Celebrating Twenty Years of the Alabama Folk Arts Apprenticeship ...

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The khene is a bamboo wind instrument used in the traditional music
of Laos. Music performed on the khene accompanies singing and
dancing during many Lao celebrations and ceremonies. Khene player
Reagan Ngamvilay grew up in Laos and received his musical training
from his uncle. A captain in the Lao army, he was jailed after the
communist takeover of his country and escaped from prison in 1979,
leading 11 other political refugees to freedom in Thailand. In 1981, he
was sent from the refugee camp to live in Mobile where approximately
50 Lao families were resettled. His music is often in demand at parties
and celebrations. Through the Apprenticeship Program, Mr. Ngamvilay
taught three young men to play the khene.
Reagan Ngamvilay
Mobile
Lao Khene Music
Through the Apprenticeship Program, Annie
Pettway studied with Creola Pettway of
Boykin. An experienced quilter herself,
Annie Pettway described Creola as “one of
the best quilters in Gee’s Bend.” Creola
Pettway has been making quilts for more
than 60 years. She and her sisters learned
by watching their mother, Delia Bennett. At
first she copied her mother’s patterns, but
as her confidence in her skills grew, she
began to create her own variations. The
quilts she made then were for family use,
stitched together from scraps of fabric
taken from flour sacks or cast off clothing.
Today her quilts are exhibited in museums
around the country. Creola Pettway is a
singer as well, performing with the White
Rose gospel group.
Annie E. Pettway
Boykin
Quilting