| Figures | ix |
| Acknowledgments | xiii |
1 | Hmong People: Origins and History | 1 |
| Hmong Origins | 1 |
| Language | 1 |
| Proverbs | 2 |
| Discussion and Activities | 2 |
| Riddles | 2 |
| Discussion and Activities | 3 |
| Physical Appearance | 3 |
| Hmong History | 4 |
| Hmong History in Southeast Asia | 4 |
| Hmong History in the West | 5 |
| Hmong History in the United States | 5 |
| Discussion and Activities | 6 |
| Dia's Memories | 8 |
| Memories of Escaping | 8 |
| Memories of Village Life | 9 |
| Memories of Refugee Camp Life | 13 |
| Discussion and Activities | 14 |
| Issues for Hmong Immigrants Today | 14 |
| Notes | 16 |
2 | Farming and Food | 17 |
| Raising Rice | 18 |
| Discussion and Activities | 19 |
| Food | 20 |
| Recipes | 24 |
| Meat Dish | 24 |
| Soup | 24 |
| New Mother's Menu for the First Thirty Days After Giving Birth | 25 |
| Discussion and Activities | 25 |
3 | Stories and Storytelling | 27 |
| Storytelling | 29 |
| Telling a Story Successfully | 30 |
| The Orphan Boy and His Wife | 31 |
| Discussion and Activities | 34 |
| Variations on a Theme | 36 |
| High-Tech Cinderella | 36 |
| Bibliography of Cinderella Variants | 38 |
| Discussion and Activities | 39 |
| Two Stories from Two Cultures | 39 |
| The Taiga Sampo, or The Magic Mill | 40 |
| Zeej Choj Kim, the Lazy Man | 45 |
| Discussion and Activities | 49 |
| Love Ghost Story | 50 |
| Discussion and Activities | 53 |
4 | Writing and Illustrating Stories | 55 |
| Thoughts on Writing | 55 |
| Discussion and Activities | 55 |
| Illustrating Stories | 57 |
| Paper Cutting | 59 |
| Paper Weaving | 59 |
| Tissue Paper | 59 |
| Tracing Paper | 59 |
| Stenciling | 59 |
| Rubbings | 59 |
| Finger Printing | 59 |
| String Block Printing | 60 |
| Polystyrene Printing | 60 |
| Wood Block Printing | 60 |
| Using Other Objects | 60 |
| Making a Picture Book | 60 |
5 | Hmong Folk Arts | 61 |
| Pa Ndau | 61 |
| Pa Ndau Samples | 62 |
| Discussion and Activities | 62 |
| String-Tying Ceremony | 62 |
| Blessing | 63 |
| Discussion and Activities | 64 |
| Jewelry | 64 |
| Discussion and Activities | 64 |
| Creating Textiles | 66 |
| Discussion and Activities | 70 |
| Traditional Hmong Music and Musical Instruments | 70 |
| Keng | 70 |
| Mouth Harp | 73 |
| Leaf Blowing | 74 |
| Violin | 74 |
| Flutes | 74 |
| Songs | 74 |
| Contemporary Hmong Music and Musical Instruments | 76 |
| Discussion and Activities | 77 |
| Symbolism in Hmong Folk Art | 78 |
| Symbols of Creatures | 78 |
| Discussion and Activities | 80 |
| Other Symbols | 82 |
| Discussion and Activities | 85 |
| Colors | 85 |
| Discussion and Activities | 86 |
6 | Customs and Symbols | 89 |
| New Year's Festival | 89 |
| Marriage Customs | 90 |
| Discussion and Activities | 91 |
| Games and Toys | 94 |
| Kao Xiong's Childhood Memories of Play | 94 |
| Discussion and Activities | 97 |
| Buildings and Homes | 98 |
| Discussion and Activities | 98 |
| Bibliography | 101 |
| Audio Productions | 105 |
| Video Productions | 105 |
| Index | 107 |