ABSTRACT
In a letter addressed to Father Yves Bertrais and his Hmong cultural center staff, Shoua Yang (Suav Yaj) asked for a book on Hmong wedding rituals and an audiocassette of Hmong poetry songs.1 He went on to explain that he wanted the audiocassette of poetry songs because “mother and father have now left for Laos and this has saddened me so I would like to listen to it [the audiocassette].”2 In addition to asking for books and the audiocassette, at the end of the letter, he also requested one more thing from the cultural center:
And please help send this message to mother and father and all the younger brothers who have successfully interviewed and gone back to Laos . . . that we, your son and daughter-in-law, who are living at the Napho refugee camp are doing well (noj qab nyob zoo).3
