Tou Saiko Lee is a Hmong song writer, singer, a mentor, a storyteller and a spoken word artist who utilize Hip-Hop music to collaborate with his grandmother and aunty as well as Hmong singers to sing spoken word poetry (kwv txhiaj), telling Hmong history, identity, culture and language towards Hmong younger generation about who is Hmong, what is Hmong and where are we from? as well as creating an inter-generation connection through music and spoken word chanting (Hais kwv txhiaj).
According to the compas.org, Tou Saiko Lee has received a number of grants such as New York Times Grant in 2018 and also featured is New York Times story "Hmong Hip Hop Heritage". He also received the 2009 Intermedia Arts VERVE Spoken Word grant. In 2010 he was feature in the National Public Radio story "Re:Union-Twin Cities: Hmong Hip-Hop and a Bush Foundation Fellow since 2016.
The purpose of doing this, according to Tou Saiko Lee, is to inspire Hmong youth to change and to have the willingness or desire to learn Hmong history, identity, culture and language and keep them alive for generations to come.
Mr. Lee said that Hip-Hop music has been a platform for marginalized communities in the US to showcase their hardship and their lives to broader society and he can find some connection with Hmong communities in the state and Hmong communities globally.
When asked if an oversea person ask a Hmong person who is Hmong and where does Hmong come from? How would that person answer?
Mr. Tou Saiko Lee said that when he was young, he didn't know how to answer this sort of question or didn't know much about Hmong, but he said he talked to Hmong elders and they told him about Hmong history and legend that:
"Hmong used to have a king named 'Chi You', Hmong likes to live at mountain top, Hmong means free. Hmong has many traditional wisdom, for instance Paj Ntaub (Flower cloth) to name a few. Hmong is regarded as survivors and overcome adversity through time. I am so proud to be a Hmong and tell others that I am Hmong. But I think that we should talk with our elders so they can tell us more stories in order to understand our identity,"said Mr. Lee.
When asked Mr. Lee whether Hmong culture is too complex and time consuming to learn and understanding or practices will turn Hmong youth away to embrace other religion to keep their lives simple? He said that it might be true that some young Hmong people have done so. He also said that if we don't know or don't understand anything about Hmong, talking to Hmong elders, listen to their stories or getting Hmong experts insights is the way to help Hmong youth know more about Hmong. But these days said Mr. Lee, there are plenty of social media resources like textbooks, YouTube, internet or Facebook that we can learn about Hmong.
Tou Saiko Lee said that previously he cannot speak Hmong properly because he used to live at circuses New York area where there are not many Hmong people residing there. That is why he did not use Hmong language or spoken much Hmong. But when his family sponsor his grandmother from Laos to live with them in the US, his life has changed.
"I cannot speak Hmong and I am very shy to speak Hmong due to the broken Hmong I spoke with his grandmother and some people look down on me how bad my Hmong is, which is further discouraging me down the track. When I went to college, I have said to myself that I must study Hmong in order to communicate with my grandmother, to learn her stories and just to talk with her. This is a driving force that keep me studying Hmong, so I can speak Hmong with Hmong elders. Last but not least, If I study Hmong and I can speak Hmong, it is sure to inspire Hmong younger generation who don't speak Hmong well like me to learn Hmong as well," said Tou Saiko Lee.
Mr. TouSaiko Lee said that he has three missions in Australia after performing with Hmong Australian Festival 2018. First is to do creative workshop with Hmong Melbourne Youth Society, Hmong Inspiration Association and then join Far North Queensland Hmong Youth Society Inc later on.
Besides all these activities he will then go to South East Asia and China especially Vietnam and Thailand as well as Southern China where Hmong live to do futher workshops with Hmong youth in that regions.
Mr. Lee said that "utilizing modern music to tell Hmong story, culture and identity will attract more Hmong younger generation because they love music. So he thought that if this generation speak Hmong it will also inspire younger generation to listen to Hmong as well.#
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