Pondering Lao American Speculative Dance

In the aftermath of my exhibit and presentations during the Beyond the Other Side of the Eye Exhibit in February in Minneapolis, one of the concepts that has been lingering with me that I haven’t had a chance to discuss at length yet is a theoretical set of additions to the traditional Lao dance repertoire: Lao American Speculative Dance. Dance of the imagination.

One Lao community member I spoke with said we would run into friction because we have enough of a hard time getting Lao to learn traditional Lao dance, or Lao audiences to pay attention to the existing repertoire as it ‘fades’ into the sunset. But people have been saying that about ballet, ballroom, tango, and the cha-cha-cha for almost a century. If we treat formal Lao dance as something that cannot be expanded upon, then Lao dance has encountered a dead end, and over time the rot will spread across the beautiful face of Lao culture.

Traditional Lao dance will not appeal to everyone, just as not all forms of music appeal to all people. After all, some hate rap and love death metal, others like zydeco over New Wave, others prefer pop to New Age. There’s tremendous variety and options. Viva la difference.

As Lao, we have historically been able to embrace many different forms of the arts while still transmitting the core ideals of our culture. Over time, our culture and heritage will support some forms more than others, but we can do what we can to keep the most meaningful of these alive. I would not ask anyone to support all of the arts equally, but to at least find two or three forms in your life that you support with great passion, and respect the others.

But there is also always room to evolve and innovate, or to expand upon the repertoire. Lao education must not be centered solely on rote memorization and repetition but curious encounter, contemplative appreciation, and bold innovation. We must not have water for blood, or we will not see the Golden Age of Lao thought emerge.

If we don’t demonstrate to Lao youth and dancers of the possibilities within Lao arts, and give ourselves freedom to innovate properly, we’ll one day have generations that considers the tongue-in-cheek hip-hop song “Teach You How to Fawn” a serious addition to our dance and musical repertoire.

A great hallmark of Lao arts has been the infusion of humor and a fluid, gentle grace to our work. When we wanted to express grand ideals and calls for peacefulness and the search for wisdom, even in the simplest, minimalist settings it was amazing. When the art called for bawdy energy or slapstick, you could have audiences rolling in the aisles without it being a South Park episode. I’d hate to see us get away from that. 

But we’ve seen Lao dance assaulted from two ends: joyless instructors who make it seem like traditional Lao dance must be presented with a thorny stick up its behind, or swaggering thugs full of hype and flair, but nothing meaningful at the core, masters of the Fon Douchebag.

 Lao American Speculative Dance could be one bold direction this innovation takes to revitalize our form for the next centuries ahead.

It would encourage a new direction for Lao youth and the next generation of Lao choreographers. Lao American Speculative Dance is centered on the question: Where are our dances of the futuristic and the fantastic? Where are the dances that confront the present and our concerns, from UXO to overcoming the terrors of poverty, the traumas of PTSD, the struggles to adapt to new cultures while preserving our own heritage?


I reject the idea these are unreasonable questions.

One might turn to the dances of Ananya Dance Theater of Minnesota, a company of women artists, primarily of color, who work to create intersections of artistic excellence and social justice. Inspired by the commitment and passion that infuse women’s movements worldwide, these dancers create original dance theater that reflects women’s lives.

One of the key outcomes is fostering strong communities, addressing social-justice issues, conveying power, and creating beauty. Centered in traditional South Asian dance forms often mixed with a sense of the mythic and imaginative, it obliges me to suggest Lao dance, too, can confront such issues, IF we took the kid gloves off.

The UC Irvine Bare Bones Dance Theater presented this Filipino artist’s interpretation of the UXO issue in Laos, a 5-minute dance that sought, through a series of movements, to convey the horrors of the bombing, the attempt to resume life as farmers, but the consequences of lingering UXO.

But I really don’t think that can or should be the last word in how we address this subject through an art form such as dance. I think this is a very intriguing dance, but the fact that we ourselves did not develop an artistic response to it first shows to me a critical blind spot emerging in our capacity for artistic expression.

It is my hope that Binly Krisada, a dancer and poet in California, the Royal Lao Classical Dancers of Tennessee, and the Kinnaly Dance troupe in Washington will in particular take note and consider where we have opportunities to push the limits of the possible. In Minnesota we have several sets of teachers who’ve worked on the traditional dances and youth who, through participation in the Lao Student Association at the University of Minnesota, have been dancing more actively in public to highlight our heritage and social concerns. But do we have the local infrastructure to let them take their dance to the next level?

Who else might be in a position to explore this possibility, where they have a good balance of community support, vision, and resources to develop new work?

When I initially suggested performances centered on the idea of Lao American Speculative Dance, I naturally received quite a few laughs, but so much is already in place.

If a typical dance performance runs 60 to 90 minutes, the traditional dances that would be included in a Lao American Speculative Dance would include the Fon Ling, or Monkey Dance, although I think it should be classified as a Vanon Dance; the Fon Manola, a dance of the Kinnaly princess; the Fon Kinnaly;  the Monkey and the Mermaid dance inspired by the epic Phra Lak Phra Lam; and the Fon Nyak, or the dance of the giant Rakshasas.

If these alone were presented, it’s a half-hour show. What other dances might be developed to make a full evening of it?

What might the Fon Nyakinee look like? Would it be a nod to the Nyakinee who vow to protect the teachings of the Buddha at the gathering at Vulture Peak? Or would it interpret the dark story of Phra Rod Meri, which told of a Nyakinee and her daughter who usurped a kingdom and turned the king’s wives into blind cannibals?

Perhaps others would prefer an adaptation the epic romance of Phadaeng Nang Ai or the tale of the Toad King. Perhaps the Fon Gop could be the long-needed interpretative dance of our tradition of Gop Kin Deuane, the frog eating the moon.

What might the Fon Bombies look like? Would it look like the dance at UC Irvine, or would it place it into the context of the 600 year history of Laos and the many other wars that have left so many Lao in diaspora? Between the troupes in Washington, California, the Midwest, Tennessee, and the East Coast, there are at least five groups who have been involved enough with the issue who could present fascinating responses.

Would the Fon Phi Dip or Fon Phi Zom look like the Indian Thriller? Or take a more imaginative direction drawn from the far corners of Lao imagination?

There are references to the Fon Nak, but it seems very rarely presented. The Fon Nakinee or Nakanya, would most likely be a nod to the 8-year old daughter of the Phya Nak who presented a pearl to the Buddha then demonstrated that even women can achieve enlightenment.

The Fon Ya Wom might interpret the legend of the young orphan girls pursued by an elderly forest spirit who wants to eat them who chases them all of the way to the heavens. Because of the final outcome of this chase, such a dance might be hard to present, but an intriguing challenge. It might be easier to do the Fon Phi Kongkoi, but that might terrify too many audiences outright.

What might the Fon Laomerica 3000 look like? How might it suggest a distant future? Would it look like Steam Powered Giraffe below?

What might we see with the Fon Xieng Mieng? Might that be as fun as this dance for the African trickster folk hero of Anansi the Spider suggested by J’adore Dance?

The Fon Sin Xay could also have many intriguing iterations, providing an interesting challenge for male dancers who want to examine the themes of brotherhood, honor, loyalty and love.

A meaningful, earnest approach to exploring the many possibilities of the Lao imagination and contemporary social issues would have many side benefits beyond entertainment in our community. It would give many Lao vendors and traditional artisans economic opportunities. It would encourage more use of local arts spaces in the community, more research with our archives and among our wisdom-holders.

Lao American Speculative Dance, or any well-managed Lao dance program, would provide our youth an alternative to gang involvement, and allow them to grow healthy bodies, healthy minds and spirits, and positive intergenerational and intercultural relationships. Involvement with an energized and innovating Lao dance program would give our students study skills and key communication skills that will help them in their professional, academic and civic lives.

I hope in the future we will give this some serious consideration and give ourselves the freedom to hold on to our traditions and add our own voices, and feet, to this wondrous road and stage. 

Tips for the Traveler: Inside Laos from iSpot Travel Information Center

As Laos watches waves of new travelers flow into the country’s hot spots in what many are calling the gem of Southeast Asia, the travel industry is rushing to open its doors and make travel resources easier.  LLOTP caught up with iSpot Travel Information Center in Laos, an insider one stop shop, to get the latest scoop on what tourists should see and do in Laos and what the travel industry is doing to promote all things great about Laos.

The promo video “Finally Found Love, Finally Found Laos” is circulating and captures some of the tourist hot spots in Laos. Tell us briefly about what is iSpot (Travel) Information Center, the campaign, and what the Laos Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism hopes to launch with it?

iSpot is the first and longest running private information center to service tourist coming to Laos. Our center will answer travel related questions and offer suggestions and recommendations for tourists entering and exiting Laos. We can also reserve any and all accommodations, transportation, and activities for you. We produced the promotional video to give the broader travelling audience a glimpse of what Laos has to offer as a travel destination. Up until now, our beautiful country did not have a good video to promote it effectively, and we’d really like to thank ideasQuest, Inc., an ad agency based in the Philippines for making us a great video.

The MICT (Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism) gave us full approval to go ahead with the production of the video as well as lending us a hand to ensure that there would be no interference during the shoots. The video is now being used to showcase Laos in various trade conferences and shows both here in Laos as well as internationally.

What are the three essential must-see spots if tourists only have 24 hours in Luang Prabang? In Vientiane? In Savannakhet? Rural areas of Laos? 

Luang Prabang:

Get up at the break of dawn to witness the Alms Giving Ceremony, then spend the rest of the day walking along the town’s beautiful streets to take in temples (making sure not to miss Wat Xiengthong) and historic buildings. Finally, climb up the many steps to catch the sunset atop Phousi Hill overlooking the town.

Vientiane:

Get up early and ride a bit past the Friendship Bridge to Buddha Park, which is decorated with over 200 concrete Hindu and Buddhist statues. Then wander over to the COPE Visitors Center (Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise) to learn about the UXOs that still plague many people in the countryside. Finally, end up at Wat That Luang, one of the most symbolically significant temples in all of Laos.

Savannakhet: – (Go to Pakse Instead)

Ride out to Wat Phu, one of the two UNESCO heritage site found in Laos and walk up the stairs to get a breathtaking view of surroundings. Head on over to the Bolaven Plateau, past numerous waterfalls and coffee plantations. Finally, end up in one of the dozens of excellent coffee shops to savor Lao coffee, either iced or hot.

Rural Area:

Head on out to the Xiangkuang Province, rent a motorbike or tuk-tuk and get lost in the fields at the Plain of Jars.

For first time tourists to Laos, what are the top three cultural do’s and don’ts while visiting? 

Dont:

Dress modestly, act modestly- especially around monks, and certainly, don’t get too much in the way during the alms ceremony. Although Laos is opening up to western ways, it is by and large, still a conservative country.

Do:

Go with the flow and relax. Try to hang out with locals somewhere along your trip, as we think the Laotians are what make Laos special. You should also try to Visit a Lao village and you’ll feel like you’ve transported back a century in time.

What are some of the unique souvenirs tourists can find in Laos? 

Lao silk, Lao Lao whiskey, and jewelry made from exploded ordinances can be found in most larger night markets.

What’s a dish you recommend first-time tourists to try to get a sense of Lao cooking?

Laap (minced meat, flavoured with fish sauce, lime juice, herbs, and rice) & Sticky Rice. Wash this meal down with a Beerlao, of course.

What makes travelling to Laos different than other surrounding countries? 

Laos is relaxed and does not yet feel like a touristy place to be. There are many rural areas to explore, and many kind-hearted people who would rather have you join them for a meal or drink, rather than just about anything else.

What sort of changes has Laos’ tourism industry gone through to attract more travelers?

2012 was Visit Lao Year, and attempts were made during that campaign to organize and disseminate information to aid tourists. According to polls, their efforts were somewhat successful, though some people question what types of tourists actually contributed in the increase in the numbers of tourists coming to Laos. JICA, working under the direction of the MICT, will continue to produce brochures and provide funding to support the Ministry’s project for the remainder of 2013.

Historically, there has been a disconnect between the public and private tourism sectors here in Laos. Recently, attempts have been to unify the two halves, and I’d like to mention a few noteworthy organizations and their efforts:

The newly formed Laos Chapter of PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) aims to introduce eco-tourism principles. With the recent acceleration in the economic growth here in Laos, we’d like Laos to be known as an eco-tourism friendly destination. LANITH (Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality) is working to provide training for tourism industry service providers. Laos is still relatively new in accommodating tourists and would benefit from training programs. As well, new international flight routes are opening every year, and more land border to neighbouring countries exist.

What are the top three activities you recommend tourists explore to discover what Laos is really about? 

Wander through a village a bit away from the main touristy areas, share a meal with locals, and try to participate in a Baci Ceremony if the opportunity arises.

What advice do you have for tourists who are on a shoestring budget? How about those who want to splurge a little? 

Shoestring:

There are a sufficient number of hostels offering dormitory accommodations as well as modest guest houses; one can eat affordably at food stalls everywhere, and travel by local bus. There are plenty of free sites to visit in most towns.

Budget: $20 – $30 USD per day

Splurge:

Stay in 5 star hotels, take in a round of golf, cruise along the Mekong River, and eat at award winning restaurants in Luang Prabang.

Budget: $300 – $1000 per day

Where can tourists go to find resources on iSpot and visiting Laos? Any other upcoming events or promos we should be aware of? 

Many of the best resources are on-line these days. With the growing popularity of smartphones and tablets, it’s possible to research many of your questions before and during your trip. Bring along a paper guidebook if you’d like. You can visit the official Laos tourism site here: http://www.tourismlaos.org

And, for up to date information, please visit our Laos Travel Directory here: http://spotonlaos.com Our staff aims to answer all your travel related questions about Laos. You can contact us at any time: questions@ispot.la

-Chanida

littlelaosontheprairie@gmail.com

The Thirsty Thursday Recipe: Lao-Lao Coffee

Today, we’re going to examine a possible cocktail you can try, Lao-Lao Coffee, which isn’t really anything more than an Irish Coffee done Southeast Asian Style. However, at the moment it’s extremely uncommon to get a really good cup with top-of-the-line ingredients in it.

You could just make a plain Lao Coffee and just pour Lao coffee into a regular Irish Coffee. A plain Lao Coffee is going to be pretty easy outside of Laos if you can get a bag of Lao coffee. But that’s being lazy.

Let’s kick it up a notch and look at what would happen if we used Lao-Lao. The Khmu drink a variation called Lao-Hai:

Usually drunk neat, without any flourishes, this traditional Lao rice whisky is increasingly being used in a cocktail named the Pygmy Slow Lorange (a play on the local animal, the Pygmy Slow Loris) which nearly went extinct during the war from all of the bombing, shelling, agent orange, and other hazards of war.

No Pygmy Slow Lorii are harmed in the preparation of a Pygmy Slow Lorange. Whew.

On the other hand, some pots of Lao-Lao are infused with honey or scorpions or, presumably, other ‘bad-ass’ critters like cobras. So this becomes a case of pick-your-poison. Seriously, try not to pick a brew using an endangered species. CITES gets pissy about that.

The original Irish Coffee is basically a variation of the Hot Toddy. The official recipe:

 

• 40ml (2 parts) Irish whiskey
• 80ml (4 parts) hot coffee
• 30ml (1½ parts) fresh cream
• 1tsp brown sugar

So, swap in:

2 parts Lao-Lao. How you get some in the US is up to you. (P.S. I told certain people who shall remain nameless to get the momentum going like the microbrewing movement so we could see a Laotoberfest by 2020, but noooooooo.)

4 parts hot Lao coffee. The good stuff, or you really miss the point.  But if you have to, instant Dao coffee is okay.

1½ parts fresh cream. Some people will want to swap this out with whipped cream. Try not to use Cool-Whip. It’s considered non-dairy for a reason. Although if you’re lactose-intolerant, this can be understandable.

1 tsp brown sugar. If you can get you hand on some fresh-squeezed sugar cane, I think that would make something more true to a Lao flavor. Some might want to swap in a splash of Kahlua.  Sugar In the Raw would be acceptable, but for a really good drink, try not to sweeten it with plain old white sugar.

Note: 2 tablespoons of condensed milk is a valid substitution for the sugar and cream that would keep this drink within the traditional Southeast Asian flavor.

There you have it. Your biggest hassle is really just getting the pieces together. And if someone’s making it for you, be appreciative. This isn’t something you can find everyday. Especially a good one!

-Bryan Thao Worra, http://thaoworra.blogspot.com/2011/10/lao-lao-coffee.html.

Black Doors, Red Ants and the Lens: An interview with Nakhone Keodara

The Lao film-making community is experiencing a surge in recent years as more and more members of the community aspire to tell their stories. There are still many barriers in place, even as the price of technology decreases and instruction is more readily available. It takes more than pointing a video camera at pair of people at table yapping to make a movie, and Lao are increasingly pushing themselves to discover the possibilities within their artistic voices. But where will it go?

Little Laos on the Prairie spoke recently with Nakhone Keodara, the screenwriter, producer and director of Roses & Red Ants. A student at Santa Monica College (SMC) majoring in Film and Television Production, he recently completed directing a short film Black Swan: an adaption from a scene of the original movie of the same name for his Film 32 Class.

Keodara is co-producing (and will direct) a short gay drama (based on his true story) titled When I Close My Eyes about Seth and Jorge; two star-crossed lovers whose lives are forever changed–due to anti-gay laws–when a tragic car accident tears their family apart.

Nakhone presented his film Roses & Red Ants at the 4th International Lao Studies Conference sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Center for Lao Studies. Roses & Red Ants documentary is a research project for a historical epic Frog Eats Moon about the fall of Laos that he is currently writing. He recently completed writing his first feature film script about a new type of “Beauty and the Beast”–the gay “Pretty Woman” with a little something extra–titled Lady/boy that is in pre-production; He intends to produce and direct this film within the next year.

1) For some of our readers who are just now discovering your work, can you tell us a little about your journey so far, and how you got here?

My journey to becoming a filmmaker is one of many twists and turns.  I’m a late bloomer.  I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grow up.  I floundered around for a big part of my 20s and 30s.  I came to Hollywood because I wanted to become a star so as to put Laos on the map.  What was an ego trip turned into a beautiful spiritual journey once I got to Hollywood.  It was almost an accident that I fell into being behind the camera.  Being one of the gay rights activists who helped organize an event called The Revolution in West Hollywood auditorium post-Prop 8, I shot a video of attendees doing a Take A Vow clip to fight for marriage equality.  I saw that I was quite good at it and I really enjoyed working with people behind the camera and I love connecting with the performers and was somewhat addicted to that real moment of truth when magic happens and I cried during one of the interviews.  Then a thought entered my mind that I should study to become a film director.  It never occurred to me that that is what I wanted to do.  I’d always imagined myself in front of the camera.  I didn’t grow up knowing or wanting to be a director or storyteller or anything.  I grew up poor as a refugee.  I continually exist in a state of exile or non-existence.   So part of my identity was to give voice and face to Lao people and I thought the best way to do that was to be visible and being an actor was a natural choice for me.  It wasn’t until later that I understood cinema has the power to make a huge impact and that’s what this journey is really about for me, to leave this world a little bit better than I found it.

2) What’s inspired your latest short-film project?

Actually, this short-film project is not mine.  I’m producing The Black Door for my Film 33 Class at Santa Monica College.  My friend Marta Fagerstroem co-wrote and will direct this piece. However, I connect to message of this film about the human cost of regrets and the power of a second chance.  We all have regrets and sometimes we wish we can go back in time to change some things about our lives.  To me personally, I’ve gone down the wrong path before with my addiction to drugs and alcohol.  Today, I’m reclaiming my dreams and you can say that I’m rewriting the script of my life and this is my second act.  That’s what inspires me to push forth through the challenges in producing this film.  At the end of the day, I know this film will make a huge impact on the audience because it has a great story and a powerful message.

3) What are some of your other projects you hope to develop in the near future?

My next project I plan to produce and direct is a short gay drama (based on my true story) titled When I Close My Eyes about Seth and Jorge; two star-crossed lovers whose lives are forever changed–due to anti-gay laws–when a tragic car accident tears their family apart.  After completion of When I Close My Eyes, I plan to develop, produce and direct my first feature film script about a new type of Beauty and the Beast–the gay Pretty Woman with a little something extra–titled Lady/boy.

4) Who are some of the film-makers who inspire you?

First and foremost, one of my biggest heroes that inspire me each and every day is my film professor, Salvador Carrasco, writer and director of masterpiece The Other Conquest.   Besides his brilliance, artistic vision and knowledge of filmmaking being stellar and first rate, when I discovered his film The Other Conquest, it was one of those threshold of revelation moments when I recognized that a pioneer has left a guide post for me to follow in his footsteps.  When I saw The Other Conquest, it gave me the inspiration to embark on a journey to author an original film about Laos.  Professor Carrasco was instrumental in helping me launch the first shoot of Roses & Red Ants in Richmond, CA.  Without him, this project would not have been possible.  I consider myself privileged to be studying at SMC Film Program under his tutelage.

The other director that inspires me is Oliver Stone because his courage in dealing with controversial issues of the time with social relevance is so rare.  When I saw his film Heaven and Earth, it inspired me to become a filmmaker so that I can tell the stories of the Lao during the Vietnam War, which I am now beginning to do with my film Roses & Red Ants.

James Cameron is another director whom I look up to and admire.  He’s a master storyteller and is so versatile. One of my favorite movies of all time is Avatar because I love how layered and visually pleasing it is.  That movie is deep!  I want to be that fluent in my command of the visual language and film grammar–to be able to communicate effectively through that medium.

5) When are you most satisfied with your work?

When I know it makes real difference in other people’s lives.  When it touches someone and they tell me how much it inspires them.

6) What’s been your biggest challenge as a Lao artist?

The heartbreak of not having support from the Lao community.

7) Hollywood is often known for demanding compromises in order to satisfy focus groups and test audiences. What have been some of the biggest changes people have asked you to make to your work that you object to?

To tone it down, make it more palatable to audiences and to not be so risqué or cater more towards the Western school of thought.

8) What would be your advice to emerging film makers?

Acquire all your technical skills, learn the craft, put your nose to the grind and be a worker amongst workers.  Be gracious.  Suit up.  Show up.  Remain teachable.  Leave your arrogance, cockiness and egos at the door.  Film is a collaborative effort.  You can’t make a film alone.  You need other people.  Do your job, whatever the position is, with love.  At the end of the day, that’s what matters.  It’s all about love.  You will make friends, form bonds with colleagues and lay the foundation for future collaborations or job opportunities based on your work ethic, your good attitude and how easy it is to work with you.  Lastly, enjoy yourself.  Sure, making a film is difficult and it’s hard work but it can be a fun process if you allow it to be.

9) What’s a perspective of the GLBT experience you feel the Lao community understands well, and what don’t we understand well?

I think you understand the concept of being the “other” because of the exiled refugee or being Asians in America thing, but I don’t think the Lao community understands that being gay is not a choice.  Or that it is not because we have bad karma in the last life so that being gay in this life is some sort of punishment for us.  Being gay is a gift.  My greatest gift is my gay spirit.

10) What’s an issue you’d really like to see the Lao community get on their radar?

I would really like to see the Lao community get involved in the fight for gay equality and see it as a human rights issue.  To a certain extent, I would just like to see the Lao community get more involved politically and get organized.  Heck, from my trip to the 4^th International Lao Studies Conference at the University of Wisconsin at Madison where I challenged Katherine Bowie, the director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies by putting her on the spot as to whether or not the University of Wisconsin at Madison is on a path to offer the Lao language as a course offering for the academic year as opposed to during the Summer semester.  Afterwards, when I approached her privately I asked her why is it that Hmong, who came from Laos is offered as one of the languages for the academic year but Lao isn’t.  Katherine told me that the Hmong are extremely organized.  So, our task is cut out for us.  I would love to see our community organize and advocate as a unified voice.

Nakhone Keodara is currently trying to raise $5,420 to cover the costs of filmmaking through indiegogo for The Black Door. You can see it at: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-black-door-short-film

Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month with Dinner and Leadership Awards

The Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans, with the support of community, business, and government partners, is hosting the annual Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month Dinner.

The dinner will be held on Friday, May 3, 2013 at the Ramada Plaza Minneapolis, 1330 Industrial Boulevard, Minneapolis, from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

This year’s dinner keynote speaker is Colet Lahoz, a pioneer in the practice of holistic medicine in the United States and the founder of the East West Acupuncture Clinic. To honor the achievements of leaders in the API community, the 2013 Asian Pacific Leadership Awards will be presented.

Leadership Awards are given to honor, recognize, and celebrate the work of individuals and organizations that have demonstrated continuous commitment to and leadership in the Asian Pacific Minnesotan community. They are once in a lifetime awards. The Council is pleased to announce this year’s recipients:

David Zander, Recipient of the Lifetime Service Award

Dr. Bernard Quebral, MD, Recipient of the Outstanding Community Leadership Service Award

Zafar Siddiqui, Recipient of the Humanitarian Award

In 1993, to honor the achievements and contributions of Asian/Pacific Americans, Congress, by Public Law 102-450, designated the month of May each year as “Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.” The Heritage Month Dinner has since become a tradition for the Asian Pacific Minnesotan community – each year, it brings together hundreds of community members and leaders from the API community and the non-profit, faith, government, and business communities.

The dinner is supported by the financial contributions of businesses and community based non-profits and organizations. This year’s lead sponsors are Blue Cross Blue Shields of Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Minnesotan National Guard, ECOLAB, Minnesota Korean Service Center, Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota, Japanese American Citizens League, Think Small, Samoan Organization of Minnesota, and Minnesota Historical Society.

Hopefully in the future we will see Lao Minnesotan businesses become sponsors of the dinner, which in the past have recognized many members of the Lao community including NEA Heritage Fellow Bounxou Chanthraphone, Bush Artist Fellow Mali Kouanchao, and Dr. Adisack Nhouyvanisvong, and Little Laos on the Prairie’s own Bryan Thao Worra.

David Zander has been a longtime friend of the Lao community and was a 2012 Lao Minnesotan Storytelling Fellow with Saymoukda Vongsay, and Phoutha Nantharath. David Zander was nominated this year by Lao Assistance Center executive director Sunny Chanthanouvong.

Dinner tickets are $40.00 each. Please RSVP with Pa Yang at the Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans at 651-757-1740 or email to confirm your presence pa.yang@state.mn.us

Little Laos on the Prairie May Writing Contest! “Voices”

Thanks to our friends at Snake Bomb Coffee, we can offer a regular series of writing contests. The winner, chosen by our editors, receives a certificate of recognition and a sample package of Snake Bomb Coffee imported from Laos! Snake Bomb Coffee proceeds benefit UXO clearance and anti-venom kits to treat potentially lethal snakebites in Laos.

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and in recognition of conclusion of the successful Legacies of War: Voices from Laos National Speakers Tour, we selected the theme of “Voices.”

We’re looking for the best poem (under 3 pages, please), personal essay, short story, short play or short play excerpt, creative non-fiction, etc. (1,000 words or less) that responds to the idea of bringing Lao voices forward. Whether it’s thinking about the issues raised during the Legacies of War: Voices from Laos Tour or discussing other topics you think Lao should speak out about, we want to hear about them!

Entries should be sent in the body of an e-mail, (No attachments, please). Laoglish is fine, obviously. We get one-time publishing rights for accepted pieces after which all publishing rights revert back to you!

We are interested in multicultural, multilingual work that brings forward emerging voices, especially from perspectives often underrepresented in existing literature. Work that considers race, gender, sexuality, identity and/or disability issues is welcome. We have no style limitations this time, although shorter works preferred. Submissions should be previously unpublished.

We’re going to try an new deadline this time: Send your best pieces to Laoartisans@gmail.com by May 15th and we’ll announce the winner at the end of the month! Our previous winner was Bidone Salime, for her essay on “Beauty.”

Good luck and let us know if you have any questions!

Lao New Year 2013 Series: Building Community and 21st Century Celebrations

In our last post of closing out the year of the dragon, guest blogger Saengmany Ratsabout, talks about the meaning of the new year and communities leading celebrations in the years ahead.  

Let’s begin this section by revisiting our inquiry on the relevancy of the Lao New Year festival in the twenty-first century through a community development perspective.  In order to answer this, i would like us to also revisit the three values of Lao New Year, 1) Community, 2) merit-making, and 3) filial piety.  How are these values relevant to the Lao American community in the twenty-first century?  There are more questions here than answers and this section hopes to begin a conversation among elders, emerging community leaders and members of the Lao American community.

Award-winning Lao American writer, Bryan Thao Worra writes extensively on the renaissance of Lao American arts and its role in community development.  What role do we see the Lao New Year festival play in providing space for artists of all types to display their talents?  Community festival whether it is the Lao New Year or events like the Lao American Writers Summit is a great way to gather people to celebrate something in their community.  Generally speaking, festivals such as the Lao New Year also provide space for community members to meet and interact with one another.  Events like the International Lao New Year Festival (ILNYF) held in the Bay Area provides a space for traditional and modern artists perform together and work collaboratively.  Performances of Refugee Nation at the ILNYF by Ova Saopeng, Leilani Chan, and Lidet Viravong continue the conversation of Lao American identity and self-reflection through a play developed from oral history.  The Lao New Year festivities continue to play a vital role in Lao cultural identity by bringing families and community together.  The Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota (LACM) has in the past couple of years lead initiatives that brings together multiple community and family-based organizations to collectively organize one single New Year celebration.  Through this leadership, the role of LACM embodies the values of the Boun Sangkhan Pii Mai.

 

As mentioned in previous sections, the Lao New Year has largely been associated with Buddhism, of which the line between culture and religion has become increasingly blurred.  Giving-alms to Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis (male and female Buddhist monks)  is one opportunity that Lao Buddhist could make merit during the New Year celebration.  Has the institutionalization of nonsecular Lao New Year celebrations in providing alms to Buddhist monks hinders the full participation from non-religious conforming members of the community?  If so, are other options of making merit that could be incorporated to the Lao New Year celebration?  These are the questions that come to mind, of which it is important to begin a dialogue within multiple sectors of the Lao American community.

 

Lastly, how does filial piety, the respect and reverence to parents, ancestors and family (community) fit in this discussion?   How can we as individuals continue to perpetuate this act of respect and reverence beyond our immediate family and community?  The work of development whether it is in education, economic, leadership, or human rights are all important work that are encompasses within the framework of filial piety and common respect.  This could and should be part of a wider discussion in continuing the relevancy of Lao New Year celebration in the twenty-first century and beyond.  Additionally, we hope that through this discussion, community members and leaders would visit the notion of the Nang Sangkhan as an empowerment tool for young Lao American women rather than its currents status quo as a beauty pageant.  In doing so, special attention on the essence of the Nang Sangkhan as protectors of the world (community) should be made.  Attributes as community services, the passion to help others, and a platform in addressing community issues and concerns should be made a priority in the selection of the Nang Sangkhan.

 

In 2015, the Lao American community will be commemorating forty years since resettlement in the U.S., and there is much to be thankful for.  The Lao New Year has reminded us to cleanse the past and prepare for the future.  We should also take this time to reflect and embrace our past experiences and begin the discussion of where the journey will take us in the next forty years.  Let us work collectively on creating changes through intentional discussion and dialogues.[1]

 

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[1] By no means is this an attempt to provide a comprehensive analysis on the Lao American celebration of Lao New Year, of which an ethnographic research on this subject is much needed.

-Saengmany Ratsabout, Guest Blogger

Author of ‘Across the Mekong River’ Comes to St. Paul

Author Elaine Russell comes into the Twin Cities this week for her latest book, Across the Mekong River: A Novel. The story tells of the dangerous journey of one Hmong family across the Mekong River to a new life in the United States.

http://www.amazon.com/Across-Mekong-River-Elaine-Russell/dp/1466338105

Story:

In a California courtroom, seventeen-year-old Nou Lee reels with what she is about to do. What she must do to survive. She reflects on the splintered path that led to this moment, beginning twelve years ago in 1978, when her Hmong family escaped from Laos after the Communist takeover. The story follows the Lees from a squalid refugee camp in Thailand to a new life in Minnesota and eventually California. Family members struggle to survive in a strange foreign land, haunted by the scars of war and loss of family. Across the Mekong River paints a vivid picture of the Hmong immigrant experience, exploring family love, sacrifice, and the resiliency of the human spirit to overcome tragic circumstances. 

Join the Center for Hmong Studies for a reading, conversation and book signing tomorrow.

For more information contact: Lee Pao Xiong (xiong@csp.edu) or Moua Kong Vue (vuem@csp.edu)

Date: Thursday April 18, 2013
Time: 5:00 — 7:00 pm
Location: Buenger Education Cen-ter (BEC)
Concordia University St. Paul
275 Syndicate St. N
Saint Paul, MN 55104

“A multifaceted tale of complex characters finding new lives in their new world.”
– Kirkus Reviews

Center for Hmong Studies, CHUSA, & Residence Life Event
*Book reading event is free and open to public. Books available for $10.00 for signing

On Elaine Russell:

http://www.elainerussell.info/

Event details:

http://www2.csp.edu/hmongcenter/

-Chanida

Lao New Year 2013 Series: Today’s Diaspora and Changing Cultural Traditions

LLOTP is ringing in the new year today with the second post in the Lao New Year series by our guest blogger, Saengmany Ratsabout, who discusses the Lao diaspora community and our changing cultural traditions. Happy Lao New Year!

In the late 1970s and early 1980s as Lao refugees resettled in the United States, the Lao New Year celebration became a tool of self-reflection and identity assurance.  It served as an opportunity for the Lao to practice cultural celebrations and bestow their traditions to future generations.  The sprinkling of water and well-wishes ceremony remains an integral part of the Lao cultural traditions.  Cultural dances to songs such as ‘Champha Muang Lao” and “Tai Dam Lum Phan” speak to the yearning for Laos and the Lao lamenting their difficult journey from the homeland.

As the Lao established communities in cities throughout the US, the celebration became not only an avenue of maintaining traditions, but also a way to pave new friendships.  In an early New Year celebration, the Lao community of Worthington, Minnesota celebrated the event with its neighbors.  Mayor Bob Demuth welcomed the celebration and exclaimed “We can no longer live in isolation from other people” and that “we must welcome them into our hearts, our minds and our home”.  This sentiment is echoed by members of the Cultural Diversity Coalition in Worthington saying, “This will encourage people to develop new friendships and discover that as human beings we are more alike than different”.  Sisoumang Rattanasitthi, a community leader and one of the organizers of the festival in Worthington was eager to share his reflections and thoughts of the celebration.  “People look forward to the coming of the New Year in the hopes that they might escape the distress and misery and achieve contentment and happiness in the future.”.^[1]

In the Lao American diaspora, Baci ceremonies within individual families, and adorning gifts to elders as a sign of respect and reverence, continue to be practiced, but are becoming more and more rare. This can be attributed to assimilation and the lack of knowledge and experiences of performing these rites.  In the early 1980s, members of the Lao Community Reformed Church in Eagan, Minnesota celebrated Lao New Year during one of their Sunday Worships with cultural dances and performances along with a Baci Ceremony.  Khamphot Siri-Outhay, a former Buddhist and who at that time was studying to be Protestant minister, led worship in Lao.  Khambay Sivongsay, a Lao refugee who joined the church exclaimed that “We feel our church is like a family”^[2].  Thus, the New Year festivities continue to create and maintain the sense of community among Lao refugees of all faith.

Each locale as well as various community organizations within that locale continue to host and institute their own New Year celebrations.  In states like California and Texas with large Lao American populations and where the weather is warm, extravagant outdoors celebrations, many of which occur on Buddhist Temple grounds, fill the early spring air with colorful festivities.  Traditional storytelling of the Jataka, fables and myths, the Lao opera performances (Mor Lum Leurng) full of humor and tragedy, make its presence during this celebration. Religious and cultural rites along with cultural performances are normally performed during this occasion as well.  In Minnesota and many Midwestern states where winter can sometimes linger through April and May, Lao New Year is regularly celebrated indoors.

New Year celebrations have endured some notable changes since the Lao resettled in the U.S.  The acts reverence and well-wishes through the sprinkling of water has become a festival of water-battle with the use of water-buckets, water-hose, and even water-guns.  Often times, pranksters substitute perfumed water with muddy water and other fowl-smelling substances.  Fragranced powder used to sprinkle on heads and dabbed on faces for well-wishes are now substituted with whipped cream and shaving cream.  Such actions has become such a nuisance that certain temples began banning the use of shaving cream and whipped cream as well as water-guns from its premises during the New Year festivities.  Similarly, these changes are also occurring in the country of Laos concurrently.  Vientiane Times reported that authorities have banned the use of colored, dirty, or iced water during the festival.  The dumping of water from the back of pickup trucks has also been banned, as it could cause injuries and traffic accidents.

Among these changes, the Nang Sangkhan continues to take a prominent role in the Lao New Year celebration in both the country of Laos and Lao diaspora communities.  In fact, the Nang Sangkhan ritual has become the highlight of the festival and takes on its new presence as a beauty pageant of Miss Lao New Year.  This can be seen in numerous event marketing images and flyers that prominently feature the Nang Sangkhan Beauty Pageant as the main attraction.  Additionally, the process in which Miss Lao New Year is selected differs among locale.  In the 1990s, Nang Sankhan beauty pageant participants in Sacramento took part in months of practicing traditional Lao dances to be performed at the annual Lao New Year event held at the local temple.  Each contestant was judged by festival attendees according to their performances and appearances, however, scores are calculated by the number of flowers or balloons each contestant received.  This oftentimes means contestants whose family was more affluent won the title of Miss Lao New Year.^[3]  In more recent years, Lao New Year event organizers in Minnesota has instituted scoring cards that judge contestants on areas such as “walk and talk Lao”, “look Lao”, and how well she wore the traditional Lao dress in addition to the way she “nop” (where two hands are presented in a prayer pose).  Contestants are also asked a series of questions ranging from, “what does Lao New Year mean to you?” to “how will you help promote Lao culture?”^[4]

The apparent changes of the New Year festivities, in particular the Nang Sangkhan appears to differ substantially from its traditional meanings and purposes.  Many young people no longer wear traditional clothing and lack the understanding of the cultural rites and ceremonies.  Culture is neither static nor monolithic and traditions are continually evolving.  Cultural practices have also served as a power force in bridging generational gaps with refugee and immigrant communities.  Despite its societal challenges, the Lao New Year festival continues to bring community members of all ages together.  The question remains however, how will these practices continue to evolve and what role should it play in the twenty-first century Lao American community?

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^[1] The Refugee Studies Center, University of Minnesota Records, General/Multiethnic Collection, Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota

^[2] ibid.

^[3] Author’s personal accounts growing up in Sacramento, California in the 1990s.

^[4] Communication posted on an internet forum “Lao Forum”.

-Saengmany Ratsabout, Guest Blogger

Lao New Year 2013 Series: Myth of the Nang Sangkhan

Our guest blogger, Saengmany Ratsabout begins this week’s series on the Lao New Year with Part 1 – Myth of the Nang Sangkhan. 

As we approach Lao New Year, I wanted to take this opportunity to not only highlight traditional practices associated with the celebration, but also begin a conversation on the relevancy of centuries-old traditions in twenty-first century Lao American communities. As we begin this conversation, there are three things I will focus on: 1) an overview of the three-day celebration including myths associated with the Nang Sangkhan, 2) Lao New Year as practiced by Lao Americans through archival research and personal anecdotes, and lastly, 3) relevancy of the myths and practices in the twenty-first century through a community development perspective.

Nang Sangkhan in Laos. Photo courtesy of Reuters.

Though Lao New Year is often associated with Buddhist practices, our main focus of discussion will be of the myths and practices that pre-date Buddhist Lao.  Prior to the introduction of Theravada Buddhism, the Lao practiced spiritual and ancestral cult worship along with Brahmanism.^[1]  These practices continue today in many forms such as the Baci Soukhuane (calling of the soul ceremony, commonly known is Phouk Kaene or wrist-tying ceremony).^[2]   The Lao New Year consists of a three-day celebration and is traditionally celebrated on the 13th, 14th, and 15th of April.  The date of the festival was originally set by astrological calculation, in which certain years have four days of celebration, but it is now fixed to the above mentioned dates. ^[3]

 

The three day festival most visible activity consists of pouring water over people whom pourer wishes to bless.  The water pouring signifies goodwill, compassion, well-wishes and reverence.  The first day of the celebration is called Sangkhan Luang, it is the last day of the closing year and known as “cleaning day”.  Cleaning day consists of cleaning one’s home, community (temple, churches, family altar, etc…), settling old debts and obligations, all of which are symbolic forms of purification in preparation for the New Year.  The second day of celebration is known as Sangkhan Nao.  It is the day between the old and the new year, one day of rest while work is forbidden.^[4]  One should avoid extensive travel, as the Khouan (vital souls) are particularly vulnerable during this day to wander and/or be captured by evil spirits.  The third day of celebration is called Sangkhan Kheun Pii Mai, the first day of the New Year.  It is a time to rejoice, a day to visit relatives and friends, and pay respect to elders by engaging in the auspicious act of sprinkling water on their hands and feet to ask for blessings.  Baci Soukhuane ceremonies for well wishes and to “call back” any lost or wandering souls are officiated during this day as well.^[5]

 

There are three values associated with the Sangkhan Festival that I would like to discuss.  First, it enhances the value of society by bringing families and community together.  Secondly, meritorious acts such as charity work or giving alms to Buddhist monks deepens the values of showing compassion.  In fact, the Lao word for festival is Boun (Pali: Punna), derivative of a Pali word which means merit.  Therefore, by participating in festivals such as the Lao New Year, members of the community partake in the auspicious act of merit-making.  Lastly, filial piety, the respect and reverence to family, parents, and ancestors  is an utmost important factor in Lao society, and is highly visible during the New Year celebration.  This is done through offering gifts to elders as tokens of gratitude and respect, and in return receiving their blessings.  These activities also parallel the cleansing and regeneration symbolized by the arrival of rain.

 

The role of Nang Sangkhan (Sangkhan Ladies) makes its presence during the New Year festivities through the reenactment of the myth of how the divine King Kabinlaphom (Brahma) lost his life due to losing a bet with Thammaban (Dhammapala), the Great Sage, and was decapitated.  However, he warned that if his head touched the earth, a catastrophic fire would swallow the world, if it touched the sea, the ocean would dry up, if it touched the sky, rainfall would cease it exist.  Kabinlaphom instructed his seven daughters to place his decapitated head in a cave on the foot of Mount Sumeru, a place neither of this world nor that of the gods.  To pay homage to their father and to prevent the occurrence of natural disasters, every year, one of the seven daughters attend to the decapitated head by cleansing it and leading a procession around the base of Mount Sumeru to show their reverence to Kabinlaphom.

 

The myth of the Nang Sangkhan embodied the values associated with the New Year Festival mentioned earlier.  The selfless act of paying homage to Kabinlaphom not only is an example of filial piety by his daughters, but also an act of compassion.  In preventing the catastrophic world destruction by Kabinlaphom’s severed head, the Nang Sangkhan serve as protectors of the world, an ultimate act of merit-making.  This myth has been re-enacted throughout centuries as part of the New Year festivities, of which a “replica” of Kabinlaphom’s severed head is paraded around “centers” or structures that represent Mount Sumeru (i.e. Temples, villages, sand stupas, etc…).^[6]

 

The historical reasoning for instituting the Nang Sangkhan myth with the Lao New Year festivities is quite practical.  In an era where the majority of societal members were illiterate, the presence of the Nang Sangkhan provided the populace a glimpse of time and space.  Each of Kabinlaphom’s daughters is associated with the days of the week.  The specific day and time of the arrival of the Sangkhan Kheun Pii Mai (as determined by the passing of the Sun into the constellation Aries) determines which of Kabinlaphom’s daughters will lead the procession and whether she will stand, sit, or lie down on her chariot.^[7]

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^[1] Brahmanism was an earlier form of Hinduism, with reverence to Brahma, one of Hindu trinity Gods

^[2] http://www.laoheritagefoundation.org/ceremonies/baci.jsp

^[3] Berval, Rene De, ed. Kingdom of Laos: The Land of Million Elephants and the White Parasol. Saigon: France Asie, 1959

^[4] According to traditional Lao calendar based on a lunisolar cycle, certain years consist of two days of Sangkhan Nao.

^[5] It should be mentioned that the sprinkling of water by young adolescents at one another on the pretext of purifications serves as a courting opportunity for the Lao.

^[6] See the following for an overview of Earthly embodiments of Mount Sumeru.  Ratsabout, Saengmany. “Continuity and Changes of Buddhism from Old State to New State of Lao People’s Democratic Republic.” Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Lao Studies. Arizona State University. Ed. Karen L. Adams and Thomas John Hudak. Tempe: Southeast Asia Council, Center for Asian Research, 2010. 209-235. Print

^[7] Each chariot of the Nang Sangkhan is represented by an animal. These animals should not be confused with the animals associated with Chinese Zodiac signs, of which the Lao was influenced by.

 

-Saengmany Ratsabout (Guest Blogger)