Hmong Textile Arts at Harding High School http://www.hmongnet.org/class/harding99

Hmong Textile Arts at Harding Senior High School

The "Hmong Textile Arts" program began this fall at Harding Senior High School in St. Paul. Twice every Friday, a group of Hmong woman elders visit the high school classrooms to literally thread Hmong culture and history through sewing. This hands-on program is being offered as part of the "Written Hmong Language" class. The rest of the week, the students learn how to write in their language. Currently, both "Hmong Textile Arts" and "Written Hmong Language" are the nation's first and only daytime Hmong curriculum incorporated into a public school setting.

"Hmong Textile Arts" is a collaborative project between the University of Minnesota and the community, involving resources and expertise from the: Refugee Studies Center (co-coordinator); Dept. of Design, Housing, & Apparel; Center for Urban and Regional Affairs; Dept. of Family Social Science; University of Minnesota Extension Service - Ramsey County; Women's Association of Hmong and Lao (co-coordinator); and Saint Paul Public Schools. Funding is provided by the University of Minnesota Extension Service.

Students enrolled in the program are 80 American-born, Hmong boys and girls, ages 15 and 18. Despite the prevalence of intricate needlework that proudly embellishes their ethnic dress, very few of them have learned to sew the way their mothers did in their youth in Laos. Educational achievement, not sewing skills, has been the emphasis among the students and their parents. This, of course, is causing a great concern to the elders who want to preserve and transmit the textile arts tradition to the younger generations of Hmong in America. As an innovative strategy, the "Hmong Textile Arts" has brought the sewing right into the classroom, creating a win-win situation for everyone involved.

The woman elders have found employment that is close to their heart. Especially for those who live alone and suffer from feelings of loneliness and isolation from society, the weekly activity has re-opened their opportunities for human interaction - Interaction with the students, the program coordinators, and with each other! As sewing teachers, they have also found a sense of empowerment through their ability to share with the students what they call the insignia of Hmong cultural heritage in an educational setting which Hmong value highly.

The students have discovered that the program satisfies their hunger for a culturally sound curriculum in the school. Both boys and girls lean closely over to the elders, their eyes carefully following and recording the sewing sequence. In essence, "Hmong Textile Arts" emulates the way sewing was taught for centuries in Laos. The sewing experience has also opened up intergenerational communication outside the classroom. Indeed, many students take their sewing projects for the weekend to sew with their grandmothers at home.

The teachers at Harding are amazed just how low the noise level has been during the sewing session even though each class has 40 students. The teachers have also seen an immediate improvement in some students' attendance records - an obvious effort by students as not to miss the program. The principal, who has been so impressed by the interaction between the students and the elders, exclaimed, "This is what education is ALL about!"

The coordinators of the program, Masami Suga (Refugee Studies Center) and Bo Thao (Women's Association of Hmong and Lao), have been equally pleased. Every time they see the smiles on the faces of students and elders, they too smile with a great sense of satisfaction about the priceless reward "Hmong Textile Arts" brings to their lives both personally and professionally.

Change is am important aspect of Hmong tradition. In their long history of migration, Hmong have always adapted to their new environment by incorporating new materials and customs into their way of life. Here in urban America, Hmong continue to negotiate ways in which they preserve and transmit tradition to the next generation. At Harding, the woman elders have found teaching sewing to boys and girls in a classroom is one way of making sure the Hmong textile arts will not die out.