff "stem" wrapped in red and green yarn and large knot of red fabric. Front of hat is decorated with a light green panel of cloth, 14.5cm X 5cm, appliqued with a purple floral design couched with dark green yarn. Lower edge shows a strip of commercial trim, the sides and top of panel are outlined with embroidery stitches in green, 1.5cm wide, using straight lines and "fern" motif. A circle of blue fabric, approx. 7cm in diameter, appliqued with purple floral design is placed over each earflap. Each circle is outlined with red braid connecting to a row of green and pink thread curving towards crown of hat ending in a red and green tassel on each side.

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