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- Today on "teen connection," we highlight the Hmong culture. The Hmong are an Asian ethnic group that fought alongside the United States in the Vietnam War and then settled in places like Wisconsin in the 1970s. The struggles of today's Hmong youth are decidedly different than the struggles of their parents and grandparents. On the program, we take a look at the challenges this generation has faced living the American culture while trying to hang on to their own culture and practices. 
- Our culture is going to be altered. It’s going to be changed like every culture through time. It may become simpler than what it used to be because it's so complex. They’re going to have people who want to change it to make it easier for everyone to understand. 
- Every culture needs to learn about themselves. Where did they come from? What are their values? What are their beliefs? And, again, in my daily profession, I see that our young people, the Hmong people, are really losing it because it really is not the dominant culture. We all know the dominant American culture, which is a great culture and embraces all the layers of the salad and therefore sometimes when you're so good at changing, you lose bits and pieces in holes of yourself. 
- Generations, they change. And I do see some kids that are saying that we live in American society now. We don't need that old stuff. But at the same time I’m not going to judge because if that's how you think, then I guess that's who you are. But I’m going to keep the culture going because I still want it to be there. 
- I think sooner or later every one of us, every child of an immigrant, and that includes all of us in America, will have to come to terms with who we are. And we are not just Americans. None of us are just Americans. We’re German Americans, polish Americans, and we are Hmong Americans. And that is something to be proud of. 
- This is "teen connection" on Wisconsin public television, your place to connect and talk about the issues that are important to you. Call us toll-free with your questions or comments, courtesy of night long distance. Our number is 1-877-988-2888.

- Welcome to "teen connection." so glad you could be with us. I’m your host, Kathryn branch. The Hmong population in the United States exceeds 250,000, with the largest groups in California, Minnesota and right here in Wisconsin. The Hmong population in Wisconsin grew more than 39% in the last decade, to almost 50,000, and teenagers make up about 40% of the total. Today we look at how well the Hmong youth are doing, growing up in American cultural norms. There are several ways you can join in our discussion. You can call us toll-free, courtesy of night long distance, at 1-877-988-2888. Again, that toll-free number is 1-877-988-2888. You can also text your questions to 920-288-2574. Standard text messaging rates may apply. Or you can also questions on Facebook. Just go to Facebook, search for Wisconsin teen connection and message us your questions. As always, we have several guests joining us on the panel tonight, including was year Thao, president of the Wisconsin united coalition of mutual assistance associations and minority student coordinator at northeast Wisconsin technical college. Thanks for being with us, was year tonight. 
- It is an honor to be here. 
- tell me, what are some of the issues that students are facing when they come to you?
- they come with all kind of challenge and each student have a little bit different, but the most, majority that they facing is the financial support due to not enough financial support from the family because a lot of the parents are working in the production work. 
- Factory work, things like that? 
- Yes. Yes. And then the other thing is the balance about school, work and family. 
- Mm-hmm. 
- Because a lot of the student have a lot of responsibility at home at the same time.
- So it's hard to get the school work in. 
- Correct. 
- When maybe they're also helping to take care of siblings. Thank you. 
- Sure. 
- Also joining us is lee her. Tell me some want problems that you think face Hmong high school students. 
- well, the problems I see, well, there's really not many problems because the Hmong students, so far I know from other schools, we get along with any other race from blacks to whites to Mexicans, and like we get along. We hang out. But like the Hmong people, they're mostly together because they just want to be their kind, you know. I mean, other race like talk to them and hang out with them, but I kind of would like to speak Hmong to each other because we want for us to know it only, because it's just the way we do our things around school. 
- Mm-hmm. You want to keep that language going. 
- Yeah. 
- Yeah. Also with us tonight is Lumina her, who is also a student. You go to college. Tell me, why did you decide to go to college, try to pursue higher education? Is that something that was important to your family? 
- I decided to pursue higher education because growing up I was always taught that higher education means better job, more options out there for you and you're likely to be hired. And as the oldest child, going to college was very important in my family. My parents never got the chance to, so I believe they're giving me that chance. and I’ve been told that I’m seen as a minority, but what defines me is these steps I take to be successful and college is one of the first steps. 
- That’s really cool. Paid Kong is also with us tonight. Also a college student. Paid, is the Hmong culture important to you? 
- It’s definitely important to me. It’s a part of who I am and who my family and my parents are. It’s definitely something I want to teach my kids, like the language, the customs and of course the food. And when people look at me, they always wonder like where I’m from or who I am. And I am Hmong and its part of me and that's why it's so important. 
- have you faced that, where people might ask you a question, something like where you from are or what are you, those kinds of questions? And how do you deal with that? 
- The most common one I got is where are you from? I go, oh, I’m from Wausau. They go, no. where are you originally from? My parents, my grandparents? I was born in Wausau. They want to hear like, oh, Laos, Thailand. I tell them that my parents are from Thailand, but I’m born in the United States. 
- have you ever gotten questions like that? 
- Yes. 
- What do you do? 
- I’ve been called a guy from china before. When they say that, all I say is I’m not from china. I was born in California and I moved down to Kansas for a good 14 years and moved down here and living in Wisconsin now and I’m living my life, you know. And they may say I’m from china or something, but truth is I’m from the United States. 
- Yeah. Was year, you were not born in the United States. 
- No. 
- do you see a difference in the way Hmong people of your generation act and the way people of the next generation act? I mean, in terms of like adopting the culture and, you know, being interested in the culture? 
- I think that little bit different is that those kids are born over there. It’s a little bit different. I’m talking about the attitude and the adapt to the culture. The reason I say that is because the kids are born over there, the way of raising kids over there is a little bit different from here. And the kid born over here, they might have a little bit different -- the attitude a little bit different from the kid that born over there. But I think that, again, they adapt and also learn the society very well. And they apply whatever the society -- what is good for them, they adopt that and apply to their life and use to their family. Yeah. I don't see there's a big challenge on that. But, again, the attitude will be a little bit different. 
- A little bit different. 
- Yeah.

- paid, I’m wondering, I understand that in, culturally, in the Hmong culture people traditionally married at a very young age. How old are you? 
- I’m 22. 
- You’re 22. So a lot of Hmong women in previous generations would be married, have kids by 22. Are you married? 
- No. I’m not married. 
- You’re not married. So that's different. Is that something that you did on purpose, that you chose to do differently than your ancestors? And why? 
- Oh. I think a lot of it was my parents. They didn't want us to get married young. They wanted us to go to school because that was what you do, go to school and then get married. My dad was like you can date after high school, then after college. It was that kind of thing. I think a lot of it was my parents. they wanted me to wait until I could find someone who I’d want to marry and be ready for it, because I think maybe they might have known, you know -- they got married when they were 16 and 17, so they were young and they weren't ready for a family yet and they didn't want me to make -- not that it was a mistake marrying each other, because they were in love, but not to have to start out that way. 
- It was a different way of doing it. 
- Yeah. 
- How about you, lee? At the ages you are now, were your parents already married? 
- Yeah. My mom was married when she was 14. I think that's how I remember, what she told me. And my dad was 18. Yeah. 
- How old are you? 
- I wasn't born yet. 
- No. how old are you now? I’m sorry. 
- I’m sorry. 
- No. I phrased it wrong. 
- I’m 17 right now. 
- So you would be getting married next year then. Do you plan to do that? 
- No, I don't. 
- Why not? 
- Because I plan on finishing military school before I get married. And that's like six years from now. Yeah. 
- was year, why do you think that has changed? 
- Well, I think that, again, this society is different. People are very busy, and the challenge is different from what we have over there. So the society, you need to be ready for everything, for the challenge. And if you are not ready for that, then it will be very hard to get married that early. So that's why a lot of the parents really wanted to push the kids to at least graduate from college. 
- To wait. 
- Yeah. Yeah. To wait. 
- Yeah. What about, Lumina, marrying a Hmong person? is that something -- you know, maybe you're not thinking about marriage yet, but when you do, would that be something that's important to you? 
- Yeah, especially to my grandpa and grandma. They want me to marry my own race so I can educate people about our culture and what Hmong is like. And just so the Hmong people will expand more, you know. 
- How about you, paid? Do you think you might marry a Hmong man? 
- I’ve actually been in a relationship with someone who is not Hmong for a very long time, and I’m just really lucky that my parents never, ever really put a restriction on me like that. It was just like marry who you love. It didn't matter really who they were. It matters who they are, but their race and everything. That doesn't matter. 
- have you thought about that? Do you think you might marry a woman who is also Hmong? 
- Yes. I have to. 
- Who says you have to? 
- Well, my grandparents and parents. I mean, I can date any other race, but they say I can't marry them because it's bad for me. and so I’m just like if it's bad for me and my grandparents and parents, I might as well date other race, but don't marry them. If I was to get married, I have to find a Hmong wife. Yeah. 
- got you. 
- Yeah. 
- okay. We want to move on now. We have a text question. And the question says -- it's for was year. When you moved to America, what was life like? Was it hard then? And did it get easier? 
- It is very hard. It’s just something like you are not expect to be. You just like drop into a place that you're not expect at all. 
- Everything was different, I’m sure. 
- Everything was different. You turn around and things are different. The house, the people around you are very different. So you are just like -- a lot of time, especially my dad, keep saying to me that, son, I think we are in the wrong place. I want to go home. That’s what my dad keep telling that. 
- But home wasn't even your family's original -- I mean, where did you come from before you came to the United States? 
- Thailand. 
- Thailand. 
- Right. 
- But your family had originally -- 
- From Laos. 
- From Laos. So the home was gone, in a way. 
- It is. Yeah, yeah. It is gone. 
- Yeah. that's -- is that -- do you think is that partially why so many Hmong immigrants came to places where there already were Hmong people established? 
- Correct. Yeah, yeah. They want to be in a place that there are a lot of people look like them. They feel more comfortable, feel more safe and secure. Also, they move to a place that there are more look like them. More people look like them. 
- can you tell us a little bit about, these two are from green bay, but can you tell us a little bit about the Hmong community in Wausau? 
- The Hmong community in Wausau? Everybody’s really close. I mean, we all know each other. We all hang out together. And there's -- I think you're just more comfortable with your own kind, so in school public all the Hmong people always together. The white people are always together. African-American people are always together. And if a Hmong person hangs out with another race, he's known as a whitewash. Yeah. The Hmong people are really tight. Everybody is really helpful there. 
- Now that you live in green bay, do you miss the Wausau community? 
- I do. I get homesick a lot. But I met new people here and it's great. 
- That’s great. Do you have friends at school that are not Hmong? 
- Yeah. I have lots of friends that are not Hmong. I hang out with them mainly in classes because like in most my classes I don't have any Hmong friends except for a few class, which I only hang out with them when I’m with them. but my time in school, like I like to make friends, so I hang out with any other people that isn't Hmong, so I be known. You want to be known in class. So either be a class clown or just be cool with everybody. 
- Mm-hmm. 
- so it's just basically I’m so used to making friends that I just talk to everybody who wants -- who I want to know. 
- You’re talking to anyone and everyone. That’s great. Paid, I know that high school -- you're in college now, as we said, but high school, it can be a challenging time for anyone. But do you feel like being Hmong you had some added challenges or different challenges that you dealt with? 
- I think some challenges might have just been people not understanding some things, like culturally about you, and like people not wanting to get to know your culture as much because a lot of my friends weren't Hmong. So it was hard for me -- it was hard for them to relate to me in that sense and hard for me to relate to them. They didn't get the aspect of being a minority well. 
- If I may, were a lot of your friends white? 
- Yeah. Mostly, yeah. 
- okay. 
- And a lot of it -- well, at the same time it was a good way for me to educate them about my culture. 
- Yeah. That’s true. do you ever feel, Lumina, like you do that, educate people about what it means to be Hmong, like just friends or just people in a store or -- 
- Yeah. 
- And do you enjoy doing that or do you feel like it's kind of a pain? 
- I feel it's interesting because I’m not that well-educated in my own culture, so it leads me to ask my grandpa, grandma and mom more about it. Paid and I were talking about it. It’s a way for us to educate others. I thought it was interesting. I used to always find it offensive. Oh, so when you ask me what am I, what am I supposed to answer you with? But they don't know. They’re not educated about this. 
- You have children? 
- Yes. 
- How important is it to you as a parent to make sure that -- and is their mother also Hmong? 
- Yes. 
- How important is it to you and your wife to continue the Hmong culture with your children and educate them about it? 
- I think -- 
- And the language also. 
- Sure. I think it's very important. As a parent, I think that my wife and I, we always tell kids that from Monday to Friday you are in school. And mainly 100% you speak English in school. Very little in Hmong. But other than that, it's all English. And my wife and I, we expect them when they -- when they come home, we expect them to speak Hmong. 
- do they ever push back against that? 
- Well, you know what? Sometimes they do, but I can understand why, because a lot of time when we ask them to go something for us in Hmong, they'll never find them. So we'll have to say in English so that they can find it. And that again, it also teach them at the same time, use the opportunity to teach them to find things, but also learning the Hmong language. So, yeah, we do a lot of those kind of things. 
- Yeah. That’s interesting. Lee, you said that you make an effort to speak Hmong to your Hmong friends. 
- Yep. 
- What do you get out of that? Why do you do that? 
- because I want the home language to keep going and, like, like, how they say, like the Hmong language, the elders, since Hmong people came to America, like everybody started speaking English and Hmong is dropping really fast. So me, I want the culture to keep going, right? So that's why I always speak Hmong in front of my Hmong friends so they can keep speaking Hmong with me. 
- do they ever not want to? 
- I don't know. They never told me because when I speak Hmong with them, they do it back. 
- That’s great. Lee’s got it going on. Paid, what about you? Do your parents speak Hmong to you? 
- Yeah. My parents usually always speak Hmong to me, but I usually always reply in English. I try to speak Hmong to my mom a lot. My dad will sometimes speak English to me, but my mom mainly always speaks Hmong. So I’ll try to. I’m not the greatest at Hmong and I know that, but I definitely do want to get better because it's something that I do want to pass on to my kids. I want my kids to know Hmong. And at this point it seems like my parents will be the ones that have to teach them, but it's something I want to carry on. 
- Have you ever served -- well, do your parents -- you said your dad speaks English? 
- Both of them do. 
- And so you've never -- have you ever had to serve as kind of a translator, or have they always been great? 
- They’ve always been good. Like my dad, actually, he translates for other people. So I’ve always -- I’m lucky that I haven't had to do that. 
- Yeah. Lee, what about you? Do your parents speak English? 
- My stepdad right now, he speaks English pretty good, but my mom doesn't know English. 
- So tell me about like if you go to the grocery store with your mom, are there ever times where you have to help her understand things? 
- Yeah. There are times when I have to help her. I can't say I’m the best translator, but I do help my mom translating when I go grocery shopping. 
- is that okay with you? 
- Yeah. It’s okay with me. But it's mainly my sister who does the translating because she's better than me. 
- okay. Okay. Got it. Got it. We have a Facebook question that we want to get to. It says is it tough to speak English all day at school and then go home and have to speak Hmong? Lumina, do you speak Hmong at home? 
- I do. 
- is that transition ever tough, to switch the language in your mind? 
- I think just speaking for myself it's not as tough because my parents are all Americanized, so we speak English at home. But we play games where whoever stops speaking Hmong first gets discipline for that. It helps us learn better. Us kids, we're not that fluent in Hmong yet, but we're getting there. But back to that question. It’s not as hard because you grew up like that.

- How about you, lee? It sounds like you really -- I mean, Hmong is the language of your home, it sounds like that. 
- Yeah. 
- So is that hard ever to go from school to home? 
- No. it's not hard. Because at school I speak Hmong too. school is just like home to me because I speak English to my American friends, then to my Hmong friends I speak Hmong to, which makes it easier for me when I go home and speak Hmong to my parents, because that's basically what I do. 
- Mm-hmm. Was year, some of the students that you work with, do you talk about the language issue and how learning English presumably can help them in their career path? 
- Oh, yeah. Again, the student, a lot of them are born over there and raised over there. And when they came here, they have a language barrier and they need to do more to be able to exist in the program. So, yes, we do have to offer some of the basic course that they need to take prior to getting to -- 
- And just to be clear, you work not only with Hmong students, but students from all over the world. 
- Correct. 
- Right? 
- Yep. Mm-hmm. International student, yeah. 
- got you. But for anyone, English can help them in the workforce? 
- Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. English will be one of the key. I keep telling them that you need to be able to speak English to survive in this country. Otherwise, it will be very hard for you to survive in this country. 
- Mm-hmm. 
- So they will have to do two or three -- two or three thing at the same time, learning English at the same time, also keep their language as much as they can. 
- And then the classes on top of it. 
- Yeah. 
- Yeah. Busy. I’m wondering, you talked a little bit about your sister being a better translator than you. Do you feel like there is one of you siblings who is more interested in the Hmong culture part of it, not necessarily the language part, but the culture part, or are all of you kind of equally -- you know, the Hmong food, Hmong traditions, and things like that? 
- We’re actually all equally because we're really close brothers and sisters. 
- How many of these are you? 
- Nine. 
- Big family. 
- Big family. But then since my four elders moved, I have to be the eldest, and it's pretty tough to be the oldest one in the house because you have to do everything in the house. Yeah. 
- Yeah. Busy house. Even though the Hmong have lived in Wisconsin since the 1970s, they remain a mystery to a lot of people. The Neville public museum in green bay is helping people to get a better understanding through an exhibit called who are the Hmong? Dean leis gang went on a field trip to the museum to see how students are getting an education in this ancient culture. 
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- Inside the Neville public museum in green bay, school group after school group take in the sights and sounds of a different era. These kids are treated to a firsthand look at how the Hmong culture has survived for thousands of years, through wars and migration. 
- I really like history and I like how it's told how everything was like how it was back then and how it's slowly progressing and like I like the time line because I don't know that much about way back, but I know like up to the Vietnam war. 
- We are continuing to educate others about who we are. At the same time, educate ourselves on who we are. And we're changing the demographic of a lot of American societies. 
- Every artifact on display tells a story. The exhibit links the past with the present by focusing on four themes, beginning with a profile of the ancient culture. 
- For a child to understand who they are they need to go back and rediscover who are my parents? Who are my grandparents? Where did they come from? So I can be central, I can try to live through where they came from, some of their story. Because each one of us have a story. 
- I hope that as people attend the exhibit, that they leave with a sense that Hmong Americans in many ways are very similar to past Americans to this country. 
- As the teenagers watch videos and study the artifacts, they get a good understanding of why the Hmong came to the United States. The pictures that canvas the walls of the museum help illustrate why the Hmong were allies and refugees. 
- The Hmong were an ally of the United States during the Vietnam War. After that, they were forced to go to refugee camps. And that was a big part of their life. And many of the people who are here today can relate, can tell stories of their life in a refugee camp. 
- I learned that we had a really hard time in the refugee camp and that we went through hard times finding food. 
- The final theme brings us to the present day. It shows how the Hmong have created their own identity in Wisconsin and have become our neighbors. 
- Some students might pick on others and so now they know, oh, this is what they went through. Maybe now I might want to do that. 
- One thing that I think is valuable about this exhibit is that it gives credence to an immigrant culture that has come here and has established itself here in Wisconsin. And there are -- Wisconsin has a beautiful, rich cultural history of that. We have lots of different immigrant groups that come here to Wisconsin and they establish their culture and they eventually become our community leaders, they become our teachers, they become our business people who are movers and shakers, and the Hmong people are certainly doing that here in Wisconsin. 
- Wherever we live, we work hard and we do everything we can to contribute to the community that we live in. 
- For some of the kids walking through the museum, this was their first introduction to the Hmong culture. For others, it was a refresher course in their own culture. For everyone, it was a great learning experience. 
- You have to know how your culture is someday because if you don't know about it, then how is -- like how are you supposed to keep your culture with you? 
- some stuff on the internet isn't true, but if you actually go to a museum, they will have the facts, and I think that would be great for kids of the cultures to go to a museum and learn more about their culture. 
- a lot of their students are related to several of the people that they've seen in the exhibit today, which is very exciting for them, to see that their culture is represented and valued by the general society. 
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- The who are the Hmong exhibit is on display until May 5 at the Neville museum, which is in downtown green bay. Joining us now is Katie Thao, a high school counselor in the green bay school district. So, Katie, how valuable do you think a field trip like that is, not only for Hmong people, but for everyone? 
- well, field trips in general are very parts to any learning, really emphasizing hands-on, incorporating not just the visual, but other objects that really ties the past to the present and putting it into reality. 
- get out of the classroom a little bit. 
- such a display at the exhibit that is going on is really going to draw all those out of a person, the visual, the objects, tying the past to the future. 
- That’s great. I want to welcome Linda Thao. Linda, I’m wondering do you speak and write the Hmong language at home. And is doing that important to you? 
- I do speak. We learned how to write it. And it's really important. And although English is spoken a lot, more than Hmong in our family, my parents and elders and relatives encourage us and they have taught us a lot. 
- is this something that's important to you to keep it going? 
- Yeah. 
- Or just kind of like my parents want me to, but I’m not really that into it. 
- I think it's really important because it's part of my culture. And knowing the language and knowing the language then my kids can learn it too. And so yeah. Yeah. 
- Do you think that you might -- do you hope that maybe you will marry a man who is Hmong? Or you haven't really thought about it yet. 
- I haven't really thought about it yet. 
- That’s okay. That’s okay. I got it. We also want to welcome jeer vans. Do you know any of the rituals of the Hmong people, things like Hmong New Year, things like that, and is it important to your family to know these things? 
- Yes. I consider it very important and there are several ceremonies and holidays, like the New Year, which back then was once every year after the harvest season, but now it's more yearly event. 
- And we're looking at some video of some of the celebrations that can happen during the Hmong New Year festivities. Looks like it's a lot of fun. What are some of the stuff -- what's some of the stuff you do? 
- The thing they're doing right now is where a woman and a man -- 
- looks like they're throwing a ball back and forth. 
- Yeah. And this is -- 
- Katie, do you know the symbolism of that? 
- Well, that is -- back in our society, openly courting was prohibited, because it often leads to marriage. So at the Hmong New Year, that is socially very acceptable, where the man and opposite sex can engage in open dialogue, public conversation in lieu of tossing that ball back and forth. And it can become very competitive, where often it can lead to marriage. In tossing that back and forth, they negotiate, if I drop the ball, I give you something, that eventually if two people like each other, they say if you drop the ball enough, you could become my wife or my spouse. 
- That’s interesting. Our final guest is jenny her. Jenny, what are some of the things you've learned from your Hmong elders? And do you feel like what they have to say, is it important, do young people listen to them? 
- Well, not only the elders, but also my parents. They always teaching me every morning, to cook and do like the chores and everything, not be a lazy. Back in the old days, of course, they always had to get up very early in the morning every day just to cook and things like that. I respect them a lot because they're older and just respect them and listen to them. Just don't disobey them. 
- Jeer, I was wondering, there are a lot of stories about how the Hmong people came to the United States. do some of your -- do your parents and grandparents tell some of those stories ever at home or have you heard some of those stories about how your family came to the united states? 
- Yeah. Mostly my mom, she would always tell us about how she carried like us as kids and like her and the rest of the Hmong people ran across the Mekong River. 
- When you hear those stories, do you think about how like it was hard for them? Or do you just kind of get like sick of the -- you know, hearing the same -- okay, mom's telling stories again. You know, do you like hearing them? Or is it not important to you? 
- Oh, I don't get sick of them. I think it's good to remember those kind of stories, because -- and I can't even like imagine what they would have gone through. 
- Yeah. That’s really neat that you feel that way. How about you, Linda? When you hear the stories that your father -- because I understand your father was a refugee and came over. When you hear those stories, how does that make you feel? 
- It makes me respect them even more than I do now, because it shows all the struggles and dangers that they've gone through and stuff. 
- Yeah. We have another text question. I want to read that for you now. It says is the Vietnam war an acceptable topic to discuss in your house? My father doesn't talk about it. We don't know if the person who sent this text message is Hmong or perhaps of another face and maybe fought in the Vietnam War. Katie, what do you think about that? Is it difficult for some Hmong families to talk about it, the war? 
- I think for some who participated in the war, it might be post-traumatic for them to discuss it. I personally feel that it is very important to talk about it so that the younger generation can gain the value of the struggle of where they came from, the part that they played and the value that is so essential, especially when we're in search of who we, where did we come from are. 
- What about you, jenny? Not necessarily the Vietnam War itself, but the process of your family coming to the United States, do you talk about that in your home? 
- Well, my grandpa, he is -- joined the Vietnam War. I ask him, but he does not say anything. And, you know, I look at his legs. He has like all bruises all over his legs. I ask him. He just stays quiet, doesn't say anything. So I’m like, okay, I don't want to annoy him. 
- You don't want to press. 
- Yeah. 
- What does that make you think, that you doesn't want to talk about it? 
- Probably because all the struggles are been through, like the bombs and everything, just doesn't want to talk about anything about it, yeah. 
- are there also stories about how your family came over? Have you heard those stories? 
- Well, my mom, she married my dad, so my grandpa, they came afterwards. So basically I do not know much about it. They don't tell me much about it either, so... 
- is it something that you would like to know more about? 
- Yes. Definitely. 
- Yeah. That’s interesting. Katie, do you think -- is it different for different families? You know, some people want to share those stories, some people don't? I mean, how does it affect the children when the parents tell those stories, do you think? Is it good for them to hear them? 
- I truly believe that everybody has a story to tell and certainly, as jenny shared, some people are going to be harder to share because of the struggles that they've gone through. Maybe they don't want to relive that past or that part of their life that was so tragic. So it is a personal choice. However, I feel that as a young person walking into a culture, it is essential to learn from those people, especially their family member, the trials, the turbulence, so that they can understand and find the meaning of themselves and their family's roots. So I think it is crucial that if any family member chooses to share and speak about it, take that opportunity to learn about it. 
- Mm-hmm. jeer, do you think -- are you glad that your family lives in a community like green bay that has somewhat of a Hmong population? And how come? 
- Yeah. I’m very glad because, well, even though when I’m going through school, there's not that many other Hmong kids, but as you go through like high school, you can see there's a great -- there's a drastic change to the number. 
- There are more? 
- Yeah. 
- okay. And is that helpful? 
- Yeah. I think it is, because you can relate to them and you can talk to them and you can share all your Hmong memory and stuff. 
- What about, Katie, the role of Hmong women? Is that changing through the generations? 
- Oh, absolutely. I think back in our -- my parents' generation, there definitely was a great delineation between gender differences. For example, back in Laos, the privileges and also the male children were the preferred children to get educated. But in America there is really no bias. Which generation, whichever child they're going to support and they're going to promote the same as a boy child or a girl child. So, yes, women in our culture is really, really making head-strong pathways. And I think a huge part of that too is I think women in my generation are more persistent, more willing to take risks. And so it's a great movement. 
- That’s wonderful. Interesting to hear. We have another text question that we want to get to. It says what do the Hmong teenagers feel about western culture and religion compared to the culture of their elders? And I understand that the shaman has a big role in Hmong culture. Do you feel like the Hmong culture and religion is a lot different from "American" culture? 
- Well, my family's a shaman, too. 
- can you tell us what a shaman is? 
- It’s like spiritual ceremony with like spirits and stuff like that. 
- is the shaman kind of like a spiritual person? 
- He’s someone who connects the humans with the spirit world. 
- And your family has some members who are shamans? 
- Yes. 
- You feel like that's a lot different from going to a Lutheran church, say? 
- Yeah. It’s definitely different. But I think I’ve gotten used to it, like the differences and stuff, yeah, being educated from like school and stuff. So yeah. 
- is that something that's important in your family, the shaman, or not really? 
- No, not really, because I’m not shaman. I’m actually a Christian. But my mom's side of the family, part of her sisters, they are shaman, so I’m not really, so -- 
- do you know if it was difficult for your mom to be different from her sisters in that way? 
- Definitely it was. It was really hard on her. She did not know which to choose. So she's like okay. She sat for a while thinking. Should I be a Christian or should I be a shaman? She thought, no, the best way for me is to be a Christian. She did not believe all the spiritual stuff. She chose to be a Christian, which is a good idea. 
- got you. How about you? Is shamanism part of your family? 
- Yeah. I am shaman, and I see a lot of like differences, like there are shaman families and families that switch over to Christian and catholic. I think it's kind of a good change or like a good experience for some families, but I think it's also good for people to stay and remain in the same religion. 
- In shamanism, Katie, can you tell me, is there a -- sort of a day of worship like Christianity or how is it practiced? 
- The practice is that the people who believe in shamanism is not the shaman. The shaman is a spiritual caller, like the medicine man, that can connect to the spirit world, as Linda’s answer earlier. It’s not something that we practice every seventh day like going to church or worship. Basically as a human person, a Hmong person believes in many spirits, in all of our spirits being in balance with each other. When a person becomes ill or they suffer a traumatic incident, then it is believed that their spirit has been lost or fallen from their body or soul. And so in instance like that, the shaman would come and perform rituals to call your spirits to be intact with your body or to have that balance within you or in your home again. So it's not a daily seven-worship thing. Only in situations that you feel out of sync. 
- It’s healing in a way. 
- Exactly. Because we really believe in holistic approaches, not just physically being intact, but being holistic intact, mentally, emotionally balanced as well. 
- I have another question about something I saw in some video that we were showing earlier, jenny. I’ve seen before some of the clothing that Hmong, especially girls and women, seem to wear during like the New Year celebrations. Do you know anything about those outfits? And have you ever worn one? Forgive me if that's not the right word to use, outfit. I don't know what you would call it. 
- There’s a lot of different ones. My family, I am Hmong green. There are different kinds of Hmong clothes. They have these striped ones on the sides of the arms. There’s different colors for it too. Those are the clothes. The other is Hmong white, those are like, I guess, the pretty ones, and you could say, like flowery ones, stuff like that. Some clothes are for like some of the teenager ones, the kid ones and the older women ones too. So there's a lot of different kinds. 
- have you ever worn those outfits? 
- Yes, I have them a lot. Every year my mom would actually buy me one. 
- How do you feel when you're wearing it? 
- I feel proud, actually. I feel proud being Hmong, you know. Why not? Why not know about our culture? It’s fun. You do a lot of stuff, things you learn new every day. 
- You like it. 
- Yes. 
- That’s great. We have another text question. It says even if Hmong youth don't retain traditional language, art, et cetera, isn't it possible that the culture is just evolving to the needs of the new generation? That’s an interesting question, Katie. What do you think about that? 
- well, culture is made up of so many variables, language, food, heritage and the evolving of those little components is a good thing, but at the same time it also lose its originality and the Hmong people has been great in any country that they live in to assimilate and adjust. I probably say in America in our short time of 37, 38 years we've been so good at changing that with our rapid change we've lost so much of those variable. So to answer that text, I would say there's aspect that there are good change and there's also aspect that are not. For example, our language, which we talked about earlier in the first segment here. Our language is being lost at this rapid face. 
- Jeer, do you feel like you want to keep, want to hold on to those things in your Hmong culture, the language and the traditions? 
- Yeah. I desperately do, because it's just something that you really need to hold on to. And when I look at my nephews and nieces' lifestyle, all they like -- they sit in their room and touch computers and use technology. And I think that this is just stayed the way it always was. 
- And you think the language is part of that, keeping that going? 
- Yeah. 
- Yeah. What about you, Linda? When you -- we're talking about the language and the heritage. is that something that you -- you know, you may get pressure from your parents to keep it going, but in your own heart is it something that you want to keep going with your children? 
- Mm-hmm. I think so, because, like, it's part of our culture, and if the language disappears, part of the culture disappear as well. So, yeah, it's really important. 
- What about -- I know you speak it and you listen to it a lot. 
- Mm-hmm. 
- But what about actually writing the Hmong language? Are you able to do that? 
- Yeah. Well, as a child, my parents -- 
- Because that's not something that's taught in school, right? 
- Yes. So my relatives actually taught us when we were younger as well too, so... 
- That’s great. So you can write it and read it somewhat? 
- Yeah. 
- How about you, jenny? Can you write it and read it? 
- I can actually read it. Some words I can write it, but sometimes I get messed up on words, because the writing closely the same, but they're pronounced differently too. 
- What about you, jeer? Can you write Hmong? 
- I can write a few words. My mom actually has some story books, so I usually read those and try to connect the words to English words. 
- Kind of translate it in your own mind. Yeah. We have another text question. It says specifically name some of the traditions that are important to you. Can you do that, Linda? We talked a little bit about New Year. Is there one part of New Year? Or is there another tradition or maybe like a favorite dish that you have, Hmong food? 
- Well, there's egg rolls that we -- my parents actually make that a lot. And then papaya salad. Traditions would be food gatherings, family gatherings and stuff. Those are always fun, yeah. 
- How about you, jenny, a tradition or a food that you really like? 
- Let’s see food. Love all the food. Every Sunday we'll go to church, come back. We’re always making noodles. 
- can you say that word again? 
- Fud. Those are really good. The tradition, like Linda said, family gathering, having some fun, enjoying our time together. 
- We have to hit everyone on this one especially if we're going to talk about food. Katie, is there a tradition or food that you're so excited when it comes around again? 
- Well, the part to answer that text, I really foresee that as a danger and I’m very, very set in that as being losses. The Hmong people as we relate to each other are clanship, relationship, and how we relate to one another is so essential. In fact, words that we have that are prefix to one another define who you are in the family position, family status so. That prefix and word that we use to relate to each other is being lost. For example -- 
- You would refer to a mother differently than -- 
- Auntie, uncle. When we refer to each other in that prefix word, for example, 
[Speaking in Hmong]
 Auntie, you know in which order. One is the older aunt and my younger aunt. And words like that are being very, very much lost because the younger people are preferring simplicity. Even if you're my sister-in-law, I just call you Kathryn versus sister-in-law Kathryn or the relationships you would have. When I married into family. So that aspect of how we relate to each other is really quickly being lost. 
- Interesting. 
- And the clanship, maintaining the clan, maintaining the -- 
- can you tell us a little bit about clans in Hmong culture? 
- Yes. The clan really is the assigning of the last name. We have about 18 popular last names in the use. 
- Only 18. 
- Only 18. Mm-hmm. There might be one or two sub last names that are far and few, but roughly right about that 18. And those clans harbor to each other. For example, if you and I are the same last name, Thao, we're considered the same family. We might in kinship or by order of each other, we might be aunts to each other or sisters to each other. 
- Jeer, do you think at all about those clans, or do you think it's something that's not as important? 
- As a child I never really thought about it, but during these few years I -- I actually think it's interesting. 
- And at bigger gatherings like the New Year’s celebration do you kind of look around, there's a Thao, there's a Thao? Or for you there's a vans? 
- Yeah. It’s kind of hard, but, yeah, sometimes it's pretty cool to point one -- somebody out from another. 
- Mm-hmm. Jenny, what would you say for people who don't know much of the Hmong culture? What is something that you'd really like them to know? 
- What I’d like them to know is that, you know, even though we -- we don't have like a strong culture and a strong name for it, I just want them to know that, you know, get to know us, a little more about us, and, you know, we try to let it out, like not lose it. And just be -- you know, like how everyone is. 
- That’s wonderful. Thanks to all of you for sharing. I know I’ve learned a lot tonight and I hope a lot of our viewers can have. Thank you so much to our guests. That’s all the time we have for tonight. If you want more information on the Hmong culture and the many items we talked about tonight, please go to wpt.org/teenconnection. I want to thank all our guests and thank night long distance. Please join us for the next "teen connection" April 10 when we look at teens and alcohol abuse. Good night.