artist*profile
Paj ntaub (story cloth)from Pang XiongSirirathasuk Sikoun.Photo by Will Brown.Inserts, top to bottom:Pang Xiong and herfamily in Laos, c.1959. Pang playing ajaw’s harp, with T-BeeLo. Photo: JaneLevine, 1993. Pangand other Hmongwomen in the earlyyears of producing pajntaub for sale here in<strong>Philadelphia</strong>. Photo:Tom Morton, c. 1990by Sally PetersonPang Xiong Sirirathasuk Sikounpang XiongSirirathasuk Sikounsays that she wouldlike to make a movieof her life in fourparts. Pang Xionghas lived in <strong>Philadelphia</strong>,and devoted herself tosustaining Hmong culture,for more than 28 years now.She and I worked togetheron several projects in the1980s. My visit now, after along absence, comes whenPang is preparing aretrospective exhibition ofher needlework, and inparticular the paj ntaub(flower cloth) of the Hmongpeople, an art that she hasdeveloped in many wayshere in <strong>Philadelphia</strong>. Shebegins to reflect on a lifethat began 63 years ago inXieng Khouang province inthe mountains of northernLaos, not far from theborders of Vietnamand China.The first part of the movie,explains Pang, wouldestablish the geographic andhistorical setting of theLaotian Hmong, an ethnicgroup that migratedsouthward from China to thenorthern highlands ofSoutheast Asia severalhundred years ago. Selfreliantand industrious,Hmong clans farmed thelands alongside theirmountain-top villages andslowly expanded theirsettlements throughout thehighlands of Laos. Thoughwithout a written languageuntil the 1950s and thearrival of Christianmissionaries, the Hmongretained a highlysophisticated oral literatureand history, and the womenexcelled in minute anddelicate forms of embroideryand appliqué thatembellished their clothing.In Pang’s movie, thepicturesque scenery of theLaotian highlands and thestability and familiarity ofhome, family, and traditionform the backdrop to thelove story of her parents,which ended tragically withthe death of her motherwhen Pang was just sevenyears old.“In the second part of mymovie,” she says, “thecommunists come.” In1945, when Pang Xiong wasjust one year old, theoccupying Japanesesurrendered the country tothe French, who had ruledLaos since 1890.Vietnamese-backednationalists struggled forcontrol, and Xieng Khouangwas contested territory. Oneof Pang’s earliest memoriesis a hurried departure tonearby caves to escape abombing attack. “Where ismy spoon? Don’t forget myspoon!” She laughs toremember her childishanxiety in the face of suchdanger. She knows she waswearing toddler clothing, soshe must have been abouttwo years old. “I loved myspoon, I had my own spoon.And my little basket forthe back.”Pang Xiong’s safe,insulated Hmong worldchanges in part 2 of hermovie with the death of hermother and the constantthreat of war. Life isdangerous and difficult.Though only seven, she isthe older sister. Her motherwas her father’s third wife.There are 14 children to carefor. She learns quickly,helped by her aunt and hergrandmother. A stepmotherjoins the family with severalof her own children. Thenshe too dies in childbirth.There are more children tocare for, and soon a newmother and new siblings.Describing the events thatformed her character, PangXiong introduces themesthat echo throughout herstory: the obligation tofamily and the value ofselfless generosity. Herfather, Xia Cao Xiong,encouraged her to be strong,to understand her place inthe extended family, and tohave compassion for itsother members: “My fathertold me, ‘You have a dad.But they don’t have a dad.Your mom can help you, butyour dad is like a tree[Continued on next page ➝]2006-2007 Winter WIP 5