For a long time the Hmong have supported themselves by the cultivation of opium poppy. Most of the Hmong people are turning from opium growing, and are now seeking to market their exquisite needlework in order to supplement their income. Hmong women traditionally make clothing for their families from cotton or hemp. Their clothing is richly decorated with magnificent embroidery and silver jewelry. Blue Hmong women wear beautiful pleated skirts with bands of red, blue and white intricately embroidered.
Jackets are of black satin, with widee orange and yellow embroidered cuffs and lapels.
White Hmong women wear black baggy trousers with a long wide blue cummerbund. Their jackets are simple, with blue cuffs. Hmong men make crossbows, musical instruments, and other items of wood, bamboo and rattan. Many of the men are als skilled in blacksmithing and gunsmithing. The Hmong are strict animists, whose shamans use dramatic methods to contact the spirits.