While visiting a friend in the Twin Cities, I looked to see
what interesting there was to do. While this was not a “free” event as I had
hoped (as a struggling student), I did think it worthwhile to check out the “WE
ARE HMONG” exhibit at the St. Paul History Museum. My friend had not been to
this museum, so it was a “win-win” for both of us. I had known that there was a
large Hmong population in Minnesota, but embarrassingly, I really didn’t know a
lot about the community and culture.
After parking, we walked into a fairly large, stone
building. It seemed new, but we later learned it was built in 1995. We entered
the extra large, glass doors. Sunlight filled the entryway, which we welcomed,
since yesterday was cool and overcast.
With my student ID ready, my friend paid my admission and we
got our typical metal, museum clip-on button. “Where is the Hmong exhibit?” I
asked the staff person. We proceeded to the elevators and to the second floor.
A small side space of the exhibit gave an introduction to
the exhibit. A timeline was to the right. In the middle of the room, there was
a set of clothing enclosed by glass. Right away, we both noticed the translated
text for the main panels of text – not all, but most. Also, it was in the Hmong
language first, then English. A short video with sound and captioning both in
English and native language looped. We proceeded to the main exhibit.
The exhibit was spacious, but not too overwhelming. Bright
colors highlighted the space. After learning more about “story cloths,” we
stopped to learn more about them from a museum educator. The person was of
Asian descent, but I was unsure (and I didn’t ask) if he was Hmong. They
explained how the story cloths weren’t a traditional cultural item, and they
only started in 1975 when the Hmong were in the refugee camps. They were made
and then sold abroad. I really liked the idea of story cloths, and would like
to do this with i2i, the community organization I’m involved in. Maybe we could
video call in someone from Minnesota’s Shades of Yellow (SOY) group?
We continued on and I was really happy to see a small
placard about the LGBT Hmong population. Even more so, I knew the person who
had donated two photographs to the exhibit – Oskar Ly.
Then, in the section around politics, I saw the name Mee
Moua, an ally, who I had also met during an NQAPIA dinner.
I’m so glad we made time to experience the exhibit. We ended
our visit by sharing a sandwich and watermelon//tomato salad with feta cheese,
also with an iced coffee and peanut chocolate bar. Not quite “Minnesotan,” but
it’s nice to support the museum and was only $14 – so didn’t “break the ban.” I
would definitely come back, and there are often other events at the museum
especially during the summer. The information and link to the exhibit is below.
I highly recommend anyone going to visit.
St. Paul History Museum
Accessibility: Excellent
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