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Leaning In (by Dylan Bigby)
The small things we do as individuals is what will ultimately save the planet.
Every bit helps.
(via iconicmonsters)
Photo by Elise Bauer
The traditional Hmong knife can be used in a myriad of ways, from mincing herbs to butchering a boar to self defense. What makes the Hmong knife different from others, is the spiritual aspect of it. The Hmong knife is the designated instrument used to ward off evil spirits. Simply place the Hmong Knife under your pillow to forget those nasty nightmares. Or place the Hmong Knife by the doors to prevent evil spirits from entering.
Woman learning about edible mushrooms. (1938) via the Minnesota Historical Society
I love this city. #minneapolis (Taken with instagram)
(via stuffaboutminneapolis)
Other forms of the qeej are used by various Southeast Asian cultures, but only the Hmong appear to use it to communicate in words with the spirit world. For the Hmong, the indisputable difference between their instrument and those of other ethnic groups is that the Hmong qeej “speaks.” To the Hmong, the qeej is not an instrument designed to produce music; it is a bamboo voice that intones a highly stylized and ritualistic language. The qeej is an instrument that communicates with the spirit world.
According to legends known primarily by qeej players, the qeej originally had powers far beyond a speaking voice. The master players were wizards who, with the power of the qeej, could fly through the air, read other people’s minds, and even disappear. Mr. Nhia Dang Kue says, “They had so much internal power they could make fire out of the enemy. They could do that much with the qeej.”
-Gayle Morrison
The funeral is the most elaborate of all Hmong rituals. The overall goal of the performed rituals is to guide the soul back to the placental jacket that it will wear on the journey to the after life.The deceased is dressed accordingly to their sex for the ceremony. The colors of the deceased’s clothes are spiritually significant. The family dresses the body in black and white clothing, avoiding colors like green and red which are thought to make the deceased ill. Another important aspect of burial clothing is the hand-made hemp shoes that help the soul across the caterpillar river and over the green worm mountain on the quest for their ancestors.
