Hmong culture is steppin' out

Traditional Hmong balladeers shared the stage with break dancers, folk singers and hardcore hip-hop acts at Saturday's Hmong New Year celebration at Cal Expo.

The event, expected to draw 30,000 over the weekend, is one of the largest Hmong cultural events in the country and basically turns the Cal Expo midway into a small Hmong city.

Started in 1982, the celebration strives to showcase traditional Hmong culture. But also on display is how that culture is adapting to its American setting.

And no place was that contrast more apparent than during the talent show.

On stage, a bilingual hip-hop quartet from Fairfield called Hmong and Dangerous performed alongside Nkauj Xob Laim, or Lightning Girls, a Stockton-based trio who wore golden crowns and shimmied to a popular Thai song.

Another teenage foursome break danced to the bass-heavy beat of DJ Unk's hit "Walk It Out."

That group won applause -- and a few blank stares -- from a mostly middle-aged crowd clad in traditional Hmong garb -- bright dresses adorned with silver coins.

"We're bridging cultures," said one of the DJ Unk performers, Ger Vang, a 17-year-old Hiram Johnson High School student clad in camouflage pants. "I like the old stuff. But I like the new stuff, too. I like the movement, the energy."

The next act took a more traditional route: Crystal Xiong, a 42-year-old mother of two, sang a centuries-old Hmong ballad she learned from her parents. The song is about a boy's failed attempt to get a girl to marry him.

"We have to sing these songs for new generations to understand," Xiong said.

She said she's tried to teach the song to her kids -- ages 23 and 14.

"They say they're not interested. They say they don't have time," Xiong said. "These songs are who we are."

Lue Vang, one of the celebration's organizers, said many Hmong immigrants feel as if they have one foot in two worlds. As each generation passes, it's harder to hold on to traditional culture.

"We cannot assimilate, but we are adaptable," said Vang, a language instructor in Sacramento schools. "It's very important for us to keep our traditions as well as embrace the best of the land where we are going to make our life."

Heidi Thao, 16, a member of Nkauj Xob Laim, said she tries to do just that. While most of her friends listen to Jay-Z or Beyoncé, she prefers foreign artists, such as Thai singer Got Jakrapun.

"They don't really make fun of me. They just say, 'Wow. You're very Oriental,' " said Thao, who's taking college prep courses at Delta College in Stockton. "I don't really care. I'm just trying to appreciate the best of what's around me."

The Hmong are tribal people from the mountains of Laos and Thailand. During the Vietnam War, the Hmong were recruited by the CIA to battle the North Vietnamese Army and the communist Pathet Lao. When the United States pulled out of the area, the Hmong remained. Some found their way to refugee camps in Thailand.

After the war ended, some families made it to America before Thai refugee camps closed in 1992. Others remained in squatters camps until they could emigrate to the United States, settling in places like St. Paul, Minn., Fresno and Sacramento. Sacramento has one of the country's largest Hmong populations, estimated at 25,000 to 27,000 and growing, Vang said.

Besides music, the festival offers an array of Southeast Asian foods, including boat noodles and boba drinks.

The celebration, tied to the lunar New Year, started Thursday. It continues today.

For information, call (916) 271-2755 or go to www.sacramentohmongnewyear.com/.