Light shines on Hmong
Exhibit outlines past, present situation of a large community
June 1, 2015
An influx of immigrants came to Minnesota forty years ago to escape a war terrorizing homes, families and culture. Now, The Minnesota History Center portrays the experience of the Hmong community in Minnesota through an interactive exhibit.
“We are Hmong Minnesota” exhibit curator, Noah Vang, said the idea to create the exhibit came from the inspiration of many people in Minnesota of Hmong descent.
“The portrayal of the Hmong experience is the central focus of this exhibit,” Vang said. “We wanted to reveal the stories that many immigrants experienced before and after leaving their homeland for the United States.”
According to Vang, during the early to mid-1900’s many Hmong people, including his grandparents, were persecuted by the communist government of China, forcing many to leave their homes and families.
According to Macalester College, Minnesota is considered by many Hmong in Asia to be the most important settlement area, the largest concentration of which live in St. Paul.
Vang said the inspiration for the exhibit’s design came from his experiences in a Hmong family, and tries to present the information in a simpler way.
“When designing the exhibit we let the culture of the Hmong people design itself,” Vang said. “We split the exhibit into two rooms; one portrays the early history of the Hmong immigrants in Asia and the U.S and the second focuses on the present situation of Hmong people in Minnesota.”
Junior Keng Yang said he believes the exhibit is an exciting way for students to learn about a culture many people do not know much about.
“Most of my friends do not know the story behind the Hmong people, and its actually very interesting,” Yang said. “I went with my family and it was more enjoyable than I thought before.”
Yang said he is very close to people of Hmong descent and believes it is a culture worthy of this recognition.
“I know a lot of people of Hmong heritage, and they are some of the best people,” he said. “I am happy this exhibits the determination they carried then and now.”
The exhibit will be open throughout the summer until Nov. 29.
Source: Minnesota Historical Society, Minnesota History Center
