La Crosse

On March 27, [we] went to a Hmong blacksmith shop in La Crosse:
Many people come to this shop to see the blacksmith work and to talk with each other about life, funny things, and stories. The blacksmith shop is a place where Hmong people can come and relax.

–Nate

The master blacksmith there is Tong Khai Vang. He learned the art of blacksmithing when he was 10. The master blacksmith is the best and most experienced blacksmith. Our guide, and one of the blacksmiths, was Yue Vu. … The blacksmith makes all sorts of things. Spirit-callers for shamans, hoes, hole cutters for trees, things to hold hot metal, knives, crossbows, and many more things. The spirit-caller takes sixteen to eighteen hours.

–Benjamin

It was one of the most exciting, interesting, and powerful experiences we had on the trip.

–Martha

[Yue Vu] showed us a lot of tools that a blacksmith would make. There were various tools used for working on a farm in Laos. One tool that interested me was a small curved blade for cutting single grains of rice off a plant when the rice is new. There’s a larger version of that for cutting lots of stalks of rice at one time, a tool that is used for drilling a hole in a piece of wood, and another for rounding it out to put rice in.

–Alex

[One of the tools] was for a shaman but it wasn’t a knife. It was a ring with smaller rings that had zigzagged edges. In shamanism, it is used to communicate with the spirits.

–Sara K.

After that, [the blacksmith] took us to the blacksmithing room. There was a big fireplace where Tong Khai sticks the metal in to be hot. There has to be a guy pulling it back and forward to make it hotter. The hotter it is the better it is. Every time the master blacksmith sticks the metal in, the [helper] will pull it back and forth. After that he pounds it. The more you pound it, the stronger it gets, so if you pound it a lot of times, the knife will be very strong.

–Pao

When the metal was glowing red with heat, Mr. Vang took it out with tongs. Then he put it on a metal thing used for hammering tools into shape, and then, still holding it with the tongs, he started to hammer it into shape. When the metal first came out of the fire, I thought it looked like an unbreaking coal! When the metal wasn’t glowing red any more, Mr. Vang put it back in the fire among the coals. Then he took out the glowing metal to hammer. This he did eighteen times, until the blade of the knife was finished. Then, after cooling it down, he passed the blade (which wasn’t sharpened, all you mothers out there) around for each kid to hold. It wasn’t hot; it was just warm!!

–Maggie

While he hammered, little black flakes flew off of the knife. Those were bad pieces of metal.… Tong Khai would sell that knife for about twenty-five dollars.

–Mariah

The blacksmith was very cool. He started out with a piece of metal (usually from a broken down car), got it hammered into shape, and then (I think) he would sharpen it. They use special natural charcoal made out of wood. The bellows were a long tube with a handle used to pump air to the fire. This was a great experience and I want to do another trip next year.

–Martha

Blacksmith
by Nate

Sounds of red hot iron
pummeled
by hammers.
The blazing flame launches
dancing shadows.
Smoke fills the air.

The kids from Longfellow Middle School taught us a game that they play to help them understand how to learn culture better.

The game goes like this: you separate into two groups, one in each room. (This time the groups were called the Betas and Alphas.) One group plays one game; the other plays the other. This is the Alpha’s game: everyone gets a chip. To ask to play the game you stomp your feet three times. To say yes you tap the person’s shoulder who asked; to say no you walk away. If you say yes you hide the chip behind your back in one hand. The person who asked then guesses by touching one arm which hand the chip is in. If they get it correct they say “rafa-rafa” three times and everyone taps their shoulder. If they don’t you walk away. There are also elders who always have to win. One more thing: no talking.

–Benjamin

One of the hardest things was that you couldn’t talk unless you were saying “Rafa-Rafa,” because that is against the rules. The kids from the other group came in without knowing any of the rules and the first thing they did was talk. The elders then kicked them out…

–Gabby

The Betas were traders. Each of them started off with five different cards. They had to go around trading, and the object of the game was to get five of the same color cards but with a different animal on each. Then you would get five points, which was money. There were a few trading limits, however. The main catch was that we didn’t speak English so we would hold up the color card we wanted and make the animal’s noise. So if I held up a blue card and went “oink, oink” that would mean I wanted a blue pig, etc. The Beta had a big personal “bubble” (a no-touch zone) and when we agreed on a trade you would set the card down far away then the other person would do the same. Then you would pick up the other person’s card without touching them, and go trade some more.

–MacKenzie

After we practiced with our separate groups, we’d be allowed to enter the other “culture” and try to understand their game…. I figured out as soon as I got in (to the Beta game) and was handed my cards that the tricky part was figuring out how to trade. It would have taken me a while to figure it out if I had walked around and tried to interact, so I decided to sit back and observe. One thing I discovered immediately was that everybody was walking around making animal noises… if you wanted a card with a cow on it, you’d say: “moo.” That left me with one question—how do I communicate which color I want? After a bit more observing I realized that you held up another card of the color you wanted to receive and if they had it, they’d drop it on the ground and you’d drop another and that’s how you traded… It was pretty hard to figure out what to do in the opposite culture and the game obviously was to be compared with situations like Hmong coming to America…

–Sarah M.

On the last day of our trip we met up with some 7th graders from Longfellow Middle School [in Lacrosse, WI]. They study Hmong culture every year and we decided we wanted to know how they do it. The kids were interviewing six Hmong kids who used to be in that class. [Their names were Kazoua Moua, Se Ying, Vue Ying, Mia Cha, Bong Lo, and Vue Vang. -Abigail] When we walked in there were three people who were going to ask questions and one kid at the computer. The reason there was someone at the computer was because the interviewing was being broadcast live on the web. People could watch and send questions.

–Sara K.

Kids’ Birthplace & the English Language

A couple of the students were born in Laos, some in Thailand and three in America.

–Erica

…One kid said he was born on the way to the refugee camps in Thailand.

–Sara K.

Some were born in the US, but for the rest it was extremely difficult to learn English and it could take up to two years to learn.

–Abigail

They said it was hard to learn English. Because, well, first of all they didn’t know the language and second of all they had to start in kindergarten math even if they were in grade school.

–Erica

When they were leaving Laos (the Hmong), many treasures and animals were left behind and many died escaping. They (and many others I am sure) would like to go back to Laos to see family members who had to be left behind, their livestock (if it is still alive), and their treasures.

–Abigail

These children call Laos “the old country.” Since they were born in Laos, wouldn’t that be called “their country” like a lot of older people call it? I think it has to do with the fact that the older people were actually brought up in Laos and can remember it well.

–Erica

Value of Studying Hmong Culture

…They asked … “Do you think schools in La Crosse should research more about Hmong culture?” …Most of the kids said about half their friends were Hmong and that there should be a class on Hmong.

–Sara K.

They believe that we should teach more about Hmong culture so people will understand more and not tease as much. “They don’t know even why we’re here!” said one student.

–Erica

They feel that the Hmong are treated differently mainly by somebody who doesn’t know their culture. They want the Hmong to be treated like everybody else, and they want classes about Hmong culture to teach more…They feel that true friends don’t care about culture. They just want a nice friend!

–Abigail

Dr. Bee Lo is a naturopathic doctor. He went to medical school for six years.

–Gabby

He has a degree in medicine, but he is mostly a natural healer. He uses everyday veggies to heal you.

–Emily

He can tell you what herbs to use. He can also perform iridologies on you (looking at irises to see personalities). He’s also a good chiropractor. All of his medicines are naturopathic. Another thing about Dr. Bee Lo is that is that he is married to a white woman and that is odd in Hmong culture.

–Thomas

Medicines

Next Doctor Lo told us a little about all the medicines.

–Sara K.

One of the medicines that he showed us was ginger root. He said that if you ate it [raw], it would help motion sickness and also helps if a pregnant women is feeling nauseous.

–Gabby

(He said that) …ginger is a strong medicine that Asian cultures use a lot. It helps with allergies and motion sickness.

–Sara K.

Or you can put it on your throat for a sore throat remedy.

–Emily

Ginger is a plant that is formed under the ground and it takes a very long time to form. When it forms it is usually shaped like a human body. It is very spicy and is good for many sicknesses and is very healthy.

–Thomas

Another one is garlic. Garlic is a very strong medicine. It is supposed to help prevent cancer.

–Gabby

Garlic is very good for people to take for high cholesterol. It is also a good mosquito repellent.

–Emily

He also had pills made of garlic that kills germs.

–Sara K.

Shitaki mushrooms really help people who are fighting cancer.

–Emily

He has a pill made of mushroom that helps fight cancer. The pill is used by the Hmong, the Japanese, and the Americans.

–Sara K.

Another herb is green onion. It helps with low cholesterol. Also onions can help with sore throats. You can squeeze it and get the juice and drink it if you want.

–Gabby

Green onions work almost as well as the garlic, but not as strong.

–Emily

Onions and green onions, eaten raw…these don’t taste very good either, but they are vegetables and help sore throats, help you stay healthy, and make you strong.

–Maggie

Tomato is another one that can take away cancer and is good for the digestive system.

–Gabby

One thing he said was that the smell makes the medicine work, so if you cook the medicine, some of the smell comes out and the medicine isn’t as good.

Bee said that if you put the Aloe Vera on a sunburn, the sunburn would go away in five minutes.

–Sara K.

Aloe Vera comes in a leaf and is a gooey, clear-ish green color. You can eat it, but it is too toxic to eat raw. But it helps heal sunburns, burns, and chapped lips.

–Maggie

He also uses processed natural medicines like ginkgo and some herbs.

–Thomas

The last medicine he showed us was juice from a ginkgo tree. It didn’t look that natural because it was in a bottle, but it was. Bee said ginkgo juice helps with circulation and memory.

–Sara K.

Ginkgo fruit shouldn’t be eaten raw, as it has a very bitter taste. It relaxes your blood vessels.

–Maggie

These medicines are natural, but you have to know how to use them. The medicines in the hospital are different. People who come to Dr. Lo sometimes don’t get better and then have to go to the hospital and get stronger medicines.

–Gabby

Another thing Bee said was that if you go to the doctor and the doctor tells you to take a certain amount of pills and you take more than that, you could die. But if you get some natural medicine from a naturopathic doctor and you take tons of what they give you, you will not die.

–Sara K.

Treatments

There are some small things that he does to patients. One is called cupping. You take a glass jar and put some fire in it for about 3 seconds and then take it out and immediately put it on some part of the body. It sucks on and doesn’t come off unless you pull. This is supposed to suck the evils spirits out of your body. If you leave it on too long, you skin will turn dark purple.

–Gabby

This [cupping] requires a cup, cotton balls, alcohol, a candle, and some scissors or something. You put a little alcohol on a cotton ball to help it set alight, light it with the candle, all the while holding it with the scissors and put the cotton momentarily in the cup to warm up the inside. Then you quickly put the cup on a hurting spot. It will suck up the skin part way into the cup. It is supposed to take away pain.

–Maggie

Another treatment is called spooning. That is when you take a spoon and put something called monkey balm on it. Monkey balm is a kind of cream. Then you start rubbing the spoon on your skin until your skin gets all red. Other people use coins, but that hurts more.

–Gabby

This (spooning) requires a spoon, something like monkey balm medicine paste, and a sore place. You rub the monkey balm on the sore place with the spoon. After a couple minutes, it starts to get red, but it is supposed to take the pain away.

–Maggie

The monkey balm feels cold, but hot at the same time.

–Sara K.

Dr. Lo could look into somebody’s eyes and tell what kind of person you are. Like if you were shy, or if you talked a lot or talked little, even if you would be a leader when you grow up.

–Gabby

Martha and I put on a two-person stethoscope and heard each others’ heartbeats. Bee had made the stethoscope because he thought kids would want to hear their heart beat.

…I went on a tour to see what Bee’s office looked like. Bee’s wife (who is not Hmong) was leading it. First she took us to the room where Bee massages people. In the middle of it there was a massage table and off to the side there were cupboards with pill medicine in them. Next Bee’s wife showed us Bee’s office. Bee talks to his patients there to see exactly what is wrong with them. In the office there was a desk and a cupboard. On the cupboard were some trophies and on the desk there were some business cards and flowers. He told us the Hmong used everything he showed us. It was so fun watching Bee show and talk about naturopathic medicines. I hope if I get sick I can use them some time.

–Sara K.

While we were at the Blacksmith and Senior Center we interviewed two ladies who were working on sewing.

–Dylan

The sewers were Shoua Her and Tong Vang. Shoua Her was sewing in what appeared to be cross-stitch, by hand, a piece of pandau [paj ntaub] to go on the back of a shirt. She learned how to sew from her heart, because her mother died when Shoua was 10.

–Maggie

No one taught her how to do needlework. Many people copied her style of making pandaus. On the needlework there are many different kinds of dark and bright colors.

–Pakou

Tong Vang was using a sewing machine and was making some traditional clothes for a White-Hmong man. She uses only sight to measure. She helped a boy from Longfellow [Middle School, in La Crosse, Wisconsin] put on a shirt and pants and hat that a Hmong man would wear. She let him keep the pants.

–Maggie

She likes the sewing machines that they have in America. She only makes traditional clothes and compares the body parts to the piece of clothing to make the cloth the right size.

–Dylan

The lady that is sewing by hand started when she was in Laos when she was a little girl. When her mom died she started to sew more and she is still sewing. The cloth she is holding up is a cross-stitch and it’s a baby carrier. There are clothes she makes. She sews whenever she is not busy. When she is alone she sews. Her daughters want to sew but they can’t because they have to do their homework and so they don’t have enough time to learn how to sew. The clothes that she makes are very traditional to the Hmong people that buy them.

–Jenny

There was a picture of two Hmong women. You can tell they were green Hmong because they wore green sashes. Although there were men’s clothes, there weren’t any women’s clothes in the room that day.

The women come to sew here so that they can sew together and talk and have fun. She had some other beautiful clothing that she brought that I think was just to look nice.

–Dylan

Neng Yang is a basket maker. He is making baskets so Shoua Her, a woman, had to talk. She does needlework. Shoua said back in Laos the baskets were made to carry dishes, clothes, babies, food, plants, dirt, tools, etc. They use thin bamboo that has to be the same size because thin bamboo can bend and doesn’t break and it can hold a lot of things. Everybody has to know how to do baskets by the age of about five or ten. The Hmong people only make baskets at certain times. The children learn how to make the basket by looking at how the elders do their basket weaving. Without baskets, you need to carry heavy things with your hands and your head. The baskets have names from the objects that the basket is used to carry. Many, many baskets were made in many different kinds of sizes to carry objects that would fit into the baskets.

–Pakou

The baskets were originally made in Laos with bamboo that was very thin. They use plastic to weave the baskets in America. He likes the bamboo baskets and the plastic baskets just as good as each other.

–Dylan

All of the baskets they make out of shipping plastic. Why? Because in Laos they use bamboo to weave the basket and since they don’t have bamboo here, they use plastic because it’s: 1.) cut in the right size strip already, and 2.) nice and durable. Some of the baskets were made of cut up hoses.

–Emily

Sometimes in America people sell the baskets or use them for personal use of the family. Basket making is important in Hmong culture because you need to be able to move and carry things around. The baskets were more important in Laos where they used the baskets a lot.

–Dylan

In Laos everybody knew how to make baskets. But they could only do it in their spare time. If children wanted to learn, they could. Elders would show them how.

–Maggie

Children would normally learn how to make baskets when they were teens. Not all teens in America learn how to make baskets. The way they learned to make baskets in Laos was by watching an elder make a basket and then copying what they do.

–Dylan

The design he was making was called a “star.” The holes were shaped like.

–Emily

He said they are hard to make because you could make them in different shapes. He said that you can’t learn when you are five years old or younger. He said you could learn how to make the basket when you are a teenager. He said that the basket is not that easy to learn. It looks easy but it takes a while to learn it. The basket could be any color but it is mostly green and black. I don’t know why but I think it means something. When he is done making it he takes all of his baskets and sells them and if no one buys the baskets then he gives it to one of his friends if they want the basket and they don’t he keeps them for himself. [He] keeps supplies in it. One basket takes about two hours because it takes a long time to put the plastic together to make the basket and make the shape you wanted it to be. They make the baskets when they are not busy.

–Jenny

In a warehouse in La Crosse, down the hallway from the blacksmith’s shop, is a little room that holds a big business. When you walk in you see a counter, a stove, a freezer, a cash register, and racks for supplies. It looks like one big kitchen! And that it is—a kitchen for egg rolls. The smell of egg rolls is all about, and steam rises from the vats of boiling water in which hundreds of egg rolls cook every day. More egg rolls fill the counters, cooling off.

Tia Yang and her brother and sister own the company. Tia has another job as a shipping worker at a big business, and her siblings have second jobs as well. You might be wondering why the heck they keep so busy. Their reasoning? They wanted to start their own business, something from their Hmong culture they knew how to do, and making egg rolls was the perfect thing.

The business started a year ago, and it must be doing pretty well, because they will be moving into a bigger, better location. Future plans are to open up an area in the store where customers can sit and dine in, like at a restaurant. They hope to have other foods besides egg rolls—noodle salad, take out lunch, and dinners. They also want to hire more employees.

Tia told us they make 300-500 egg rolls per day! They make five different kinds: vegetarian, shrimp, pork, chicken, and beef. Some they make fresh and the customer picks them up right out of the oven, and some they freeze and you can buy them and heat them up.

Here’s how they make the egg rolls: first, you get the ingredients, put them in a big bowl, and mix them. (The ingredients are the same ones they used in Laos.) Then you roll them up into crust. You put them in sizzling water to cook. You have to let them cool for a while.

When we tasted them, they were great! I hope the Yang family’s Hmong’s Golden Egg Roll business does well, and keeps up the tradition of making delicious food!

–Sarah M.

When we walked into Hmong’s Golden Egg Rolls, we saw shelves and shelves of ingredients and sauces. Tia Yang, her brother, and her sister all own the shop. Everybody who works there has another job. They started a year ago because they wanted to have a place of their own. They are moving to a bigger place, where they will make other Hmong food as well as eggrolls. In their egg rolls they put cabbage, onion, carrots, seasoning, and meat for the non-vegetarian ones. Just family works there now but when they move they will hire more people. The egg rolls sell at $1.00 a piece. Tia can roll seventy to eighty egg rolls in one hour.

–Gabby

Mostly Hmong people buy egg rolls there. They cost $1 an eggroll, 75 cents for a frozen egg roll. Tia can roll out dough for 80 egg rolls in one hour. People mostly order the egg rolls for parties, weddings, and the New Year.

–Dylan

To stay in business they work hard. They get up in the morning to start work at 6:00 and make egg rolls until it’s dark at 9:00.

–Jenny

Egg Roll Factory
by Nate

Luscious smells
Crispy, brown, oily,
eggrolls
I hear bubbling hot oil
ever
so
slowly
rising over soft, uncooked
eggrolls

One of our last stops was at the Indochinese Grocery Store. When we walked in, we were greeted by the pungent smell of dried foods and tea. They sell a wide variety of things, from incense to tea to toothpick holders.

–Emily

The woman who works at the store is Va Xiong. Her husband’s name is Xai Xiong and their daughter owns the store. They have a little kitchen where they sell food. A lot of different kinds of people come to the store, mostly Hmong people. They sell pots, plates, spoons, forks, knives, rice machines, baskets, foods, fruits, drinks, toys, spirit money, sauces, desserts, jewelry, etc…. Down in the basement there were many cloths [fabrics] from many kinds of different Asian cultures. There was Hmong Chinese cloth, Laos cloth, Thailand cloth, Vietnamese cloth, Cambodian cloth, and American cloth. There were a lot of Laos blouses hanging from hangers. The blouses were many colors. There were traditional Hmong hats and clothing… On the top floor, they sell Hmong videos. A lot of the movies have only people chanting to each other. On a lot of Hmong movies they have the title printed in Hmong letters with English subtitles.

–Pakou

Va Xiong showed us around the grocery store. There were noodles, chickens, fish sauce, fish, spices, rice, incense, Chinese candy and toys and more…. They have their own lunch restaurant with egg rolls, noodles and rice…. Va Xiong is a seamstress who makes Chinese and Hmong clothes. Her work space is downstairs in a big room with lots of fabric, clothes, shoes and accessories. The fabrics were in bright pink, green, yellow, red, blue, and black bolts.

–Thomas

Upstairs was everything from ginger to soap, toothpick holders, incense and more. There were things from ALL OVER the world! In the corner was a very small lunch bar/deli, and there was also a display of Hmong artifacts. Some were hand-sewn decorations, a Hmong ball made for tossing, purses, and little metal trinkets shaped like elephants and other animals. Downstairs, there were yards of cloth, all with hand-stitched designs. There was also traditional hand-embroidered clothing. Va gets these from Asia when she goes once or twice a year. She sells them [here] to the Hmong. Va also sells a lot of American dresses, shirts, and skirts.

–Izzy S.

One shirt and pants combo might cost $160.00

–Emily

On Friday, despite the cold, rainy weather, our last stop was an Amish farm outside Tomah. You might be wondering what in the world does an Amish farm have to do with Hmong culture?

–Sarah M.

On our spring trip, we visited an Amish farm. Aaron Yoder showed us around it. We went through a muddy field to a small chicken coop. As we approached it, a smell of millions of feathers flying, and not cleaned up chicken poop.

–Emily

Our bus lurched to a stop beside an old barn and farmhouse where we met Aaron Yoder, the farmer who lives there. He led us to the chicken coop, where in a tiny room were 600 small black chickens. They were covering every inch of the floor!

Aaron sells all these chickens to Hmong people who want to use them for funerals or other ceremonies. Aaron lets the Hmong butcher the animals right there on the farm. Aaron sells the chickens for only three dollars apiece.

–Sarah M.

Aaron has a whole little barn room full of chickens. You can see little black chickens laid all over the ground. The Hmong prefer the black chickens. Aaron thinks it is because that is the way they had them in Laos.

–Gabby

The Amish farm we went to was “Horse and Buggy Amish.” They had no lights, no phones, no cars, no air conditioning, no electricity. You might think I’m lying but I’m NOT!

–Emma

He sells chickens to the Hmong people. He raises a special kind of chicken called special black chickens. His chickens come from Asia.

The reason the Hmong people buy chickens from him is because they are black chickens, the Hmong people like the meat, and they are raised without things like antibiotics and chemicals. Plus, the chickens are only three dollars apiece.

–Dylan

Aaron buys the chickens in town, raises them on his farm, and sells them to Hmong people when they have all grown up. Some of the chickens are butchered by the Hmong; others are raised for eggs and more chickens.

It’s a lot of work to take care of the chickens, especially when they’re young. In cold weather, Aaron has to get up in the middle of the night to put more wood in the wood-burning stove that keeps the chickens warm.

–Maggie

When the chickens are small they take a lot of care. He has to feed the animals, keep them warm, clean the barn, and every few hours he has to go and check on them, even at night.

–Gabby

You have to keep heat for the baby chickens to keep them warm. They need fresh air so they can grow bigger and taste yummy.

–Mark

The Amish are pretty willing to raise the chickens for the Hmong and sell to them. Other Amish farmers sell hogs and cows and other animals. Aaron isn’t sure whether the Hmong are comfortable with the Amish or not. All he knows is that they will buy from them, and don’t act like they are nervous around him.

–Maggie

Aaron also has three or four brown horses with white strips on their noses, and in the barn there are a whole lot of cows, a small calf, several big calves, bunnies, and a dog!

–Abigail

I think it’s cool that the Hmong can get their chickens from another culture like the Amish.

–Sarah M.

That’s when we got on the bus BECAUSE IT WAS FREEZING!!!!! Then we headed back to Madison.

–Nico