This yellow silk tunic with woven decorative bands is a Southern White Tai woman's tunic. Such garments were reportedly worn at the in-laws' funerals as recently as the 1930s.The Southern White Tai belong to the Austronesian language speakers. They are related to other communities such as the Hmong, Yao, Karen and Akha. These communities migrated from China southwards into mainland Southeast Asia during the 18th-19th centuries.
