Audio Stories
Listen to the beautiful stories of Hmong American as they share their water related experiences
Asha (Hnub Qub)
Nine year old, Asha, shares what she loves to do while enjoying water-related activities, such as the beach and camping. (15:05 minutes)
Chai Lee
Chai reflects on the dual nature of water--it is both dangerous and necessary for life. Chai and his wife followed his uncles from California to Minnesota. And, while he loves living here, he has had a few experiences with swimming and being a self-taught swimmer. (26:55 minutes)
Cheng Lee
Cheng tells about a fishing memory on the St. Croix River. He grew up fishing with his dad and brothers and continues to fish for food and recreation to this day. (17:57 minutes)
Chong Lee
Chong shares her experience crossing the Mekong River from Laos to Thailand to reach Ban Vinai Refugee Camp. After Ban Vinai closed, they moved to qhov tsua (Wat Tham Krabok) where she accessed water through a well then later a water tank. (26:19 minutes)
Chue Fue
Six year old, Chue Fue, shares his fun water memories such as swimming in his pool. (13:00 minutes)
Coob Tsab
Coob Tsab explains how she didn’t have to boil water, she can just drank it right from the river. “Water is more important than food because. . .water is drunk unlimited times per day.” (30:29 minutes)
Foua Khang
Foua enjoys hiking and has many places she still wants to see. She shares about the beautiful sceneries and the feelings that erupt from the places she visits. (30:58 minutes)
Judy Yang
Judy and her family (husband and eight kids) has been farming for nearly 30 years. On her first farm, they relied on rain water and experience many times when there was no rainfall. Looking at her crops and seeing the morning dew drops, makes her so happy. (21:27 minutes)
KaYing Yang
KaYing Yang has lived in many places over the years, including Laos and Thailand. She shares stories about her family and Hmong people gathering and cleaning water for drinking and other uses. (39:33 minutes)
Lillian Hang
Lillian tells how she grew up farming with her family and the hard labor to access water for their garden. (24:14 minutes)
Mai Chia Lor
Mai Chia was born in Nonghet and grew up in Long Cheng. In Long Cheng, she accessed water through pipes in the ground located outside her house. A different experience, as they did not have to go to a well or river and carry water home. (17:00 minutes)
Nelly Yang
Nelly is a shaman and explains how Shamans use water. “[Shamans] have to put a dej zag (little bowl of water) onto the thaj neeb (altar). Each shaman has their lineage.” (37:06 minutes)
Nor P. Yang
Nor recalls when he first came to Minnesota from Thailand. He had never known about snow. His fingers would get stuck on anything he touched, even his keys because it was so cold. After many years, he got used to the snow. (33:50 minutes)
Ong Yang
Ong describes her experience offering aid to Syrian refugees after they crossed the Mediterranean Sea. During that time, she thought a lot about her parents’ dangerous journey across the Mekong River. (24:26 minutes)
Pa Nhia Her
Pa Nhia is a 3rd year dental graduate student. She shares how dentists use water and why water is important to our bodies. “[Dentists] use water on a daily basis. It powers our instruments, it helps us to clean the mouth and visualize things.” (25:16 minutes)
Sai Song Lee
Sai Shong is a pastor and shares how water is connected to God and the Bible. “Those who believe God and the Bible says this world is really dark. There are three things that go with darkness in this world. The 1st thing is God’s spirit, the 2nd is darkness, and the 3rd is water. God’s spirit flies on the surfaces of water.” (32:04 minutes)
Terri Thao
Terri shares how Hmong folklore shows up in places in St. Paul, Minnesota. These cautionary tales highlight the power and lure of water. (24:22 minutes)