It’s eat 30 season again. It takes me approximately 1 hr and 25 min to finish one of these. This is the first year I didn’t smash any of my fingers too 😅
In traditional shaman paper patterns, it represents the spider and spider webs (poj kab laug sab). This design was used to symbolize connection to lub tsua neeb and pairs with the strings hung on top of the altar (sab neeb). And yes, the sab neeb strung on the ceiling represents spider silk, not actual ropes.
This year when coming up with a pattern I was inspired by the first piece that was taught to me by my teacher. That design is a combination of traditional kab laug sab patterns stretching throughout the paper and incorporates paj ntaub composition with the diamond triangle shapes. Most importantly is the 8-petal flower design that is distinctive to many traditional red veils.
In this year’s piece I remixed the structure of the sequences to create more shapes and flow. This design is a tribute and inspired by to the evolution of Hmong arts in spiritual practices. From the perched, centered mother spider evolving into the bloomed flower to modern day designs through technology. Change, growth, and creativity, is needed for the concoction of evolution. Yog tsis txawj plhis ces yuav txawj tuag. Txawj plhis thiaj caum cuag. Happy new year 🎊
50 years of Hmong in America. Hmong American Day.
Our ancestors, grandparents, and parents chased the cosmic stars to get here. Crossed unyielding rivers, soaring mountains, and ghostly jungles to find us. They didn’t know we existed, but they knew one day we would. They had already dreamed about us, already prayed to their ancestors for us. So are we not the living manifestations of their dreams? The physical emergence of their prayers? The product of their resilience and bravery? We are monumental and a reflection of what has occurred, and a glimpse of what is to come.
Hmong new year festivities. The spirits are off and shaman vacation has begun. Will be back in action next month. I’ve waited soooo long to be on break. 😌
My first master student. All those times running around with me throughout WI & MN healing people. Remember that one time we started ceremonies at 6am and didn’t end until 3 am because we did 3 ceremonies in one day then got up at 6am for another one? Or that one time you had to drive 3 hours through a blizzard after a whole day of ua neeb. There was sooo many blurry and blacked out nights too. Glad it was worth it and paid off. While shadowing me you have felt first hand the burdens and gifts of being a shaman. Thanks for sticking through. Now go on and be great. GOAT 🐐
The Dab Vaj Dab Tse series seeks to breathe life into the familiar household spirits of the Hmong, but with a modern and inclusive twist. Through this project, we aim to empower and educate community members about these important spirits, and to encourage Hmong artists to explore creative ways to depict our folklore characters, deities, and spirits.
We thank @Pacheetah for creating and designing the Dab Vaj Dab Tse Series. Pachia is a passionate artist who seeks to build community and connections through her work. Her contemporary perspective showcases the rich history and complexity of Hmong culture while adding her own unique touch to each piece.
#hmong #shaman #ancestors
Nyob zoo xyoo tshiab. Happy HMoob new year season! 🎆
Did you know the start of the Hmong new year was signaled by the blooming of flowers and celebrated by the moon’s phases? Hence why we call the celebration days “xiab” and say “paj tsiab peb caug”. 🌼
Tsiab 30 is the only holiday that HMoob people celebrate. The holiday is a cleansing of the old and welcoming the new. Young people would practice their kwv txhiaj/lug txaj all year hoping to serenade someone's heart while mothers spent months stitching the finest embroidery for their children. The fattest of pigs were saved for the new year's feast gifts of eggs were savored by all. Although we don’t commemorate as our ancestors did we haven’t lost the essence and celebrate 10x harder. Cheers and happy new year folks. 🍻
Xyoo laus xaus xyoo tshiab tawm tuaj. Thov kom xyoo no qab tshiab los tau noj, dej ntshiab los tau haus, paj tshiab kom tau coj, txi txiv kom tau noj. 🙏
Bow and request service from the altar first not the shaman. It is my ancestor's medicine you seek. They are my grandparents, ask kindly with respect and you shall receive. Makes me realize I am next in line to be the ancestor. One day it may be your grandchildren asking me.
Wanted to share my qhua neeb and I's relationship. It's comparable to roomates who've lived with each other for too long. We really don't fuck with each other unless we need to and because of that I tend to ignore their needs. Sometimes they just need a smoke and tell me in the weirdest ways. As you can tell we're very conformable with each other. It's been like this since day 1. Love ya 🙄😘
Out of all the multiple teams I'm apart of this is for sure one of my favs 😍
Spirited Documentary highlighting multiple shamans caught at the cross-section of identity, cultures, and communities coming to yall in 2023
Check them out @spiriteddoc
Summer update!
- Taught history/Hmong language at a precollege camp called YLC. A highlight of the summer. Loved those scholars 💯
- Raised some students! I haven't raised students in a long time. Not the biggest fan of being a master but I have faith in these ones 🔥
- I've only had 1 free weekend since April so spent it with friends. Went to pride hungover asf tho 🤢
- Working on sooooooo many projects! 😁🙃
- Fuck the Supreme Court 🖕
Can't wait for winter yall! 🥰
When I was in 7th grade around the winter holidays I started having the oddest dreams of my yawg who kept telling me that he had come home and he wanted my mom to hu plig 30. I started dreaming of him repeatedly and I eventually shared those dreams with my mom every morning. Eventually, I felt compelled to joss paper and one day I unexpectedly knew how to cut tshuas ntawv and ended up cutting bundles of them by myself. At that time we had just stopped attending church and prior to this I had never been taught what tshuas ntawv were and its meaning.
As a single parent, my mom sought assistance from my niam tais and yawm txiv. My niam tais consulted with a shaman and they looked into me. The shaman told us that my yawg and ancestors "ua kuv siab" because it was time to noj peb caug, hu plig for my family and npws poj npws yawm. The shaman also mentioned that I would have to fulfill a spiritual calling in the near future.
Niam tais then instructed that we hu plig 30 and prepared all the necessities for the ceremonial celebration. After the celebration was over the skills of crafting tshuas ntawv yaj ntshis as if just an illusion. I literally didn't know how tf to cut them anymore after that and had to go learn from my uncle. But since then I have hu plig 30 every year and have celebrated the cleansing of the old year and welcoming of the new one. Happy HMoob new year everyone! Nyob zoo xyoo tshiab rau nej sawv daws nawb mog. Thov kom xyoo no laj fab nqe kab ntsaj, tooj phab nqe kab ntsais, noj hno los paug ces haus dej los paug siab nawb.
Picchia This thank you so much for coming over and spreading your creativity and inspiration with me. This deck was created out of a conversation on the deeper meanings behind everything we do that elders don't teach us. With knowledge behind these root meanings, we come to appreciate, understand, and at times dismantle our traditions better. 🥚🐓🍚
24 - 11/22
Last week as I was deep cleaning my house I found an old burnt aluminum pan in my laundry room. Upon one glance of the pan my memories triggered with scenes of my siblings and I after my mom and dad passed. I had to close the laundry room door and just grieve. I had to cry for the version of me who used that pan hundreds of times for years because we were struggling so hard financially, emotionally and psychologically.
After my dad left my family we became dirt poor. After my mom and dad both passed it became even harder with many dark nights without water or electricity because we couldn't afford it. We were just a bunch of kids trying to survive. On occasion we would have to go to our relative's house so we could shower and charge our phones before heading back to our house kept warm and lit by candel light.
I can't even express how desperate we were. How much we longed to not have to fear about necessities. I have no words to describe how much it hurt to feel like literal trash. I never ever want to feel that pain again.
So as I enter 24 years of age I am grateful for the simple things like having a college degree, full time job, and not having to carry the burden of not knowing if I will be warm the next day.
As a kid I use to dream that one day I wouldn't have to worry about not having power, water or food. That dream has finally been achieved. It took 24 years to feel conformable. 24 years to feel like tomorrow is going to be okay. I honestly couldn't be more grateful for my siblings and loved ones. Here's to 24, may we never have to worry about having something to eat for dinner again.
S/O to my older sisters, they're the heros in this story
