Mrs. Hew (right) during a December 1999
interview. Mrs. Hew, 93 at the time this
picture was taken, was one of the few
remaining New Orleanians who grew up in
the Chinese Quarter. She shared her memories
as part of Asian Bayou's Lotus Roots Project,
a previous effort to preserve the memories
of the Asian-American culture of New Orleans.
After the tragic events of Hurricane Katrina, the Asian Pacific American Society has responded with a cross-cultural, community-driven Folklife Cultural Preservation Project. This project seeks to preserve, document, and transmit Asian Pacific Islanders (API) of varied cultural experiences and practices, specifically oral artistry and story telling in the New Orleans metropolitan area. The aim of this project is to document the rich tapestry of API cultural traditions as represented by our community, to share this knowledge with the American public, future Asian generations and to strengthen API community cohesion post Katrina. The inter-generational design of the project entails youth involvement with the fieldwork and documentation process through formal interviews with individuals. The culmination of the project findings will be shared with the community and the public at large through various media sources, including still photography, a documentary video, publication and through interactive workshops with live artisans. The results of this project will be presented at various events such as the APAS Annual Fundraising Gala, the Asian Heritage Festival, the Children’s Holiday Party, and at public venues, including local libraries, schools and art galleries.
The project was incepted as a result of a round table discussion with students from AASIA, an umbrella organization of Asian student group from surrounding universities in New Orleans. During this round table discussion, students expressed desire to learn more about the experiences of their parents and grandparents back in their homeland.
This project involved hiring coordinators to assist in the implementation of the project and training students to creatively learn the art of documenting interviews.. Documentation is done by audio, video and still photography. This project is partly funded by the Louisiana Division of the Arts.
The following is part of a speech presented by Vatsana Chanthala at the 2007 general membership meeting:
I’d like to start by telling you a story. This is my story. My mother wanted a better life for her children so she decided to leave Laos and come to the United States. Before leaving Laos, she went to the temple and prayed to the lord Buddha to guide her safely across the Mekong River. One morning, very early, she paddled herself across the Mekong River with four children all under the age of 10. The youngest boy of three or four sat in her lap, then the oldest daughter sat holding her youngest sister, then me in the front. At the time it was dangerous to leave the country because leaving was considered an act of betrayal and if were caught, one would be shot. On the way across, I stuck my hand in the water and next thing I knew I felt a **WHACK** on my head. My mother said, “A mermaid is guiding us across the river. By playing in the water you might touch her breast causing her to get mad and then she’ll tip us over!”
We made it across safely and were directed to a temple to be transported to a refugee camp the next day. That evening, my mother couldn’t sleep, afraid that something would happen. While we were sleeping she noticed a gecko crawling on us and licking us one by one. She would pick it up and move it away from us. Every time she did this it kept coming back. She would pick it up and take it outside. Each time it would find its way back and would do the same thing. Then she remembered that before leaving Laos, she prayed to the Lord Buddha for guidance to safely cross the river. So she took a moment to pray to say thank you, that we made it to Thailand safely and to please not worry about us. After that the gecko went away.
My mother used to tell us all kinds of stories to put us to bed. Some fable, and some real life events. These stories were full of meanings and lessons. I can still feel that whack on the head, when I remember the story.
My point in telling you this story is that Asian communities are full of stories that are full of lessons and meanings and experiences as an Asian living in the United States. These stories are part of our heritage and can help to guide us throughout our lives and bring us closer as a community.
During a round table discussion with the students from surrounding universities in New Orleans, the experiences of their parents or stories from their countries was something they wanted to learn more about. The asked why do we have certain traditions and what do those traditions mean? For the reasons just mentioned, APAS would like to start collecting fables and stories of life experience from each community and record them using multi media. The fables can be told in their native language and then translated into English for future generations.
Katrina has taken away many things from this community. She took away members of our community who were vital to preserving our cultures. Before letting another Katrina or the passing of time erase our history and communities, let’s preserve it by collecting and sharing our life’s experiences. I think we can learn a lot from hearing about what it was like to ride in a boat across the ocean for a better life; what it was like to be the first Asian to attend an all White school, or growing up as 1st, 2nd or 3rd generations as Asian Americans. If you have stories to share or would like to take part in this effort, please contact Vatsana at cvatsana@yahoo.com.
Supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Louisiana State Arts Council, and the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.
