How it began
Zmijanje embroidery is a specific technique practiced by the women of the Zmijanje villages in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the area near Banja Luka. The sources do not give a date for its beginning. It was traditionally passed from mother to daughter and was used to decorate women's costumes and household items, including wedding dresses, scarves, garments and bed linen.
How it works
The embroiderer makes small crosses with a needle and joins them into geometric shapes. Only a deep blue thread is used, traditionally handmade and colored with vegetable dyes, on a white ground. The cloth was originally hemp or flax, later cotton, and now also industrial fabric. UNESCO notes that the shapes are improvised and that each embroiderer adapts and reinvents the required knowledge.
What changed first
The embroidery marked the clothing of village women. According to the Craeft Community Portal, the richness of the work historically indicated a woman's social status and her readiness for marriage. UNESCO adds that the practice incorporates respect for diversity, creativity and non-verbal communication.
Where it stands today
During and after the war of the 1990s, teaching moved from the family toward schools and workshops, with older women, often refugees, serving as trainers. The technique was placed on the intangible heritage list of Republika Srpska in 2011 and on the UNESCO Representative List in 2014. It is now taught in primary schools and by local associations.
