 Long
Journey Home
Somdad Vang has traveled far from the refugee camp where she was
born in Thailand. It was her studies in anthropology at CSU, Chico
that launched her on a journey to discover the culture of her people,
the Hmong, a culture that she had long denied.
“I never wanted to learn about my own culture,” admits
Vang. “I never was proud of my heritage as I was growing up.”
However, she came to a startling truth as she finished her bachelor’s
degree in anthropology in 2001 and considered graduate school.
“One of my professors suggested that to find out what I am
interested in, I look at all the papers I’ve written,”
recalls Vang. “What did they focus on? All of my papers were
about the Hmong.”
Learning about her culture started her on the path to learning about
herself. “I’m starting to accept the fact that I am
Hmong,” she says. “It’s who I am, it’s not
going to change. Now, I want to contribute something to my culture.”
As a graduate student in the museum studies program, Vang curated
“A Cultural Journey of the Hmong of Butte County,” which
was displayed for several months this year in the CSU, Chico Museum
of Anthropology. “The exhibition meant a great deal to me
because I had the chance to show others who my people are,”
she says. Vang researched and prepared artifacts; students in an
undergraduate anthropology class assembled the exhibit.
Vang is the second eldest of 11 siblings. “As an older sibling,
it is my duty to set an example,” she says. “I want
to show my younger siblings that they can be successful in life
if they get a good education.” Vang’s older brother
is also a CSU, Chico alum; three of her siblings are current students.
Vang reveals her feelings about being Hmong in her autobiography
written for the exhibit. The following is an excerpt:
“My parents and my grandfather were born in Laos. They were
forced to flee to Thailand after the Communist Pathet Lao took over
Laos. During the French period of Vietnam, my grandfather fought
for the French; [later] my father fought for American forces, even
though he was just a boy. My parents and my grandfather were in
the Chiang Kham refugee camp for five years before they came to
the United States. During their time in the refugee camp, my older
brother and I were born. My family came to the U.S. in February
of 1980 when I was 10 months old.
“I am Hmong. I care about the Hmong. I must admit that this
has not always been so, and I still struggle with it sometimes.
Over the years, my feelings on being Hmong and about the Hmong have
changed immensely. At one point in my life, I deplored the fact
that I was born Hmong. Who were the Hmong anyway?
“Like most youths who grow up in dual cultures, it was difficult
to know who I was. To whom do I owe loyalty? I have come to accept
that I am Hmong. Being Hmong has shaped my identity and the person
I am today. Being Hmong does not have to limit what I can become
or do.”
Lisa Kirk, Public Affairs and Publications
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