Hmong Culture Camp Allows Children to Share Heritage - St. Paul Pioneer Press
Sally Baas, a middle-aged white woman, is the first to say she's in no position to teach Hmong children about their own heritage. But as a career educator looking from the outside in, she speaks with a mother's heart about fearing 'this beautiful culture' would vanish before her eyes.
Three summers ago, Baas started a Hmong culture and language camp at Concordia University, where she directs the Southeast Asian teaching program, with 32 Hmong children and a handful of adult Hmong instructors.
The camp has grown to more than 150 youths ? not all Hmong ? immersed in two weeks of storytelling, gardening, art and language sessions steeped in Hmong tradition. A public showcase of performance, art and assorted demonstrations closed the camp Friday afternoon at Concordia.
"I don't want this to be a stomp-and-chomp, a program where you just learn the dances and eat the food. I want this to go deeper," Baas said. "We focus on Hmong culture, but it's really grown into a multicultural program." Read More
