St. Paul – From Mountains to Lakes: The Museums We Carry

Across mountains, oceans, generations, and borders, the Hmong people have carried songs, textiles, and rituals that tell the stories of their identity for hundreds of years. Elders serve as living museums, passing knowledge from one generation to the next. Yet what happens when that transfer is disrupted, when younger generations reach for knowledge through the internet or AI, without understanding that Hmong truths live in many forms, shaped by clan, dialect, nationalism, and landscapes across the globe?

From Mountains to Lakes: The Museums We Carry is a daylong retreat that brings together Hmong cultural bearers, educators, and community leaders to examine the dangers of cultural extinction and explore collective ways to preserve identity. Held at the Hoċokata Ti Cultural Center, participants will engage in a guided learning experience led by members of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, reflecting on how Indigenous peoples sustain culture, language, and identity across generations. The retreat concludes with a collective reflection on the challenges ahead and a call to action to carry these living museums forward together.

Agenda:

• 8:00am Check-in at Minnesota Humanities Center, light continental breakfast will be served (8:00am – 8:45am)
• 8:45am Load Bus
• 9:00am Travel to Hocokata Ti Culture Center (Shakopee, MN)
• 9:45am Culture & Exhibit Tour (indoor & outdoor)
• Noon Indigenous Lunch & Culture Exchange Panel Discussion
• 2:00pm Depart Hocokata Ti Culture Center and return to MHC
• 3:00pm Reflection
• 4:00pm Adjourn

K-12 Educators will receive 4 clock hours. Participants are welcome to wear traditional clothing.

Registration

Registration for this event has SOLD OUT.

Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org