From Kwvtxhiaj and PajNtaub to Theater and Literature: The Role of Generation, Gender and Human Rights in the Expansion of Hmong American Art.
Author(s):
Vang, Nengher N.; Hein, Jeremy
Format:
Journal article
Citation:
Hmong Studies Journal, Volume 18, (2017-01). pp. 18-Jan.
Language:
English
Abstract:
After they arrived in the US, Hmong refugees expanded their artistic expressions from kwvtxhiaj (singing) and pajntaub (embroidery) to spoken word performances, plays, painting exhibits, poetry publications, and other creative genres. This article examines the thriving Hmong American arts scene in Minnesota to explain why these refugees invested scarce time and resources in art when they were still busy meeting basic needs and confronting external oppression. It presents the findings from content analysis of Hmong newspaper articles about 62 public art events involving 248 Hmong American artists from 2002 to 2011. The article shows that this ten-year period began with the first Hmong art exhibition and the first book of Hmong fiction in world history. These and other Hmong American art forms addressed three social problems: 1) intergenerational conflict; 2) gender inequality; and 3) human rights violations in Laos and the US. The development of Hmong American art was, therefore, a dynamic adaptation to new diaspora challenges rather than simply an attempt to preserve Hmong culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]