Minnesota Children's Museum

Home » Museum Information » Special and Traveling Exhibits » Hmong at Heart

Hmong at Heart

Build Cultural Connections with Your Family

October 4, 2008 – January 19, 2009

Hmong at Heart gives visitors a window into the everyday lives of the Hmong people in three environments: a village in Laos, a refugee camp in Thailand and a Hmong American home.

Visitors can use oversize, colored beads to create unique patterns on dowels; examine genuine Hmong artifacts; practice everyday Hmong phrases at a pretend farmer's market booth; and plot out how to plant 50 acres of farmland. Adults and children can also express their thoughts about the exhibit at a creative writing poetry station.

The exhibit was developed by Madison Children's Museum and its partners, but Minnesota Children's Museum has gone a step further by developing a 500-square foot addition that highlights the Hmong community in Minnesota during the last 30 years. Not only does the Hmong in Minnesota section feature family photos from the regional Hmong community, it introduces visitors to the Yangs, local Hmong farmers.

Like many local Hmong families, this multi-generational household combines everyday American life with centuries-old traditions. Visitors can meet the family by watching an interview about life in Laos and Thailand before arriving in the U.S., and get an up-close look at family treasures.

Check out these books related to the Hmong at Heart exhibit:

• Dia's Story Cloth by Dia Cha
• Nine In One Grr! Grr! by Blia Xiong
• Jounah: A Hmong Cinderella by Jewell Reinhart Coburn, Tzexa Cherta Lee and Anne Sibley O'Brien
• Hmong in Minnesota by Chia Vang
• Mia Ya's Long Journey by Sheila Cohen
• The Gift: The Hmong New Year by la Xiong