Hmong Heritage Month

In this video, Lao and Hmong American authors discuss their work and intellectual endeavors.

For centuries Hmong people have lived in the mountains of China and Southeast Asia. They have in more recent history fled Laos as refugees and resettled in the Americas, Australia and Europe. This documentary was filmed in Chang Khian, a village in the mountains of Northern Thailand. Through the traditional, year-long process of transforming the bark of hemp plants into cloth the complex relationships of men and women are revealed. Women produce the cloth and clothing as the men perform healing ceremonies, settle marriage agreements, and conduct funeral rights. The ready availability of mass produced, inexpensive cloth combined with the fact that the cultivation of hemp (marijuana) is now illegal has brought the continuation of this traditional practice into question. This film is of great interest to the study of gender and kinship, textiles, traditional crafts, shamanism and social change.

Between Two Worlds: The Hmong Shaman in America powerfully exposes the struggle of Hmong refugees in America. This classic documentary traces the lives of three Hmong families displaced thousands of miles from their villages in Northern Laos and alienated in American cities.

Renowned anthropologist Dwight Conquergood narrates the rich history of shamanic rituals and explains the similarity between Hmong beliefs and those of Aboriginal people of the Americas. Rare and dramatic scenes reveal traditional ceremonies and psychological challenges faced by the Hmong as they strive to maintain their culture. A missionary's attempt to convert a Hmong family to Christianity highlights the pressures confronting refugees adapting to a new environment. The effects of their trauma are extreme in the Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome, a mysterious phenomenon that causes Hmong men to die in their sleep. The ancient ways of the Hmong are in danger of being lost forever.

This riveting documentary presents uncensored and unforgettable glimpses into a culture caught between two worlds.

This riveting and award-winning documentary follows Di, a 12-year-old Hmong girl in Vietnam, whose community still practices the controversial tradition of "bride-kidnapping." On Lunar New Year's Eve, Di disappears.