Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Refugee Airport Arrival and Family Welcome Celebration
In the fall of 2005, new Hmong refugees arrived every Tuesday afternoon at Fresno Yosemite International Airport. This page focuses on a family that includes members of the Yang, Lee, Xiong and Vang clans who were there to meet three of their relatives arriving from Ban Vinai Refugee Camp in Thailand. Their tearful airport reunion was followed by joyful gathering at a southeast Fresno home. Though I had never previously met this family, they invited me to join them with my camera.
Also see Airport Arrivals for other families greeting new refugees at the airport.
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(Left to Right) Chee Lee, an unnamed relative, Mrs. Xiong with her young daughter, and Kaying Lee wait anxiously for a plane carrying three of their relatives from Ban Vinai Refugee Camp in Thailand to Fresno, September 20, 2005.
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Chee Lee (right) is a highly respected Fresno shaman. Her sister-in-law, Kaying Lee, lost her husband to a Pathet Lao soldier’s bullet as they attempted to cross the Mekong River in the early 1980s. She never remarried, but has sponsored several families to come to America, including the three older relatives arriving on this day.
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Several family members embrace new arrival, Nyua Vang (center with blue headscarf), September 20, 2005.
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Two brothers meet after twenty years of separation: Chia Shoua Vang (left, a new arrival) and Nao Yeng Vang (right), September 20, 2005.
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New arrival, Chia Shoua Vang (right) gets his first look at freedom outside the Fresno Yosemite International Airport after spending twenty years in a Thai refugee camp. His brother, Nao Yeng Vang (left) has come to pick him up, September 20, 2005.
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At the host home Kaying Lee (left) and Chee Lee (center) visit with new arrival Nyua Vang (right), September 20, 2005.
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New arrival Chia Shoua Vang (left) and Tong Blia Yang (center), husband of shaman Chee Lee. The shamanic altar is common in Hmong households. This one will be used for a ua neeb (wah neng) ceremony about a week later. September 20, 2005.
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Boiled chickens, raised in the backyard, serve both as ceremonial offerings and food for this gathering, September 20, 2005
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A hearty soup of chicken and greens is dished up for the table, September 20, 2005.
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Today’s meal consists of various cooked vegetables from the back yard, including bok choy, snap peas and greens, with boiled chicken and rice, September 20, 2005.
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Host family members and relatives share a meal to welcome and honor the three elders who have just arrived in the country, September 20, 2005.
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(left to right) Kaying Lee with a grand nephew, shaman Chee Lee, an unidentified relative and new arrival Nyua Vang, September 20, 2005.