MPR’s Lynette Nyman reports on preserving the history and culture of the Hmong through the mission of an established archives in St. Paul, called Hmong Nationality Archives. Organizers hope to collect, catalog, and make available materials about or by Hmong in Minnesota, and eventually around the world.
LYNETTE NYMAN: Founders of the Hmong Nationality Archives want people to heed this message-- what's trash to some may be treasures to others. Take business cards, newspaper clippings, or a worn cassette of Billy [INAUDIBLE] described by some as the Hmong Elvis.
SPEAKER 2: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
LYNETTE NYMAN: [INAUDIBLE] runs the archives, but makes his living as the owner of Hmong Arts, Books and Crafts. He grabs a small enamel bowl from the archives shelves, saying the bowl is just the type of thing many people might overlook when considering items of historical significance.
SPEAKER 3: People will look at this and say, well, this is nothing. But if you attach the place and the history behind it, it's distributed to the refugee in Ban Vinai camp by United Nations, so it means a lot.
LYNETTE NYMAN: The archives fill a space the size of a small bedroom on the St Paul Campus of Metropolitan State University. It's barely big enough for the books, tapes, and photographs that comprise the majority of the collection. As word gets out, people from outside the state are donating Hmong-related materials. Enthusiasm is building within the Hmong community, although [INAUDIBLE] says most don't know the meaning of archives.
SPEAKER 3: They know a library, some know about museum, but we talk about archives, I think very few people would know about it. But I think that is our hope, to do a community exhibit that people would understand, wow, this is what an archive is.
LYNETTE NYMAN: The Hmong are actually way ahead of earlier immigrant and refugee populations in preserving their history. Instead of waiting years after the first generation has passed, they've got archives while many who arrived in the first immigrant wave are still alive. The archives has been awarded a state grant to record some oral histories. Marlin Heise is a retired cataloger from the Minnesota Historical Society and a friend of the Hmong since the first families fled their Southeast Asian homeland 25 years ago. Heise says the old peoples stories are here, but if they aren't recorded, then they'll quickly disappear.
SPEAKER 4: There aren't very many people who worry about doing interviews with their grandparents, and you never know when you die. And it might be pretty sad to watch these videos after someone has died. But if they can tell you about what they did as little kids in Laos and what difficulties they had getting across the Mekong River and what it was like the first days in Ban Vinai and other refugee camps, those are stories that just get lost.
LYNETTE NYMAN: Recently, [INAUDIBLE] heard about a former Air America pilot who had taken thousands of pictures, mostly of Hmong soldiers, during his tour of duty in Laos. Tears fill [INAUDIBLE] eyes as he explains that the pilot tossed all but one carousel of slides. [INAUDIBLE] says they won't know the value of the archives for some time, although people already come to his bookstore searching for some personal history.
SPEAKER 3: Some people would tell them your dead husband or your father, it's in this book, that book, and they will come and cry in the store.
LYNETTE NYMAN: For now, access to the Hmong nationality archives is limited until there's a regular staff. Heise and [INAUDIBLE] say they won't accept all donations, but they'll review any materials that may help them in telling the Hmong story. I'm Lynette Nyman, Minnesota Public Radio.
In 2008, Minnesota's voters passed the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution: to protect drinking water sources; to protect, enhance, and restore wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat; to preserve arts and cultural heritage; to support parks and trails; and to protect, enhance, and restore lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater.
Efforts to digitize this initial assortment of thousands of historical audio material was made possible through the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. A wide range of Minnesota subject matter is represented within this collection.
Views and opinions expressed in the content do not represent the opinions of APMG. APMG is not responsible for objectionable content and language represented on the site. Please use the "Contact Us" button if you'd like to report a piece of content. Thank you.
Transcriptions provided are machine generated, and while APMG makes the best effort for accuracy, mistakes will happen. Please excuse these errors and use the "Contact Us" button if you'd like to report an error. Thank you.