FESTIVAL COAT Miao Chinese Fertility Festival Coat with Indigo Batik Designs Mid-20th century China, Guizhou Province, Congjiang or Rongjiang Cotton Straton Family Fund, BMA 2006.102 Fantastic in its ornament and use, this coat was worn by a member of China’s minority Miao people during fertility festivals held every 13 years on Moon Mountain in southeastern Guizhou province. The figures depicted across both front and back of the coat represent Miao in gala dress as for a festival, wedding, or funeral. The insects adorning the coat include Mother Butterfly, who, according to Miao belief, was the ancestor of all beings on earth, and the centipede, interpreted as the Miao dragon. In Miao folklore, the centipede is credited with overseeing farms, setting up households, and insuring rich and happy grandchildren, while the dragon preserves peace and delivers favorable weather for crops. Birds and fish on the back of this coat represent the male and female genders, together symbolizing couples in love. Traditionally, Miao women create these extraordinary designs without the aid of pre-conceived patterns using batik, a process that involves first drawing on the cloth with hot melted wax, then dipping it into a dye bath of indigo.