Hmong New Year celebration at Metrodome canceled as result of roof collapse

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Organizers of the Hmong New Year celebration in Minneapolis have canceled the event following the collapse of the Metrodome's roof.

The event was set for Saturday and Sunday at the Dome but has been called off altogether.

Tong Yang, president of the event, said the board of directors searched for a new venue, including the Minneapolis Convention Center. But, Yang said, "they don't have an opening for us."

An estimated 40,000 people were expected to attend the Hmong New Year celebration in Minneapolis. A Hmong New Year celebration was also held last month at the RiverCentre in St. Paul.

According to Yang, anyone who purchased advance tickets for the Minneapolis event can get a refund.

Organizers said they've lost $35,000 in advertising and nonrefundable deposits.

The Metrodome's inflatable roof collapsed Dec. 12 after a snowstorm dumped 17 inches of snow on the Twin Cities. The collapse also forced the Minnesota Vikings to move their final two home games.

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Two Hmong New Year Celebrations in Fresno

Monday, December 27, 2010

Fresno – It's known as the biggest celebration of its kind in the country, but this year, the Hmong new year celebration is divided.

There are two different events, going on at the same time in Fresno.

It was business as usual at the Fresno Fairgrounds, where thousands of people came, to celebrate the Hmong new year.

"This is the last and biggest Hmong new year celebration in the U.S. and in the world," said Ge Herr, who is on the governance board of the Hmong International New Year Foundation.

Every year for the past decade, about 100,000 people pass through the gates, from all over the state, and country.

"We drove all the way from Sacramento to perform. It's pretty fun," said Julie Vang.

"It's just tradition, you feel like you're at home, it's family, all families here," said Kevin Lee.

General Vang Pao, the beloved leader of the Hmong community in the United States also attended the event at the fairgrounds.

A second celebration, just six miles away, at the Regional Sports Complex is going on at the same time.

Thousands of people also attended the opening day of festivities there.

"It has much more room, it's not that crowded, everything's the same-vendors, food, same thing," said Emily Yang.

Organizers of that celebration, United Hmong International, broke away from the larger organization reportedly because some were upset at how money from the event was being spent.

But organizers of the fairgrounds celebration say there should only be one new year's celebration.

"I don't know why this year there will be two, I don't understand. I would like to have only one for the Hmong people and the community," said Herr.

Many people we spoke with say they plan to attend both events during the week-long celebration. Both feature the usual traditions like singing, dancing, and the ball toss - a courtship game, different sports competitions, and of course, the traditional Hmong food.

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Volume 11 of Hmong Studies Journal is Published

Friday, December 24, 2010

Corpus Christi, Tex. (December 20, 2010) – The Hmong Studies Internet Resource Center has published the online edition of Volume 11 of the Hmong Studies Journal. An internet-based journal at www.hmongstudies.org the Hmong Studies Journal is the only peer-reviewed academic publication devoted to the scholarly discussion of Hmong history, culture, people and other facets of the Hmong experience in the United States, Asia and around the world. There are 13 online issues in 11 volumes of Hmong Studies Journal published with a total of 91 scholarly articles since 1996.

Volume 11 of the journal includes articles from multiple academic disciplines including Anthropology, Art, Education, Gender Studies, Geography, Nursing and Public Health. This set of articles provides significant additions to both Hmong American and Hmong in Asia research.

Volume 11 Content Articles include:

• The Hmong Come to Southern Laos: Local Responses and the Creation of Racialized Boundaries. This article is presented by Ian G. Baird, and explores racialized boundaries to Hmong migration in Southern Laos.

Dr. Baird is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at UW-Madison.

• The experiences of a Hmong American actor who starred in the film “Gran Torino”

• Parental Influences on Hmong University Students’ Success.

This article was produced by Andrew J. Supple, Shuntay Z. McCoy and Yudan Wang.

Shuntay McCoy is a Doctoral student in the Human Development & Family Studies Department at the UNC-Greensboro.

Dr. Supple is an Associate Professor in Human Development & Family Studies at the UNC-Greensboro.

Yudan Wang is a Doctoral student in the Human Development & Family Studies Department at the UNC-Greensboro.

• Access to Adequate Healthcare for Hmong Women: A Patient Navigation Program to Increase Pap-Test Screening. This research was produced by Penny Lo, Dao Moua Fang, May Ying Ly, Susan Stewart, Serge Lee and Moon S. Chen Jr.

The topics include Hmong American health including a study of a program to improve screening for breast cancer among Hmong American women and Hmong American women’s experiences with childbirth in the American medical system.

Dr. Susan Stewart is Associate Adjunct Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine, UC–San Francisco.

Dr. Chen Jr. is a Professor in the Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine at UC Davis. Dao Moua Fang, MSW is the Research Director of Hmong Women’s Heritage Association in Sacramento.

Dr. Lee is Research Professor of Social Work, Division of Social Work, California State University, Sacramento.

May Ying Ly, MSW is the former Executive Director of the Hmong Women’s Heritage Association in Sacramento.

Penny Lo, BS is a program coordinator at Hmong Women’s Heritage Association in Sacramento.

• Acculturation Processes of Hmong in Eastern Wisconsin by John Kha Lee, an Educator in the Sheboygan, Wis. Area School District, and Dr. Katherine Green, faculty lead for the Early Childhood Education Master’s Program at Capella University in the School of Education.

• A Hmong Birth and Authoritative Knowledge: A Case study of choice, control, and the reproductive consequences of refugee status in American childbirth by Faith Nibbs, a PhD Candidate at Southern Methodist University.

• Gran Torino’s Hmong Lead Bee Vang on Film, Race, and Masculinity: Conversations with Louisa Schein, Spring 2010. This article is an interview with Bee Vang, who as a high school student was selected as an actor to play the Hmong lead role of Thao in the Warner Bros. 2008 film, “Gran Torino.” Vang is now a college student at Brown University with a passion for social justice.

Dr. Louisa Schein is an Associate Professor who teaches Anthropology and Women’s and Gender Studies as well as Asian American Studies at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.

• A Commentary: Perspectives on Hmong Studies: Speech by Dr. Nicholas Tapp on Receiving the Eagle Award at the Third International Conference on Hmong Studies, Concordia University, Saint Paul, April 10, 2010.

Dr. Tapp is Professor Emeritus at Australian National University and Chair of the Department of Sociology at East China Normal University in Shanghai where he directs a program of studies in Anthropology.

• The Hmong and their Perceptions about Physical Disabilities: An Overview and Review of Selected Literature by Grace Hatmaker, Helda Pinzon-Perez, Xong Khang and Connie Cha, CEO of the Empowerment Institute in Fresno.

Grace Hatmaker, RN, MSN is Faculty at the California State University, Fresno, Department of Nursing. She is also a 4th year PhD nursing student at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Dr. Helda Pinzon-Perez is a Professor in the Departments of Public Health and Nursing at CSU-Fresno.

Xong Khang is a 4th year Public Health Student at CSU-Fresno.

• A Photo Essay: Patterns of Change: Transitions in Hmong Textile Language by Geraldine Craig, an Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Art at Kansas State University.

Other articles include:

• Temporal Trends in Hmong embroidery patterns in the United States, Laos and Thailand

• Key issues confronting researchers studying Hmong culture and Hmong populations around the world

Volume 11 and previous volumes of the Hmong Studies Journal may be viewed online at www.hmongstudies.org/HmongStudiesJournal. All of the Hmong Studies Journal articles published since 1996 listed by scholar name may be viewed online at www.hmongstudies.org/HSJArticlesScholaName.

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All of the Hmong Studies Journal articles published since 1996 listed by topic may be viewed at www.hmongstudies.org/HSJArticlesbyTopic.html

Mark E. Pfeifer, PhD, Editor, Hmong Studies Journal and Hmong Studies Internet Resource Center, Bell Library, Texas A and M University, 6300 Ocean Drive, Unit 5702, Corpus Christi, TX 78412-5702. Call 361-825-3392 or email editor@hmongstudies.org.

The Hmong Studies Journal Volume 11 Editorial Board includes: Anne Frank, UC-Irvine; Dr. Paul Hillmer, Concordia University, St. Paul; Dr. Grit Gritoleit, University of Passau, Germany; Ly Chong Thong Jalao, UC-Santa Barbara; Eden Kaiser, UMN-Twin Cities; Dr. Jacqueline Nguyen, Saint Joseph’s University; Dr. Mark Pfeifer, Texas A and M University, Corpus Christi, Editor; Kari Smalkoski, UMN-Twin Cities; Dr. Nicholas Tapp, Australian National University; Yang S. Xiong, UCLA.

Hmong Cultural Center (www.hmongcc.org) and the organization’s Hmong Resource Center Library in Saint Paul (www.hmonglibrary.org) have been partners of the Hmong Studies Journal in producing and disseminating the journal’s print editions that are available at Hmong ABC Bookstore. The Hmong Studies Journal is also on Facebook and Twitter.

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YouTube user - laoshu505000

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Shoutout!!!! He must be a linguistic

Check him out. He's trying to speak Hmoob! He is better than some Hmong Mekas!



Check him out here talking about Hmong and Chinese language



Hmong interrogatives, personal pronouns



Useful Hmong words



More Hmong



Hmong tones



Check out his blog!

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Person of the Year runner-up: Mao Khang fights for change

Mao Khang has been fighting for equality for decades now. As a southeast Asian coordinator for The Women's Community in Wausau, she works directly with local victims of domestic violence. She's worked within the Hmong clan system as an advocate for women -- standing up to a patriarchal system that too often tended to sweep women's concerns aside.

It is hard work, and Khang has paid a real price personally for it, at times feeling alienated from her own culture.
Recently, though, there were signs that her efforts have actually begun to pay off.

In July 2009, it was Khang's efforts that brought Gen. Vang Pao, a revered cultural leader among Hmong in America, to Wausau. Vang Pao's speech at a conference called "Hmong in the Past, Present and Future" was the first time he had ever made public statements directly denouncing domestic violence and polygamy in the Hmong culture.

At that meeting, Vang Pao directed a committee of six Hmong men and six Hmong women be formed to explore ways to curb violence and sexual abuse within the culture.

And in March, for the first time, state Hmong clan leaders met in Green Bay, working to set the cultural tone for many Hmong families, to provide instruction on domestic violence laws and to train families on mediation techniques. Khang, a committee member and an organizer of the meeting, has been a guiding force behind every step of this process.

"This is a new thing happening in history, with Hmong women getting involved," committee member Paj Muas, 34, of Milwaukee told a Wausau Daily Herald reporter this spring. "We want to create some understanding, fair treatment."

In August, Khang received the Sunshine Peace Award, a recognition of her work to battle domestic violence. At a ceremony in Wilmington, N.C., she received the honor from the Sunshine Lady Foundation.

Domestic violence affects all cultures, all races and all socioeconomic groups. But the Hmong clan system's patriarchal traditions have made it especially hard for women to get help, because they're simply not viewed as equals by some within the culture.

That's changing. And Mao Khang is leading that change.

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Flower H’mong in bloom



Aware of the tailoring and craft skills of the members of “Flower H’mong”, (Che Cu Nha commune, Mu Cang Chai district in the northwest mountainous province of Yen Bai) Craft Link, a Vietnamese NGO, is helping to preserve these traditional techniques and to present them beyond their village market.
Craft Link not only provides training for H’mong women in group management, design and product development, but also acts as a link to introduce their products to markets throughout Vietnam.

The clothes made by Flower Hmong are mainly distinguished by their use of deep indigo and brown. The decorative patterns are ornate, delicate and harmoniously combine batik motifs, intricate stripes and sophisticated appliquéd dots.

The H’mong women of Che Cu Nha are highly skilled in batik art. They have also mastered the unique of dyeing different shades of indigo. The embroidery and batik motifs from this area have a special cultural significance.

Mu Cang Chai is mostly known as one of the most beautiful tourist destinations. The unique terraced fields have put Mu Cang Chai – one of the poorest districts of the country – on the map so to speak. But most tourists simply enjoy the views and continue on their journey.

Life here is hard. People live mainly on agriculture, with rice as their main food. Some also grow maize, soybeans, vegetables, cardamom and raise poultry and cattle.

The local H’mong community retains its unique cultural identity. Most people here still wear traditional costumes. Not only women and men, but also little children wear traditional clothes and hats which are made of hemp and richly embroidered. Nowadays, they use shiny black industrial cotton, but still keep the traditional decorative style and form.

As a not-for-profit organisation, Craft Link has cooperated with other organisations, such as CARE, the UN’s Drug Control Programme and Oxfam Hong Kong, to carry out poverty alleviation programmes throughout Vietnam. It also holds exhibitions and bazaars to display ethnic minorities’ crafts and culture.

Craft Link has also collaborated with Vietnamese institutions such as the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology to document and revive traditional crafts. The Craft Link Association of Craft Producers is comprised of more than 60 production groups, most of which belong to ethnic minorities.

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Hmong Students in Sacramento learn of culture's Chinese roots


Hmong musician Li Yang, from Guizhou province in China, demonstrates last week how to use a leaf to create music, a centuries-old Chinese tradition, during an appearance at the Hmong charter school in Sacramento, which opened in August. Yang also played bamboo flutes to help teach the students about the Hmong culture's ties to ancient China.

The 264 students at Sacramento's Hmong charter school began grinning when Li Yang blew on a leaf and almost made it cry, the way his Chinese ancestors have done for centuries.

They rocked on the cold tile floor of the elementary school cafeteria, clapped, cheered and even popped up to dance along with Yang while he played the largest of three Hmong bamboo flutes, called "kengs," that sound like bagpipes.

The versatile Yang – who was flown in from Guizhou province by a local Hmong man – represents the growing connection between Hmong Americans and their 8 million cousins in China.

Yang – who also sang, plucked a tuning fork and played a small flute or "raj" – is one of the keepers of Hmong culture, which threatens to fade into American history as Hmong shamans and keng players slowly pass on.

"Hmong culture's beginning to disappear in the U.S., and we need to keep it alive as long as we can," said T.T. Vang, a Hmong radio host who translated Yang's words into English. "Even if many of us don't worship shamans anymore, we must preserve the the music, the language, the ceremonial clothing."

Yang was introduced by Vang's daughter, Miss Hmong International Ruby Mee Her, who showed students a slide show she'd made of Hmong villagers living in huts in China and Southeast Asia without beds, bathrooms, electricity or even shoes.

"They have to pay to go to school," she said. The Chinese Hmong are one of China's largest minority groups.

Taking the stage in a classic Hmong beanie, which is black with a red band, the lanky Yang blew a mournful Hmong love song on a fresh green leaf from Vang's yard.

"I'm outside, you're inside, can you hear me?" Vang translated.

Yav Pem Suab ("Preparing For The Future") Academy opened in August for kindergarten through fourth-grade students, about 80 percent Hmong. Most of the Hmong children were born in the United States and had a tough time following Yang's Chinese Hmong dialect.

"The traditional Hmong people in the mountains and valleys of China and Laos were using leaves to communicate because it echoes farther," said Principal Vince Xiong, who came to America at age 8. Each leaf player had a distinct sound he'd send to his wife "far, far away," Xiong said.

For an encore, the 44-year-old Yang played "My Darling Clementine," delighting the kids, who knew this one.

The scene was truly a fusion of cultures – Yang was flanked by two American flags, a Christmas tree and lights. He backed a few of his ancient ballads with a CD of techno music and strings.

After the show, Xiong gave Yang a T-shirt with the school's motto: "Dream, Believe, Inspire, Achieve!"

Xiong, who remembers growing up poor in Laos, declared, "We teach kids pride in their customs, clothing, language. Before we go further, we need to know our roots."

The Hmong, who had their own kingdom in southern China for centuries, were conquered by the Chinese emperors and forced to grow opium. The Hmong who did whatever they were told are known as "cooked Hmong"; those who resisted and fled are called "raw Hmong," Vang explained.

Some of the raw Hmong migrated to the mountains of Southeast Asia a few centuries ago.

"This is such a beautiful facility," Yang said of the school. "My village doesn't have a place like this. Every morning, you'd go to the side of the mountain and collect firewood, then walk an hour to a school, uphill and downhill, then come home to feed the cows and pigs."

Her, a community activist who was born in Laos, told the children, "They're still waiting for you to get an education and go back to help the country. I want to see every one of you graduate from high school and go on and get your college degree."

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Dome disaster has far-reaching impact

MINNEAPOLIS -- More than a week after the Metrodome first deflated, the disaster is continuing to wreak havoc on plans of both teams and organizations in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Besides the Vikings football team, the dome hosts up to 300 events annually. While crews continue to try and repair the dome's damaged roof, dozens of local organizations are scrambling to reschedule their events.

"My first reaction was, 'are they going to fix it in time for Monday Night Football?' And then my second reaction was, 'we have an event four days later, are we going to have it done in time for that," said Daniel Rodich with the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.

On Dec. 24, the Federation had planned to hold its annual Tzedakah Bowl football tournament at the dome. Since the mid-December snowstorm and resulting chaos, the organization has shifted to Plan "B" -- they'll be holding the event at the Plymouth Fieldhouse.

"It's not as exciting as playing at the Metrodome, but it's still a field where we can all get together and play football and raise some money for our events," Rodich said.

Other events haven't been as lucky.

Tong Pao Yang, President of the Hmong American New Year celebration in Minnesota, said his organization was forced to cancel the event on Jan. 1-2. Instead, they're hoping to find a new venue and hold the celebration in late January or early February.

The canceled events serve as further proof of the far-reaching impact of the dome disaster. On Wednesday, officials said they'd reached a new "safety" standard for workers inside the dome. This, after they successfully patched and melted snow off the dome roof and allowed it to flow into drains near the field.

Officials confirm five panels are now down at the dome: Three from the original event on Dec. 12, one from a few days later on the 15th and a third on Monday -- when someone intentionally shot a slug into the sagging roof to relieve built-up ice and snow.

Officials believe the fix could take at least a month. At this point, they continue to evaluate every section of the roof to confirm there are no additional weak sections. At the same time, material for new panels is being fabricated in Tijuana, Mexico.

"We want to be as transparent as possible, and we'll conduct this in a full and professional way," said Bill Lester with the Metro Sports Facilities Commission.

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Nancy Jusky column: A salute to Chasong and the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association

Monday, December 20, 2010

We congratulate Chasong Yang, executive director of the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association in Sheboygan, for being honored as the Hmong Man of the Year during the Hmong New Year celebration held at Wisconsin State Fair Park.

As one of the Sheboygan & Plymouth Area United Way's affiliated agencies, we have worked with him and the Hmong Association for many of the 27 years he has headed the association and can attest to his contributions to our community. We are proud to call him a friend and champion for the Hmong community.

Yang, whose family was one of the first Hmong families to settle in Sheboygan in 1976, joined the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association — an organization his father helped start — in 1983. He is now the most-senior director of a Hmong association in Wisconsin and has served two terms as president of the Wisconsin United Coalition of Mutual Assistance Associations, the statewide umbrella organization of all Hmong associations.

Yang and his wife, Miva, a public health nurse, and their four children have been active in their church, schools and community.

The United Way-funded program with the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association is the Family Care Program headed by Mai Xiong. The program provides linguistically and culturally appropriate case management service to best meet the needs of limited English proficient (LEP) Hmong and refugee population in Sheboygan.

Thank you, Chasong and staff, for partnering with United Way to make a difference in the lives of those who live in Sheboygan County.

On another note, the United Way 2010 Campaign is working hard to make its $2.25 million goal so that we can continue our support of the Hmong Association program and 65 other agency programs.

At 80 percent of our goal, we are making a plea to the community to give to United Way before the end of the year.

Send your contribution to the United Way, 2020 Erie Ave., Sheboygan, WI 53081 or give online at www. sauw.org.

So many programs and so many people in need are depending on you.

Nancy Jusky is the marketing coordinator for the Sheboygan & Plymouth Area United Way. This is one of a series of columns about the services that United Way agencies provide in the community.

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Big dueling events for Hmong New Year expected

Saturday, December 18, 2010

With just over a week to go before dueling Hmong New Year celebrations face off Dec. 26 in Fresno, organizers of both events say they expect crowds of 100,000.

That would essentially double the size of what has long been the biggest Hmong celebration in the Valley -- an event that draws visitors from around the world and creates an opportunity for far-flung families and friends to reunite.

But it's hard to tell whether the fight will result in two well-attended events six miles away from each other, or if one of the events will fizzle.

Organizers of the Hmong International New Year event -- which has called the Fresno Fairgrounds home for more than a decade -- insist it will be business as usual for them. Their rivals say it will be anything but.

"This year is a test," said Thomas Herr, deputy executive director of the Lao Family Community of Fresno, a nonprofit social-services agency that will march in the parade at the fairgrounds event.

Regardless of what happens, Herr said, he expects the community eventually to return to one event because of the cost and limited number of attendees.

The rival celebration in southwest Fresno was organized by community members upset about how money from the existing event was handled. They said the profits were misspent on trips abroad and not on the community, such as on a Hmong community center.

The organizers of Hmong International New Year deny that claim, saying they make plenty of donations to the community. They are going ahead with their celebration at the fairgrounds and say they don't expect the competing event to have any effect at all.

About 120,000 people attended the event last year, and organizers expect the same number this year.

Gen. Vang Pao, a leader in the Hmong community who fought communists in Southeast Asia, is scheduled to attend the opening ceremonies at the fairgrounds.

Organizers of the second event invited him in the second week of December, but haven't heard back yet.

Even so, organizers of the rival event say they are gearing up for about 100,000 visitors at the Fresno Regional Sports Complex near Jensen and West avenues, according to Nelson Vang, executive director of the 18 Clan Council.

That group has representatives from each of the 18 Hmong family clans and is planning the event with United Hmong International.

Along with offering similar crowd predictions, the two events also claim to have signed up matching numbers of vendors.

The fairgrounds event has signed up 440 vendors -- more than last year, said Charlie Vang, executive director of the Hmong International New Year Foundation Inc.

He is not related to Nelson Vang, who says his event has 400 vendors scheduled to work -- including vendors who once worked at the fairgrounds event.

On the surface, the two events seem similar. The admission price of both celebrations is the same: $3, with seniors and young children getting in free. Each will have a parade and a Miss Hmong competition.

And both feature sports. The fairgrounds event will use Mosqueda Park across the street for soccer, volleyball and kator, a sport similar to volleyball in which the ball is kicked across a net.

But the 110-acre sports complex has more room for kator, flag football, soccer, volleyball and top spin, a sport in which tops are flung across a field with poles. A fishing tournament will be held at the complex's lake.

Nelson Vang said recent Hmong radio and TV shows asked people to call in and say which event they were going to attend. The majority said they planned to attend the event at the sports complex, he said.

Nelson Vang said he expects many younger people to attend his event.

"They want to see change," he said.

That change comes not so much in the event itself, but from how the profits are to be spent, he said.

"We're going to tell people up front how much we make and how we spent," he said.

Money will be spent on college scholarships and a Hmong cultural center envisioned as a meeting place and a way to preserve Hmong history, he said.

Nelson Vang said no trips will be taken abroad to other New Year celebrations. The Hmong International New Year Foundation, in contrast, said previously it represents the American Hmong community at Thai, Laotian and Chinese New Year celebrations.

The two events have caused confusion among some within the community, said Charles Torr, a linguist and freelance translator who moved to Fresno 18 months ago.

"People are saying, 'Well, who makes sense here? Which direction should we follow?' " he said.

"Some people are not making their mind clear yet in which way we should support."

Herr, of the Lao Family Community, said having two events is healthy because people can now assess how the celebrations are handled and choose one.

Herr's organization has collaborated with the fairgrounds' New Year celebration in past years. It is not involved in planning this year but will march in that celebration's parade.

But Herr said he would prefer to have the Hmong community unified around one event.

Wangyee Vang, president of the Fresno Lao Veterans of America Institute, agreed.

"Two is too much in the same city," he said. "If they could agree and get together and form only one New Year, it might be better."

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Hmong: Traditional New Year’s Celebration to Preserve Native Culture

Friday, December 17, 2010



The Spokane Hmong Association, like other similar groups in the United States, has celebrated the Hmong New Year’s Day, which is an opportunity for these communities to invigorate and foster their traditions as well as remembering the persecutions faced in Laos.

Though many residents are counting the days until Christmas, one group has already celebrated the new year. On December 4 [2010], the Spokane Hmong Association hosted a traditional new year party featuring colorful garb and plentiful food.

Unlike the Western new year, the Hmong people have no set calendar date for the celebration. Vang Xiong, of the Spokane Hmong Association, said because their ancestors were farmers, the festivities were usually held after the crops had been harvested; the date varied from region to region.

But two things remain unchanged. “It’s a time for young people to get to know each other in public forum,” Xiong said.

And there is always lots of food. Xiong smiled and said, “We are a traditionally generous people.”

Indeed, a smorgasbord of goodies was spread out buffet-style in the back of the gym at the East Central Community Center. The traditional Hmong rice cakes disappeared quickly as young and old gobbled up the purple, pink, white and gold delectables.

Several hundred people packed the room for the feast. Guests traveled from Missoula and Seattle to celebrate with their Spokane friends and family. The vibrant colors of richly embroidered Hmong clothing glittered under the lights and the tinkling of coins echoed. The silver coins, stitched onto vests, hats and skirts, represent prosperity.

The evening began with the traditional ball-toss game, a fun way for single folks to get to know each other. Boys form a row facing the girls and balls are tossed back and forth between them. If a girl is not interested in a boy, she simply doesn’t catch the ball he throws her way. “Many young people meet their future spouses at new year,” said Xiong.

Dignitaries from the Hmong community gave welcoming speeches in the Hmong dialect while teens from the youth association served as translators. As an elder offered the traditional new year blessing, small children scampered and chased tennis balls.

City Council President Joe Shogan also addressed the crowd. Shogan, a Vietnam War veteran, has close ties to the Hmong community. “I will never forget what you did for our armed forces,” he said.

Shogan was referring to the “Secret War” waged in Laos. During the Vietnam War, the Hmong were secretly recruited by the CIA to fight against communism. They paid a heavy price for assisting the United States.

Mai Yang, 40, vice president of the Spokane Hmong Association, finds irony in the fact that often Hmong people are confused with Vietnamese. She’s heard taunts like “go home to where you came from.”

Yang said, “We can’t. We helped the U.S. government. We are not welcome. People don’t know that there is a lot of persecution in Laos.”

Yang’s family, like many Hmong, found refuge in the United States. After five years in a refugee camp in Thailand, Yang’s family arrived in Seattle when she was 9. She eventually moved to Spokane with her father and sister.

When the speeches concluded, the feasting began. After dinner, guests were treated to a fashion show featuring ornate Hmong costumes topped with elaborate turbans or hats.

For Yang, the celebration is a vital way to honor Hmong heritage while providing a format to connect the older generation with the young. “We need to keep our culture and traditions alive for our kids,” she said.

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Proposal To Allow Hmong Vets In National Cemeteries

Monday, December 13, 2010



Washington, DC(WSAU) Several Wisconsin Congress members are getting behind a proposal to allow Hmong veterans to be buried in national cemeteries. Many Hmong soldiers who ran covert operations to help US troops during the Viet Nam war moved to the US. Members of the Wisconsin Congressional delegation think it's time to recognize these veterans for their service. Congressman Ron Kind is one of the co-authors of the bill that would allow Hmong vets to be buried along side fellow US soldiers. Tammy Baldwin, Steve Kagen and Tom Petri are co-sponsoring the bill. Wisconsin has the third largest population of Hmong in the United States. An estimated 7,000 Hmong who live in the US are believed to have served in the Viet Nam war.

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Congressional plan would allow Hmong soldiers to be buried in national cemeteries

Several Wisconsin Congress members are getting behind a proposal to allow Hmong veterans to be buried in national cemeteries.

Many Hmong soldiers who ran covert operations to help U.S. troops during the Vietnam conflict moved to the U.S. after the war.

Several Wisconsin Congress members say the time is right to recognize these veterans for their service.

Western Wisconsin Congressman Ron Kind is one of the co-sponsors of the bill that would allow Hmong vets to be buried in national cemeteries alongside fellow U.S. soldiers.

“They fought beside our soldiers, they cleared landing pads for our planes, gathered intelligence. They did everything they could to rescue downed American pilots.”

Thai Vue of La Crosse served in the Vietnam War. He says the nearly 200 war vets he knows would like some sort of recognition for their service.

“That hasn’t happened to the degree we’d like to see.”

Wisconsin Democratic Congress members Tammy Baldwin, Steve Kagen, and Republican Tom Petri are also co-sponsoring the bill.

Wisconsin has the third largest population of Hmong in the U.S. An estimated 7,000 Hmong who live in the U.S. are believed to have served in the Vietnam War.

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OVERLOOKED BY OSCAR: (#22) "Gran Torino"

Friday, December 10, 2010

Last year, the number of movies nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture doubled, from five to 10. It got me thinking about what films from the past decade would have, or should have, been nominated for best picture if 10 films were nominated each year. Thus, I'm writing a month-long countdown of these great films that were "Overlooked By Oscar."

#22: "Gran Torino" (2008)

"Gran Torino" is the story of Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood), a Korean War veteran who is among the last white people living in his inner city neighborhood. His neighbors all around him are suddenly Hmong natives, and Kowalski is cautious and leery of his new neighbors. His wife has recently died, and Walt is gloomy, jaded, and edgy.

I loved this movie, even more than most critics nationwide. Eastwood's Walt Kowalski is vile in his racist humor, but it is hard NOT to laugh at some of the ridiculous, over-the-top remarks that he says. So, there is a lot of good laughs throughout this film.

This is no comedy, though. The neighbor boy, Thao, tries to steal Walt's prized Gran Torino as a gang initiation, but of course, the theft is halted. Soon, Thao is required to work for Walt to pay off the debt (his sins) for the attempted theft. Walt slowly learns some of the Hmong customs, and it is a great learning tool for movie-goers nationwide who are unfamiliar with the Hmong people and their traditions.

Soon, Walt is seen as the protector of the neighborhood, a title he doesn't want. By the end of the film, he is willing to make a major sacrifice to keep Thao and his sister, Sue, safe from the Hmong gangs that have infiltrated the neighborhood.

The lively Sue is one of the best characters here. Sue is a teenager, perhaps 17 or 18, and she has fun needling Walt for not knowing or understanding the Hmong culture. She stands up for herself and her family. When she is hurt late in the movie, your heart cannot help but break when you see her injured body.

This is a wonderful story. It's a story about overcoming xenophobia and racism. It's a story about redemption and forgiveness and loss of faith. Yet, it's funny and witty, while also dark and troubling. But in the end, I found a sense of hope and optimism I didn't expect. This movie is not for children; the racist language is somehow cute, or passable, coming from a grumpy old man, but would be downright offensive coming from the mouths of youth today.

"Gran Torino" was shot on a mere $33 million budget, and it earned a remarkable $270 million worldwide. Critics at Rottentomatoes.com gave it a solid 80 percent approval rating. About 68 percent of viewers gave it an ‘A' grade, while another 25 percent gave it a ‘B' grade, at Boxofficemojo.com.

Sadly, while the film was named among the 10 best films of the year by the American Film Institute, it was snubbed entirely by the Oscars.

Vetter rating: A

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Eliminate Hate

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The fairly politically correct and liberal environment that comes naturally with living on or around campus definitely has it's benefits, but there also are negative implications as well. One issue with living in the this environment is that students are isolated to real problems impacting the rest of the La Crosse community. Hate crimes are one of these problems. As we carry on day to day in our own little bubbles, hate crimes are being committed in the mean time in the La Crosse community. They can have their motives stemming from race, sexual orientation, religious views, or the one I wish to address, immigrant status. The Hmong Mutual Assistance Association here in La Crosse has an average of two hate crimes reported a week solely against the Hmong immigrant population. The reasons for many of these hate crimes come from a lack of education about immigrants and their economic and cultural impact. As students, I believe it is our duty to educate ourselves so we do not have the same perceived and untrue ideas about immigrants and can thus advocate for the legal immigrants whom deserve justice.

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Georgia Hmong New Years 2010-2011

Friday, November 26, 2010

Video of the Georgia Hmong New Years. My mom and sis are in this video. I seriously was trying to avoid being interviewed when I was wearing Hmong, hehehe.

Spoken in Hmong and English



:)

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Grief and unanswered questions for family of Jason Yang

Monday, November 22, 2010


Jason Yang's parents wait to be let into the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office

Late on Friday, November 19, Mee Yang finally saw the body of her husband, Jason Yang, who died on November 13 after a police chase from the Epic nightclub in downtown Minneapolis. Yang was allowed to view her husband's body, accompanied by a registered nurse, after obtaining a court order. She was accompanied by Michelle Gross, from Communities United Against Police Brutality who is a registered nurse, but had to stand behind glass to see the body. They were not allowed to bring a photographer.

The family of Jason Yang, along with more than a hundred supporters had rallied at the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office earlier on November 19, asking to be let in to see his body. Yang's wife, along with his siblings and parents, with the support of Communities United Against Police Brutality, asked that they be allowed to take photographs and determine for themselves whether they believe he died from jumping off a parking ramp.

Jason's wife, Mee Yang, would have been allowed to enter to see the body in the morning, with Jason's parents, but his brothers and a photographer and members of CUAPB would not be allowed in. Not wanting to see the body without supporters, Mee Yang and Jason's parents decided against viewing the body.

"I'm hoping to get some answers," Mee Yang said after the rally. "It makes me so angry. That they don't understand how hard this has been for me and my family—especially my little boys who were so close with their Dad. I just seek answers, that's all, and justice especially if there was any wrongdoing—but you know at this point I'm trying to do is seek answers for some closure."

John Yang, Jason's brother, said the HCME never asked the family to identify the body, that instead they had used his photo identification. He said they tried before to go in and see the body, but HCME refused to let them.

He said the reason the family wants to see the body is to see if there is any evidence. When asked what evidence they were looking for, he said "We're looking for anything. We don't know—we just know there's a lot of questions that need to be answered." Yang said the family didn't want the body released to a funeral home because then any evidence they found would not be able to be used in court.

According to Wameng Moua of Hmong Today, Yang had just started working at Bruce Vento Elementary School in Saint Paul. He had a college degree from Northwestern Bible College and was on the Hmong Chamber of Commerce.

Yang was a much-loved member of the community. He had had always gotten top grades, and had been a star athlete on Central High School's soccer team. "Everyone looked up to him," said his brother John Yang. He and Mee Yang had four young children.

William Palmer, Public Information Officer for the Minneapolis Police Department, said that Yang was one of the instigators of a fight at Epic on November 13. According to the police report, officers pursued Yang on foot. Palmer said Yang ran into a parking lot, then out of the parking lot onto a ramp into Highway 94, where he jumped off the fourth street exit from the barrier. The police report states that Yang was pronounced dead upon arrival by the paramedics. According to Palmer, there are two ongoing investigations about the incident: an Internal investigation by the criminal affairs unit and a criminal investigation.

Not everyone believes the MPD's version of events. Exactly what happened that night at Epic remains unclear. The Minneapolis Police Department has no report for the incident, although they do have a very limited report of the police chase leading to Jason's death, which says that he jumped from a 394 off ramp in downtown Minneapolis.

Some in the Hmong community say that the bouncers at Epic are notorious for beating up on Hmong people. A representative for Epic Nightclub could not be reached for comment.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a witness present at the Epic on November 13 said: "The police were running around, kicking young women, using racial slurs." In a comment that speaks to the level of mistrust of Minneapolis police, the witness also said that, "Everyone was convinced that he [Yang] was killed by police and thrown over."

Many from the Hmong community are still shaken and angry about the 2006 death of 19-year-old Fong Lee, who was shot by a Minneapolis police officer. Rulings in both the criminal and civil court cases surrounding the Fong Lee case have been in favor of the police.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office initially did not allow the family access to the body. "This is not a funeral facility," said Carolyn Marinan, Public Affairs Director for HCME. She said the reason the body hadn't been released to the family yet was because the family hadn't told them to what funeral home to send it. The Examiner's report hadn't been finalized, she said, so she could not say the cause of Yang's death. However, when told that the family wanted to see the body in order to see for themselves any evidence that he might have been killed in a way that was not accidental, Marinan said: "This is a highly regarded institution. They take what they do very seriously."

Marinan said the body could be released to a different facility to do another autopsy, but this would mean the family would have to pay for it.

Outside the HCME's office on Friday morning, John Yang thanked the community for their support. "This means so much to the family. There's so much support," he said. "We're in a tough time right now. We miss Jason. It hurts us." After speaking, John introduced his father, who addressed the crowd in Hmong.

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Former Hmong soldier Wa Seng Ly recounts Vietnam War


Wa Seng Ly and his wife, My Thao, who together own Valley American Asian Foods on Elsie St. in Appleton, are photographed on Veterans Day. Seng Ly is a Hmong veteran of the Vietnam War and served as a forward observer (artillery spotter) on a U.S. aircraft during the war. (Post-Crescent photo by Sharon Cekada)

APPLETON — The sky over Long Chiang, Laos showed a hint of daylight as Hmong army Capt. Wa Seng Ly walked to a waiting U.S. Air Force Cessna observation aircraft with an American pilot at the controls.

Ly's watch read 4:30 a.m. that day in February 1972 as the veteran of more than 500 missions as a forward air controller readied for another flight to spot formations of North Vietnamese soldiers and equipment traveling the Ho Chi Minh trail toward South Vietnam.

Flights of American fighter bombers headed toward targets Ly and his American pilot would mark by colored smoke bombs as part of the CIA-directed secret war against North Vietnam from 1961 to 1975. In Long Chiang, Ly's wife, My Thao Vue Ly, waited in fear with the couple's four children that her husband might not return.

As Ly and four Hmong companions walked toward their planes, high above Long Chiang the pilot of a U.S. fighter jet detected movement in the jungle below. The pilot dove, firing a rocket armed with an anti-personnel cluster bomb containing 670 tennis ball-sized bomblets, each filled with 300 metal fragments.

The Hmong soldiers never heard the approaching jet before the bomblets exploded.

A one-centimeter piece of shrapnel the size of a pea sliced into the right side of Ly's head, traveled through his brain and lodged in his head just above the ear lobe, two centimeters from the left side of his skull.

"One of my cousins who knew I was in the area found me laying on the ground about five hours later and carried me on his back to the hospital about a mile away. It was all very scary. It was a nightmare," said Ly, 70, who now lives in Appleton and with his wife operates the Valley American Asian Foods grocery store at 930 W. Elsie St.

Ly is one of thousands of Hmong soldiers who fought in support of the United States during the Vietnam War.

He holds no anger toward the U.S. pilot who dropped the bomb that injured him.

"It was a mistake," Ly said, shuffling his left foot as he rounded a corner in the store to complete some paperwork.

Protecting their country

Ly was 13 years old when he joined the Hmong army in a generations-old battle against communist North Vietnamese forces that controlled much of South Vietnam while attacking Hmong and Royal Laotian military forces.

"We had to protect our country," Ly said.
Ly fought for years against the communist Pathet Lao, attaining the rank of drill instructor.
His work, and his partial knowledge of the English language, caught the eye of an influential neighbor, Gen. Vang Pao, commander of the Hmong military forces.
Pao, now 81, is considered a hero by the Hmong and lives in exile in California. Pao visited Ly and his wife several times during the past few years.
As a forward air controller, Ly's job was to spot targets for U.S. bombers.
Missions were restricted to Laos, which is situated between North and South Vietnam on the east and Thailand on the west. Cambodia meets the southern end of Laos while China and Burma touch its northern border.
The missions were hazardous. Ly's plane crashed several times, once from gunfire and once from a lack of gasoline.
"One time he almost drowned when his plane landed in a pond," My Thao said. "I am just lucky he is alive."
Ly spent from 10 days to three months in Thai hospitals recuperating from injuries suffered in the crashes, but always returned to duty, except for the day friendly fire ended his military career.
"I just could not go back after I was shot in the head," Ly said.
After getting shot, Ly saw a fellow soldier fall dead. The soldier was one of as many as 20,000 Hmong soldiers to die during the secret war. Including civilians, an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 Hmong died during the war, about 10 percent of the Hmong population.
When Long Cheng fell in 1975, the conquering Pathet Lao captured Hmong military records and began a hunt that continues to this day for Hmong soldiers and their families.
Ly and his family escaped first to the Laotian capital of Vientiane and then to Cambodia.
Ly's family came to the United States in May 1976 with few possessions.
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"We destroyed our photographs and other personal things. If we had been caught with them we would have been killed on the spot," My Thao said.

Making ends meet

The couple and their children traveled to Wisconsin and settled in the Fox Cities with the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay as their sponsors.

They first lived in Combined Locks before moving to Kimberly. On May 18, 1984, the couple became naturalized U.S. citizens.

They purchased the grocery store in 1982 as a partnership and became the sole owners in 1987. They moved to Appleton five years ago.

"We are dependent on ourselves and need help from everyone to be our customers," My Thao said.

Ly, who doctors say is 75 percent disabled due to his brain injury, often sits on a metal folding chair while serving shoppers.

"He is not allowed to lift anything over 25 pounds," My Thao said.
Despite diagnosed difficulties in comprehending and expressing thoughts in his own language as well as troubles with math, Ly cheerfully takes care of business.

Hidden behind the counter is a framed copy of a Post-Crescent front page from 1984 featuring their conversion to U.S. citizenship.

Several other newspaper clippings, including the July 2003 death and funeral of My Thao's father, Nhia Pao Vue, rest in folders in the store.

My Thao said it would be a good thing if the U.S. and Wisconsin allowed Hmong veterans of the Vietnam War to be buried in veterans' cemeteries, but said it's more important to compensate the former soldiers financially for their support of the United States.

Ly receives $300 in monthly Social Security payments and is eligible for Medicare benefits. There is no retirement pay for his nearly 20 years in the Hmong military or his service under the CIA.

It isn't the first time Ly felt the sting of reluctance by his adopted homeland to financially commit to his care.

According to a May 1979 letter from a physician to the diocese regarding a neuropsychological evaluation possibly leading to an operation removing the metal fragment in Ly's head, the physician wrote that it would not be fair for Ly to undergo the operation and hospitalization and "that the taxpayer would be straddled with the payment of such a surgery and hospitalization."

"I have told him the cost would probably be around $6,500 for both and he would have to pay that from his own funds," the evaluating physician wrote.
Financially, Ly doesn't want much to see himself and his wife through their days.

"Our children are all grown now and moved away. The last one moved to Milwaukee in 2009," Ly said. "We have enough food in the store to support us with rice and noodles, which we eat every day."
It's the $300 a month that bothers him.

"I've talked to many of my friends and they receive $600 or $700 a month in Social Security payments. I don't understand why I get $300 a month," Ly said.

But Ly isn't about to challenge the government of the land that sheltered him from persecution and even death in his Laotian homeland.
"I am happy living here," Ly said.

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Hmong Cup 2011

Friday, November 19, 2010

I got this from my mom, which was forwarded to her. If you know any  Hmong soccer players, please have them fill this out! Thanks!

Hi folks,


My husband, Blong, has a vision for a Hmong Cup in 2011. This will be different from the other Hmong soccer tournaments, including the Fourth of July one, in that it will be on regulation-sized fields, 90-minute games with certified referees. The purpose is to find the best Hmong teams in the nation. There are several outstanding questions for him (how much should the prize money be? how much should the registration fee be?).


You can help by taking this 10-min survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/W3SFDPY. It's easy and painless.


Please let me or Blong know if you have any questions or concerns.


Many thanks!


Mai Neng

Dear Friends and Family Members:


I have thought long and hard about putting on a Hmong soccer tournament in Minnesota. At the moment, I am in the research phase. If all goes well, the tournament should happen in August of 2011.


Please take a few minutes to answer the survey below. It will help me to have a better understanding of what I need to do.


I'd appreciate you sending the survey out to your contacts, especially your Hmong friends and family members. They don't have to be soccer players, but if they are, that's great. Just send them the Survey Monkey link and they should be able to access the survey.


http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/W3SFDPY


The deadline to answer the survey is December 17, 2011 at midnight. Thank you.


Sincerely,


Blong Yang

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Laos: UNPO Presidency Condemns Persistent Persecution Of Hmong People

Thursday, November 18, 2010

From across the world, UNPO Presidency Members have joined together to express their dismay at the disregard being shown to the lives and rights of Hmong communities in Laos, where military activities threaten thousands of people

The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) has been monitoring developments in the Phou Bia region of the Lao People's Democratic Republic with deepening concern over the past months as reports have grown in number – and graphic detail - of the crimes being perpetrated against the indigenous Hmong ChaoFa population.

Military operations, jointly carried out by Lao and Vietnamese troops, appear to be verging on crimes against humanity. But with limited access to the region preventing the scale of the military operation and its human cost from being known the international community is standing by as men, women and children are encircled by what are reported to be four Lao and one Vietnamese battalions.

The UNPO condemns without reservation Vientane’s and Hanoi’s persistent persecution of innocent Hmong people in the LPDR – a people that have previously been the targets of poisonous gas, rocket grenades, machine guns and denial of access to food

American Congressmen have called for a stop to coerced return to the LPDR of Hmong ChaoFa refugees, but the international community must begin – because nothing has been done to date – to stabilise the area, address and investigate gross violations of basic Hmong human rights and to make those acting in the name of the Laotian and Vietnamese governments responsible and accountable for their actions.

The UNPO calls upon Lao authorities to fully implement the recommendations it accepted following the UPR process of the UN Human Rights Council in May 2010 to "[a]dopt and implement the measures necessary to grant the Hmong the same rights and freedoms as the other members of the Lao population in accordance with international human rights standards, including through genuine engagement with the international community on the issue".

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Home invasion sends one man to hospital; unidentified suspects threatened to kill family

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

family is left to piece their lives back together after six armed men robbed their Eureka home early Thursday morning, lining up family members on their knees against the wall and threatening to kill them in the process.

The home invasion landed Neng Yang, 51, in St. Joseph Hospital with a two-inch laceration on his head after he was hit with a handgun by one of the suspects who demanded cash from the family. In an interview with the Times-Standard, Yang said the suspects arrived at the house around 5 a.m. on Thursday, taking a slew of items including his wallet, car keys, cell phone and $5,000 in cash.

The suspects, whose identities remain unknown, burst through the front door of the home and yelled “Sheriff's Department,” said Yang's son Trong Yang.

Neng Yang was still asleep when his bedroom door was flung open and a gun was pointed in his face.

”They wanted money, and I said, 'You're gonna to have to kill me because I don't have any,'” said Neng Yang, who was knocked unconscious when one of the suspects, who was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and bandana, hit him over the head with a handgun three times.

”I was scared,” said Neng Yang, who needed six staples to close the wound. “I've never seen something like that.”

When he regained consciousness, Neng Yang said, the first thing he remembered was his 10-year-old daughter being dragged outside as the men threatened to kidnap her if they didn't get money, at which point Neng Yang directed the suspects upstairs and told them where to find the family's savings.
The rest of the family, meanwhile, was being held on their knees facing the wall at gunpoint in the living room, including Trong Yang, 26.

”They just kept demanding money,” Trong Yang said, adding that he didn't know what was happening to his father when he heard him being beaten because the suspects wouldn't allow him to turn around. “I wasn't sure if they had shot him.”

While the suspects were searching the bedroom for cash they found a couple of stray bullets, Trong Yang said, which were from his newly purchased Colt AR-15 style .22 caliber rifle. At that point Trong Yang said he told them where to find the gun, as well as his father's .32 caliber handgun.

Neng Yang said he and his wife are unemployed, and the family's only source of income is Social Security checks. The couple is originally from Thailand and moved to Eureka in 1991.

Of the $5,000, Neng Yang said $3,000 was money from a car his oldest son just sold, and $2,000 was money that Neng Yang said it took the family years to save.

”Everything's gone,” said Neng Yang, who has lived with his wife and three children on Progress Street for more than 10 years. “I don't know what to do.”
Along with their savings, the suspects stole three video game systems and a laptop computer, and at one point poured water on the TV in the living room, telling the family that if they could not take the item because of its size, the family “couldn't watch it either.”

The suspects then broke into the family's garage, where Neng Yang had 11 small marijuana plants, for which he said he had a Proposition 215 card. The men then fled the home and the family called the Eureka Police Department, which responded a few minutes later.

EPD Detective Terry Liles said he believes that one or more of the suspects must have known the family had cash in the house, and that they were probably not seriously interested in kidnapping the young girl.

”This was definitely not random,” Liles said, adding that the small marijuana grow did not appear to be the main motive for the crime. “They were obviously just starter plants.”

EPD officers later checked for fingerprints left behind throughout the house. The suspects are described as all males in their early to mid-20s, wearing hooded sweatshirts and navy blue or black bandannas over their faces, and ranging in height from 5 feet 2 inches to 5 feet 8 inches.

Because of the bandanas, family members could only offer conflicting further descriptions, something that Liles said complicates the situation.

”It always makes cases like this a little more difficult,” Liles said. “Sometimes it takes a little while to figure this stuff out.”

By noon Thursday, the family had begun cleaning up the mess the suspects left behind, and Neng Yang's oldest daughter Yee Yang -- a 28-year-old certified nurse's assistant at Pacific Healthcare and Rehabilitation -- was home to help.

”We're just going to support each other and try to recover,” said Yee Yang. “There's nothing else we can do.”

The investigation into the case is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Terry Liles at (707) 441-4032.

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UNPO Presidency Condemns Persistent Persecution of Hmong People

From across the world, UNPO Presidency Members have joined together to express their dismay at the disregard being shown to the lives and rights of Hmong communities in Laos, where military activities threaten thousands of people

UNPO Presidency Condemns Persistent Persecution of Hmong People

The Hague, 17th November 2010 – The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) has been monitoring developments in the Phou Bia region of the Lao People's Democratic Republic with deepening concern over the past months as reports have grown in number – and graphic detail - of the crimes being perpetrated against the indigenous Hmong ChaoFa population.

Military operations, jointly carried out by Lao and Vietnamese troops, appear to be verging on crimes against humanity. But with limited access to the region preventing the scale of the military operation and its human cost from being known the international community is standing by as men, women and children are encircled by what are reported to be four Lao and one Vietnamese battalions.

The UNPO condemns without reservation Vientane’s and Hanoi’s persistent persecution of innocent Hmong people in the LPDR – a people that have previously been the targets of poisonous gas, rocket grenades, machine guns and denial of access to food

American Congressmen have called for a stop to coerced return to the LPDR of Hmong ChaoFa refugees, but the international community must begin – because nothing has been done to date – to stabilise the area, address and investigate gross violations of basic Hmong human rights and to make those acting in the name of the Laotian and Vietnamese governments responsible and accountable for their actions.

The UNPO calls upon Lao authorities to fully implement the recommendations it accepted following the UPR process of the UN Human Rights Council in May 2010 to "[a]dopt and implement the measures necessary to grant the Hmong the same rights and freedoms as the other members of the Lao population in accordance with international human rights standards, including through genuine engagement with the international community on the issue".

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Judge dismisses some charges against men accused of trying to overthrow government of Laos

Saturday, November 13, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge in Sacramento has thrown out parts of the case against 12 men accused of trying to overthrow the communist government of Laos.

U.S. District Judge Frank Damrell Jr. said Friday in a filing that prosecutors had failed to include enough information in some parts of their indictment to allow each of the men to defend themselves. Damrell also found that some of the charges were not supported by the evidence prosecutors provided.

Among two of the five counts that were dismissed was a key contention of prosecutors that the men violated the federal Neutrality Act.

The act prohibits people while in the United States from taking part in a military or naval enterprise against the government of another nation with which the U.S. is at peace.

Damrell said the U.S. Attorney's Office had failed to clearly show that such a military expedition existed, nor did it say specifically what role each defendant is accused of playing.

The government also had to show that the military effort began at some point, which Damrell said it had not.

"The Act requires more than the attempted purchase or transportation of arms and ammunition to a foreign country," he wrote.

The defendants still face charges of conspiring to violate the act.

The men are accused of plotting to send fighters and weapons, including machine-guns and explosives, to Southeast Asia to attack Laos. In his ruling, Damrell also dismissed some of the weapons charges.

A call and email to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento seeking comment on Saturday were not immediately returned.

The defendants include retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Youa True Vang and 11 members of California's Hmong community, many of whom fought for the U.S. during the Vietnam War. All 12 have pleaded not guilty since their arrests in 2007.

Prosecutors are expected to drop the charges against Vang.

The charges against another defendant, Vang Pao, were dropped last year. Pao was a national Hmong leader and former Laotian general.

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COEHS honors alumnae with ‘Professor for a Day’

Thursday, November 11, 2010


COEHS honored alumnae, Maiyoua Thao ’01, MSE ’09 and Marjorie VandenBoogaard MSE ’90 (front and center), with Professor for a Day awards.

The College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh takes pride in the achievements of its graduates in both their chosen careers and civic activities.

Each year, through its Professor for a Day program, the college honors two of its alumni who have made significant contributions to their profession and provides a day for them to interact and share their experiences with the college’s students.

This year’s honorees, Maiyoua Thao ’01, MSE ’09 and Marjorie VandenBoogaard MSE ’90, were recognized Nov. 10 during a ceremony at the Pollock Alumni House.

From refugee to community leader

Born in Laos, Thao came to the U.S. in 1988 as a refugee. Thao, of Appleton, earned a bachelor’s degree in human services from UW Oshkosh and set a goal to help the Hmong community. She later earned a master’s degree in counseling with the same goal in mind.

Thao first started helping the Hmong community by coordinating a UW Extension cooking class that taught Hmong women how to cook “American” food and teaching nutrition and food safety. She also hosted a cable TV cooking show called the “Bridging Hmong Show.”

“Maiyoua is very good at maintaining elements of her Hmong heritage while connecting with things that are uniquely American,” said Annette Larie, director of the office of field placement, who recommended Thao for Professor for a Day. “She has a great way of balancing the two cultures and continues to seek out ways to bring the two cultures together across Hmong communities.”

Today, in collaboration with her husband Chungyia Thao ’01, she continues to help the Hmong community through their businesses in Appleton, Universal Translation, Tongxeng Personal Homecare, Thao Properties and Harmony Counseling Center. These businesses have had a significant impact not only on the Hmong community, but the communities in which they operate.

As proof, the Thaos were honored with the 2007 Wisconsin Minority Business Good Citizen award from the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and as the 2008 Business of the Year by the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce.

Thao is also very active within the community. She helps organize the annual Hmong Educational Conference hosted by the Appleton Area School District; serves on a committee to assist new refugees settle in the Fox Cities; serves as a board member for several organizations including Kaleidoscope Academy, a charter school in Appleton; and Good Business, a program of Goodwill of northeast Wisconsin.

“Maiyoua embodies the whole idea of human services,” Larie said. “She is humility with a capital ‘H’. Her first question is always about what she can do to help.”

Compassion and caring for others

For more than 30 years, VandenBoogaard, of Oshkosh, has worked in the “trenches” of elementary education, helping transform students’ lives. She is currently an elementary counselor at Emmeline Cook and Webster Stanley elementary schools, a position she has held for 20 years, and has a master’s degree in counseling from UW Oshkosh.

During her tenure with the Oshkosh Area School District, VandenBoogaard has served on action teams to develop an anti-bullying program, incorporate restorative justice and sponsor school wellness activities. In addition, she helped Webster Stanley become a SAGE (Student Achievement Guarantee in Education) school, a program that seeks to improve student achievement by lowering teacher-student ratios in early grades while increasing community collaboration.

VandenBoogaard also helped develop a collaborative partnership with the college’s Professional Counseling Department, where its students provide weekly developmental guidance lessons in Webster Stanley’s Lighted School House after-school program. In addition, she has served as a site supervisor for the college’s practicum students for 15 years.

“We wanted to honor Margie as a Professor for a Day because of her consistent support of the counseling program and how much she contributes to our students’ learning and development,” said Kelli Saginak, associate professor of professional counseling. “We couldn’t do our job without people like her in the field who are willing to take on and host our students.”

VandenBoogaard is perhaps best known for providing a listening ear, words of advice and advocacy for her students. “I want students to know that entering the counseling profession is more than just a job. Showing up each day is not enough. They will have the power to let others know that it matters that they, too, show up each day. I want them to know that their words and actions impact someone’s life, each and every day,” VandenBoogaard said.

“Margie is a good site supervisor because she is just a really great listener and I know she cares about me,” said Kathy Schoofs, who is completing her school counseling practicum under Margie’s leadership. “She is concerned about where I am as I put what I’ve learned into practice, and she always provides great feedback. I feel very comfortable and very supported working with her.”

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HIFO film screenings

Hmong International Filmmakers Organization and Center for Hmong Studies at Concordia University-St Paul will hold its first “Hmong International Movie Stars and Singers Celebration” November 27, 2010, 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. at Concordia University, 275 Syndicate Street N., St Paul, MN 55104. This event is free and open to the public

Local and national filmmakers, actors, actresses are expected to attend. Special guests will include Cha Herr and Sai Yang from Thailand, the stars of “The Legend of Cha Fa” which premiered at the Asian Film Festival in Minneapolis on November 3-13, 2010. The two will perform scenes from the movie on stage and will be available to meet fans in person for photos and autographs.

This special event is significantly created to embrace the talents and skills of Hmong filmmakers, actors, actresses, and musical artists. It will articulate the values and importance of these arts and encourage our youth to be more engaged and our community to be more supportive.

For more information contact Kang Vang at 651-331-8331 or email kangvang@gmail.com. Also contact HIFO Board Secretary, Kao Chang at 612-220-4727 or email kaochang@hmonghifo.org.

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STYLE | Fresh Traditions IV celebrates Hmong designers



High fashion couture and traditional Hmong design intermingled at the über-chic Fresh Traditions IV fashion show Sunday night at the Varsity Theater.

A celebration of community and culture was in full swing. A capacity crowd in formal attire watched a high-energy runway showcase of six Hmong-American fashion designers. The event was a fundraiser for the Center for Hmong Art and Talent.

CHAT Board member Jeff Xiong said the fashion show was like a Hmong New Year (an event that actually arrives in a few weeks).

The designers had been working on their collections since spring in preparation for Sunday's show. Fabric is vital in Hmong culture, and that fact wasn't lost in the collected works.

Each designer was given a challenge by the show's creators: one outfit must contain all five fabrics used in traditional Hmong clothing—hot pink chiffon, neon green chiffon with gold print, deep blue satin, black satin and black velvet—and must be in the same style as the rest of their line.

According to CHAT's website, the history of Hmong art is "rooted and sewn into the fabrics of traditional Hmong clothing where the unique combination of vibrant colors and textures makes the Hmong identifiable."



Effervescent color was undeniably the theme of Fresh Traditions. Professional-looking volunteer models proudly displayed the creative talents of the designers.

All of the pieces are original and are drawn, constructed, and sewn by the designers. The fabric for the challenge pieces came from traditional Hmong stores, said CHAT Executive Director Kathy Mouacheupao.

Designer Chong Moua, 27, of Minnesota, started sewing when she was nine years old and specializes in graphic arts and graphic design. "I'm excited. It's been a really long day," she said. "I love the audience and the guests and the models' energy about Hmong arts."

Her collection, called "Hlub Hmoob," focused on Hmong youth and custom. "I was really heartbroken when I realized that our youth are really idolizing other East Asian cultures and going after other cultures, which I think is great that we can celebrate and be excited about other Asian cultures or other people in countries, but I really wanted to inspire our youth to come back and realize what our heritage and history is and be happy that they are Hmong," she said from a screen onstage.

Backstage, a little girl, Pemola, waited to model Moua's pleated patterned skirt with her graphic designed t-shirt that read in Hmong: I Heart Rice with Water.



Oklahoma designer Khamphian Vang, 31, was attending her first show in Minnesota and applied after she heard about Fresh Traditions from friends. "I am originally from Wisconsin," she said. "I just live creatively. Fabric is my passion." She said she had thought about auditioning for the Project Runway reality show, but heard that it was a very intense environment.

Vang's collection, called "Sparrow," focused on shapes, ease, and comfort. Most of her models wore their hair in an up-do with intertwining braiding. "I knew I wanted their hair up in a bun, and the braids were added for texture."

St. Paul designer Xee Vang's line, called "Refined," was described as "modern with vibrant colors and embellished designs." She said her mother is her mentor and inspired her to design. "She is very supportive of me. I learned a lot of sewing and tricks from her." She said that coming from the Hmong culture she has seen how Hmong people do their embroidery and incorporate all the different colors.

Xee Vang's challenge piece was a contemporary outfit with a puffy, ballerina-style skirt and the top had the required five traditional Hmong fabric attached to the sleeves. It was a clever blend of traditional and modern.

Kathy Mouacheupao started Fresh Traditions four years ago and said the event has gained a reputation as people have discovered it.

"There is more of an interest in it for the models and the designers," she said. "After the first year, we realized that there was actually a need for it because there are a lot of people within the Hmong community that are interested in fashion and so that's why we decided to continue doing it. It's been a really effective way to showcase the different designers and the different talent that's in the community."



The featured designers of the show were Lylena Yang, "Embroidered Elegance"; Chong Moua, "Hlub Hmoob"; Seelia Vachon, "Midnight Fantasy"; Khamphian Vang, "Sparrow"; Xee Vang, "Refined"; and Nonmala Xiong, "Lady in Red."

Funds raised go back into the show, which is entirely run by volunteers, said Mouacheupao. Some of the other volunteers included a model coordinator, make-up artist, hair coordinator, stage manager, and design consultants. CHAT is a Twin Cities based non-profit that "exists to nurture, explore and illuminate the Hmong American experience through artistic expressions."

According to St. Paul's Hmong Cultural Center's "Hmong 2000 Census Publication: Data & Analysis," among U.S. metropolitan areas, "by far the largest Hmong population lived in Minneapolis-St. Paul (40,707)." The analysis also found that the 2000 Census data showed that the U.S. Hmong population is skewed very young. "The Hmong are the only ethnically based population in the 2000 Census to have a median age under 20." This fact was reflected in the predominantly young crowd at Fresh Traditions.

At the end of the show, all the traditional Hmong pieces were highlighted together on the runway, the stage, and a media showcase. "If you look like [the models], you'll get married for sure," Jeff Xiong told the audience.





(Above and below). Minnesota designer Chong Moua specializes in graphic arts and design. Her collection, called "Hlub Hmoob," featured Hmong youth and heritage.





(Above) The crowd started gathering at the Varsity Theater hours before the show began. The event was created and supported by the Center for Hmong Art and Talent.



(Above) Models wait in the dressing room after getting hair and make-up done by volunteers in the industry.



(Above) A model waits his turn for the runway.



(Above) Oklahoma designer Khamphian Vang said fabric is her passion.



(Above) A piece from designer Khamphian Vang's collection, which she calls "Sparrow."



(Above) Models with up-do hair and braids added for texture wait in the dressing room to showcase Khamphian Vang's collection.



(Above) Detail of a model's hair and make-up. Volunteer hair and make-up artists spent hours attending to the models for the show.



(Above) The finished look takes to the runway, in a piece by Khamphian Vang.



(Above) The audience and models enjoyed the high-energy show.



(Above) A model pauses at the end of the runway.



(Above) Designer Cho Moua wants to "inspire Hmong youth about their history and heritage."



(Above) Some audience members viewed the show from Varsity Theater's upper level VIP lounge.



(Above) The Varsity Theater has been the venue for Fresh Traditions the past two years. Here, a couple after the show enjoy the leather seating.



(Above) A model and designer relax after the show.



(Above) A model gets ready to go on the runway.



(Above) Designer Chong Moua's grand finale on the runway.



(Above) A model backstage checks the time.



(Above) Fresh Traditions opened with a hip-hop act.



(Above) Designer Khamphian Vang (middle) poses backstage with her models.


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Correction: This article previously misidentified Khamphian Vang as Lylena Yang in several places.

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Lakeshore update: Library to show work by Two Rivers filmmaker

Library to show work by Two Rivers filmmaker

MANITOWOC — The Manitowoc Public Library will offer a screening of "My Way Home" by Two Rivers filmmaker Dao Chang at 6 p.m. Monday in the Balkansky Community Room on the second floor of the library, 707 Quay St. Chang, a Hmong-American, will present her award-winning film and discuss her journey to discover her Hmong roots. Born in Laos but raised in Two Rivers, Chang sought answers to questions about her family, the war and her cultural identity. She could not find those answers here, so she traveled halfway around the world to the country her family was forced to flee two decades earlier.

"My Way Home" was produced by docUWM, a documentary media center at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Chang created the film with fellow students Jessamy Meyer, Joe Sacco and Meg Strobel.

The film, in English and Hmong with English subtitles, is the winner of the Golden Badger for Student Filmmaking at the 2010 Wisconsin Film Festival. It is the first in the library's Cultural Conversations series of programs. For information, call (920) 686-3036 or e-mail rmyoung@manitowoc.org.

Reedsville festival set for Sunday

MANITOWOC — The Reedsville Fall Festival is set for 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Reedsville High School.

The Preservation of St. Mary's and Reedsville Lions and Lioness Club are hosting the family event that includes craft vendors, a silent auction, music from an elementary school choir and a lunch.

Adults and high school students will be charged an admission fee. Attendees may bring a canned or non-perishable food item as admission. For more information, call Theresa Worachek at (920) 754-4370.
Felician Village to open new parking lot

MANITOWOC — A new parking lot will soon be available to all visitors of Felician Village, 1635 S. 21st St. The 21st Street parking lot, scheduled to open Monday, will serve as the primary lot for the campus with direct access to the receptionist in the Village Square.

The lot features 69 spaces, including five for handicapped parking. Patients of HFM Lakeshore Family Practice will find designated spaces close to the main entrance. This lot also is available to employees, who will be parking in the spaces farthest from the main entrance.
For more information, call (920) 684-7171.

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Hmong Village in St. Paul: 25 Tastes



The newly opened Hmong Village shopping complex in St. Paul makes no apologies: as you walk among the literally hundreds of U-Store-It-style stalls that fill its warehouse-sized space, you quickly become aware that many, if not most, of the buyers and sellers are first-generation Hmong immigrants. Your English will be of only limited use. Even getting into the building is a challenge; it has cryptic entrances labeled with letters, all of which drop you seemingly at random into a steel and concrete labyrinth. (Once you’re in, wander at random until you hit the wall that’s nothing but restaurants — you’ll know it when you get there.)

“Do you have a Hmong guide with you?” asked the avuncular counterman at Kad’s Deli. “Most people, when they come here, have a Hmong guide to do the talking, and explain,” he added, hoping, I think, that perhaps I did have a Hmong guide somewhere whom I’d simply forgotten to introduce.



Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
When you come to Hmong Village and dine at one or more of its 17 similar food court stall-style restaurants, get ready to:

a) Pay cash
b) Visit some restaurants that only identify their dishes by number
c) Not necessarily know either exactly what you ordered, or whether you got it

Also get ready to:

a) Eat some terrific food for cheap
b) Be charmed by friendly, homespun service
c) Learn to enjoy new stuff

If you’ve eaten adventurously up and down Nicollet Ave. in Minneapolis or University Ave. in St. Paul, much of what’s served at Hmong Village will be familiar to you. But there are a number of surprises hiding among the eateries, and the sheer number of restaurants in such a confined space makes the Hmong Village food court a real (if figurative) trip.

The man at Kad’s Deli explained that the restaurant hours are generally 11am to 7pm. That said, when we arrived at 6pm, a couple restaurants were already shut down (no pig uteri for us, alas), and some of the restaurants stayed open until almost 8. “11am to about 2pm is the best time to come,” he said.

Another vendor exhorted us to come on the weekend, when the place was stuffed wall-to-wall with people and we would feel like we were truly in another country. To our mind, even on a Wednesday night: Mission accomplished.

– James Norton

Maja Ingeman, James Norton, Elizabeth Mead Cavert Scheibel, Nick Scheibel, and Jason Walker contributed to this feature.



Blueberry: Mango Passionfruit Boba Tea ($3)

By the end of the evening, we’d filled three tables with the assorted bits and pieces of about 25 different items from around 15 different restaurants. The mango passionfruit boba tea from Blueberry was the one item we ordered twice, owing to its bright fruit kick, great balance between tart and sweet, and overall unassailable deliciousness. – JN



Fue’s Cafe: Pad See Ew ($6)

Actually having a printed menu, unlike most Hmong Village stalls, makes Fue’s Cafe stand out for the first-timer. Its food does, too, based on its vegetarian Pad See Ew, made as you order with Chinese broccoli, eggs, and delectably wide, hearty noodles. The dish’s special Thai soy sauce was the key, as it elevated a simple noodle-and-veggie concoction into a well-balanced sweet-and-salty delight that was inhaled by our testers, including a 2-year-old, and was worth the trip itself. It didn’t hurt that Fue’s Cafe had samples of the dish out for all to try; after the sample it was a done deal. – JW



Papaya Salad ($5)

This papaya salad had three heat versions. The woman who made ours with a giant mortar and pestle, grinding the peppers before preparing the dish, said ours had “medium” heat. This is disputable, and for Minnesota standards, a flat-out untruth. The “hot” version must be an absolute fireball, yet with all the heat this papaya salad did not lose its flavor. Hot, yes, but the burst of flavors from loads of sweet shaved papaya, garlic, and Thai eggplant still emerged. Papaya salads are relatively common at Hmong Village; Fue’s likely sets the standard. – JW



Fried Black Sesame Cookie ($1.75 for several)

Light, exceedingly crispy, and delicate in flavor, the Fue’s Cafe sesame cookies are as pleasant to look at they are to eat. Reminiscent of an Italian pizzella, and almost exactly like a Norwegian rosette cookie. — JN



Dragon Express: Sesame Chicken with Fried Rice ($5)

Dragon Express didn’t have much to offer — just two entrees and rice, as well as fried bananas and egg rolls. Let’s hope we caught them on an off night, because the sesame chicken was fine, but certainly no better than your average China buffet. Not overly battered and well-seasoned, it didn’t scream MSG and was probably pretty darn good when it was fresh. But with the array of offerings elsewhere at Hmong Village, you’d be hard-pressed to justify this order, unless you were simply dying for an old standby. The fried rice was decent but forgettable. – JW



Famous Deli: Chicken Feet ($4)

An impulse purchase of chicken feet from Famous Deli offered a pungent hit of five-spice and scallion. Though the strong flavors provided a nice balance to the sticky texture, the visceral presentation of bone and chewy skin enrobed in the cold, seasoned gelatin leaching from the feet may prove too adventurous for the average Western palate. – MI



Spicy Chicken ($5)

A more approachable use of the flavors in the Famous Deli chicken feet can be found in the restaurant’s Spicy Chicken. A steaming plate of chicken wings loaded with scallions and hot chili oil, the dish sparkles with contrast — from the crispy deposits of sweet-spicy glaze to the moist, juicy meat underneath. We were sold on the first bite — despite many dishes to taste in one sitting, no wing was left uneaten. – MI



Her Kitchen: Pho Fawm ($6)

You get a lot for your six bucks at Her Kitchen. Yes, the bowl of pho is huge, like bowls of pho all over the city. But it’s really, really huge. And it contains more sources of protein than your tiny brain can accurately assess. From one order, we pulled pieces of beef, fish cakes, shrimp, meatballs, and tripe. (I was fairly sure I didn’t like tripe before trying this dish; now I’m positive. The rubber-band texture was its undoing.)

But tripe aside, the other elements of this dish are, as a whole, delightful. Garnished properly (with judicious scoops of chili paste, MSG, lime juice, and peanuts), the flavor explodes. And the dish’s thin, delicate noodles serve as a wonderful base for all the hot jazz going on up top. – JN



Hmong Bakery & Deli: Roll ($1)

This one is attributable to writer error. I tried to order a taro roll; they were out; somehow they gave me a non-taro roll. It tasted like a roll. If you found yourself at Hmong Village wrestling with, say, a skewer of meatballs or a skewer of lacquered chicken (both reasonable scenarios), rest assured — you can dash over to Hmong Bakery and make that skewer into a sandwich. – JN



Houa Phanh: Pho ($5)

In a pho showdown, the deciding factor is almost exclusively the broth. What Houa Phanh’s beef, shrimp, and meatball version lacks in complexity, it makes up with good, honest flavor. Prior to seasoning, each bite of broth fills your mouth with a mild, pleasantly beefy flavor which dissipates almost completely the instant you swallow — perfect to soothe a sore throat or hangover. Interestingly enough, these rice noodles seem to hold their own the next day — despite having been soaked in broth overnight, they didn’t become the glutinous, saturated mass that day-old pho noodles often devolve into. – MI



Tricolor ($1)

Among all of the stands serving tricolor, there is an excellent chance that no two serve the same version. If you have enough of a sweet tooth to withstand all the coconut and sugar that goes into that cup, one of the no-holds-barred, noodle-pearl-tapioca combinations may be your best bet. Houa Phanh’s smaller cup layered with red, green, and white pearls doused in the coconut-sugar water combination was a more restrained rendition — despite the sweetness of the liquid, the rice pearls offered a neutral, almost salty flavor which mitigated the sugar rush. — MI



Kad’s Deli: Mango Sticky Rice ($3)

This is right up there with Blueberry’s Mango Passionfruit Boba Tea in terms of being the correct way to end a meal. Generously dolloped with mild coconut cream and numerous pieces of fresh mango, the Kad’s Deli mango sticky rice is a simple, literal execution of a classic and essentially foolproof dessert. Worth seeking out and savoring every mildly sweet, bright, and creamy bite. – JN



California Rolls ($6)

Kad’s Deli sells sushi (questionable!) but restricts itself to non-raw fish varieties such as avocado rolls, cucumber rolls, and California rolls (wise!). The California Rolls are not going to put Origami out of business, but for the amount you get, they’re really not too bad — they’ve got a creamy cucumbery snap to them and very mild imitation crab meat — the overall balance is good. Hmong Village is not really the place to be hunting down sushi, but if you for some reason feel the need, you will be neither thrilled nor horrified by the offerings at Kad’s Deli. — JN



The Kitchenette: Hmong Sausage ($2)

“It’s kind of like a brat, but different.” So said our server at The Kitchenette of the long sausage which evoked images of Kobayashi going to town in a hot dog eating contest. Despite the slightly wrinkled, reddish exterior that prepared me to expect a sweetish Chinese-style sausage, this tasted instead like a Swedish potato sausage: mild, meaty, and bursting with juice that, upon biting through the sausage’s skin, could easily dribble down your chin. Pair it with some white or fried rice, and you’ve got a hearty meal of comfort food. – MI



Chicken Kebab ($2)

The moist, tender chicken kebab at The Kitchenette offers a kick of soy first and foremost, rounded out with a bit of garlic. Kept in a hot pan in a display case, each thin piece of gristle-free chicken is carefully threaded on a skewer, glazed, and grilled, keeping the moisture and garlic-soy flavor intact. – MI



K-Pho: Grilled Meatballs ($4)

These two skewers of four meatballs weren’t bad, but they didn’t stand out in any way; a fairly sweet meatball dipped in a fish sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar sauce was reminiscent of an average egg roll without the roll, and the rather pale color doesn’t do them any favors. The meatballs are also offered in a vermicelli noodle salad, and that would probably be a more satisfying choice. Or, get them into a bun for a sandwich — a couple of good-sized rolls, like those at Hmong Bakery & Deli (see above), with these meatballs, and you’ll have a quick, decent, and cheap lunch for two. These meatballs just aren’t what meatballs can be, so they’re better not left to themselves. – EMCS



Mai’s Kitchen: Papaya Salad ($5)

Procuring this papaya salad didn’t start out so well. I looked at the menu, noted some $8 dishes (the most I had seen anywhere else was $6), and just blurted out an order. The woman who took the order started making it, with a large mortar and pestle, and then asked me what I wanted. I stupidly replied, “I don’t know,” to which she replied, “you don’t know?!” I mumbled something about “trying stuff.” She handed the pestle off to another woman, who kindly endured constant questions about what she was putting in. Despite my initial reservations about the prices, $5 gets you a thick, big cup of salad, with lots of ingredients, including cherry tomatoes, another larger variety of tomato, lime, long green beans, Thai eggplant, fish sauce, shrimp paste, and a tamarind sauce. I had plenty of time to ask questions, because each batch is made to order, so be prepared to wait.

I asked for mine medium spicy (“What do you mean by medium spicy?” another employee laughed), and at first bite I wished I’d gone bigger. A minute later, the heat was building in my mouth, and within five minutes I was desperate for some boba tea — so I ended up just right. Compared to the papaya salad at Fue’s Kitchen, this salad was oversauced — less sauce would have let the flavors of the various ingredients come through more and would have resulted in a crisper texture. Still, with the varied ingredients, I found it more satisfying than Fue’s offering, and you can’t disregard the time and elbow grease that goes into this fresh product. – EMCS



Moon’s Kitchen: Tricolor ($2)

For a mere two bucks, you can have probably the most colorful and unusual dessert you’ve ever ingested: three kinds of colored noodles, tapioca pearls, a sweet creamy base, and a few extremely ass-kicking drops of almond and banana extracts. Suck it through a giant straw and brace yourself for the flavor and texture onslaught. (We somewhat preferred the Moon’s Kitchen tricolor to the Y-T Express version that came in a bowl, but the sweet-salty complexity of the Houa Phanh version was probably the consensus favorite.) -- JN



Mrs. Papaya: Congee ($3)

Mrs. Papaya was the first of the restaurants that we visited, and also perhaps the most enigmatic: There were pictures of three different meals posted, labeled #1, #2, and #3. They were out of #3, so we went with #1, which turned out to be a comforting bowl of congee (rice porridge) with fried onions, chicken, cilantro, and a hard-boiled quail’s egg. We were advised to add chili paste, which added a crucial flavor kick to an otherwise quietly soothing dish. -- JN



Nang Kwak: Pho Roll ($5)

The woman making Nang Kwak’s signature pho rolls was pulling the noodles out of a giant bowl that must’ve contained four or five gallons of the soft, pillowy things. An order of pho rolls consists of a long, ghostly white noodle rolled up into tube containing mild ground pork and scallions, cut into six pieces. The underseasoned meat makes sense in context, however; the pho rolls come with a dipping sauce that is hot and funky, containing fish sauce, peanuts, and hot chili peppers. The overall effect is wonderful: tender texture, bright hot flavors, and soothing noodles. – JN



Thai Ginger Deli: Beef Lab with Sticky Rice ($5 for the lab, $2 for the rice)

If you haven’t had lab (or larb or laab), the first thing to know is that it’s made to be eaten with your hands, by grabbing some lettuce or rice and then scooping the rest in. You can get by with a fork, but the fork will never construct a bite as well as your hand. If you have had this dish at a Thai restaurant, this rendition probably won’t wow you. This lab was mild — given another chance, we would have mixed in some chili sauce, because it needed heat. That said, it makes a suitable entree, with a mix of cilantro and minced beef and tripe (at least, we’re pretty sure it was tripe) atop of a bed of lettuce, with a pleasing flavor from toasted rice powder and lime. Do not skip the rice. It was very sticky and with some practice, you can scoop up a bite with all the tasty components with little mess left on your fingers. And don’t fear the tripe on this one; it adds an excellent chewy texture to the minced beef. – EMCS



Yang’s Cuisine: Steamed White Bass ($5)

Asking the man at Yang’s Kitchen, “What’s good?” we ended up with “the fish.” What turned out to be steamed white bass comes on a styrofoam tray wrapped up like a pork chop. Peeling back the plastic wrap, we encountered a pungent odor of rotting fish. Naturally, there was some trepidation. Our fears were unfounded. The smell emanated from the fish sauce used in the delightful pesto-like paste stuffed into the fish’s cavity, and the fish itself was warm and fell from the bone. Inquiring at Yang’s, we learned that alongside fish sauce, the stuffing mixture contains mint, kaffir lime leaves, green onions, chilis, and MSG, as well as other ingredients lost in translation. The fish is wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed whole. Its moist and oily flesh was resplendent with the flavors of the spice mix, and though a bit of a mess to eat, was certainly worth the effort. – NS



Fried Bananas ($1 for two pieces)

If you’re looking for a really fine treat, you should probably skip these. If you just want a cheap, quick snack that will be fairly tasty and take the edge off of your hunger, these fried “bananas” will do the job. Despite being called bananas by a Yang’s employee, they were suspiciously plantain-like in color and sweetness. The taste of the batter was too strong and masked the banana / plantain more than is desirable, and some kind of sauce or topping, for a little more interest to the taste, would have been better, but these made a good appetizer to other, more exciting dishes. Share one of the two pieces; otherwise you’ll be too full to properly enjoy the rest of Hmong Village’s offerings. – EMCS



Y-T Express: Spring Rolls ($2)

Described as fresh-made and certainly tasting that way, Y-T Express’s pair of spring rolls is a bargain. With rice noodles, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, pork meatloaf, shrimp, and crab, the rolls were jam-packed and served with a fantastic sweet peanut paste. As spring rolls go, pretty standard, but for $2, nobody’s complaining. — JW



Chicken Curry ($5)

This dish’s preparation and price was key. For $5 comes a bowl of made-when-you-order noodles packed with giant bamboo shoots, carrots, Thai, eggplant and a small chicken thigh bone, prepared by a woman who quite possibly has prepared curry the same way for 60 years. A simple dish, the flavor of parsley, mild curry, and chili oil dominated into a not-thrilling but certainly acceptable meal. It’s easy to imagine this as a workday lunch throughout the Hmong community. And after learning a valuable lesson from Fue’s, the Y-T’s curry we tried was ordered “mild.” The counter girl said, “If an Asian says it’s not hot, don’t believe them. It will be.” Good advice. – JW

Hmong Village

1001 Johnson Pkwy
St. Paul, MN 55106
651.771.7886
HOURS:
11am-7pm (may vary)
BAR: None
VEGETARIAN / VEGAN: Good luck
ENTREE COST: $5-7

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