Jim Hang describes his family’s experience crossing the Mekong River as part of their immigration journey. This crossing, especially for non-swimmers, is perilous. 

How is water part of the story of your journey to this place?

Transcript:

Jim Hang: When I think of water, it draws me back to when my family coming and  crossing the Mekong River into Thailand. And, as a non-swimmer, it's awfully  dangerous to cross. Now, people say the Mekong River is not as deep, like people  mentioned. But at the time, it seems like it was really deep. And, in fact, if you are  a non-swimmer many people died in crossing the Mekong from Laos into  Thailand. 

And crossing the Mekong River and how we go through a night and be a non swimmer and, just thinking back, because they tie a rope from one end to another  end. And non-swimmer, like myself and my mom, at the time were just me and  my sister, actually three sisters. My mom would carry one, and one in the front  and one in the back, and my father would have me, and then swim by myself, and  then carry another sister. 

So there were three of us. My mom takes two. My father takes two and then  some baggage too. And then we would just held on to my parents, would just  held on to the rope, and crossing from one end to another end.  

And it was so lucky that we made it across. But there are some people who, when  the rope brokes off or slipped and it fell off, couldn't hold on to it, and it fell off  and the water just kind of flushed or washed them out, down. And many have  died of that reason. 

So water it's really unique in one way that it give us, help us to drink, allow us… 

Chong Sher Vang: Yog koj tsis txawj luam dlej tes poob tuag hab os. 

Jim: Yeah. And if you can't swim then you can drown and die. But water, it's a  basic need. Without water, it's really difficult to survive.

Chong: Txawm yaam ntawd tseem ceeb heev dlej nas 

Jim: So, in whichever route, water is important.

Jim Hang

Caitlin Welch has fond memories of spending time fishing with family as a child. Since then, her learning of the Dakota Language and involvement with NoDAPL have shown her the need to protect our waters. 

Does your family have any traditions with water? Has your view of water changed over time?

Transcript:

Haŋ mitakuyepi. Dak̇ota ia Winuna de miye waṡicu ia Caitlin Welch emakiyapi ye. In Dakota, I am called Winuna, and in English, my name is Caitlin Welch, and I'm a member of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.  

Water is life. Mni Wiċoni. We can't live without it. It sustains us, from drinking it to eating the food it gives us. We need water to live, and that's why we're here, because we have water. No being can live without water. Protecting our water is very important. As a Native American person, we have had our rights taken away, and now we're trying to reclaim our water rights specifically. And this includes, you know, the ways we fish and the way we use water in everyday life. It needs to be protected and cared for, just like any other being. Almost all of my childhood, all my summer activities, revolved around water. I was swimming every day out on the lake, out on the boat. As a kid, most of my memories are out on the boat doing a lot of fishing.  

Fishing was very important to my family. Every summer, we'd go up to our cabin and we'd fish almost every single day, my dad had all these secret spots on the lake we'd fish, that weren't really that secret. It was right at the end of the dock.  

He taught us everything we needed to know, from tying the knot to setting the hook and then fileting the fish. Fishing was a part of life for me, really. I remember spending hours and hours out on the lake and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, and it was all worth it for all those amazing family fish fries we would have. I remember at the end of summer, we'd have these huge stores of fish filets, and my dad would invite all the relatives over, and we had these big fish fries out on the shore, and it was just a beautiful experience. And that was like our family time, and like our way of feeding ourselves and feeding our relatives as well. Just the phrase Mni Wiċoni, water is life, I fully understand that now. I guess I didn't even know those words before I started learning the language a couple years ago. I think that it was really the NoDAPL pipeline that really made me understand, yeah, we need to protect our water, and it can get very bad, and we need to not have these pipelines. And I know that there's even more pipelines everywhere else, in, one here in Minnesota too, and it goes right up north, right through up north, and that's where all the good lakes are. So that does worry me that the water will one day be polluted by that pipeline.  

There's a lot of place names in Minnesota and towns that are still named in Dakota that we kind of mispronounce, Owamniyomni. That's where the St Anthony's Falls is, and that was our sacred waterfall. And there's used to be an island there, and that was very sacred place to our people. And then where the two rivers met, that was mdote. So mdote was where Fort Snelling is now still is  mdote. Our people, Mdewak̇aŋṫuŋwaŋ’s, we are the Dwellers of the Spirit Lake. That was considered, there's some debate, but it was mostly considered to be Lake Mille Lacs, and that's where our people traditionally gathered and also fished. That water is very sacred to us, and still is. There's many words in Dakota that involve water. We have a word for everything. So, Mni is just water. Wakpa is river. Mde is Lake. Water is life, and we need to protect water. It's the most sacred thing on Uŋci Mak̇a, Grandmother Earth, and we need to protect it.

Caitlin Welch

This digital story recording was created in conjunction with the Smithsonian's Museum on Main Street program and its Stories from Main Street student documentary initiative, called "Stories: Yes." The project encourages students and their mentors to research and record stories about small-towns and rural neighborhoods, waterways, personal memories, cultural traditions, work histories, as well as thoughts about American democracy. These documentaries are then shared on Smithsonian websites and social media.

This moving story explores why people settled in Lanesboro originally in the 19th century, contrasted with a deeply personal and local perspective on what it takes to sustain a small town in the Twenty-First Century. An intimate portrait of community, economics, Main Street and the future of rural America emerges through the lens of the filmmaker, her peers, local business owners, and the town’s decision makers. Produced by Mai Linh Gjere in conjunction with Lanesboro Arts, Minnesota, with technological support from Erin Dorbin.

Mai Linh Gjere (00:00): My name is Mai Linh Gjere. I'm a city transplant, and I'm a prime example of a millennial living in a small Midwestern town also known as Lanesboro, Minnesota. Lanesboro was created by joint stock company owners in New York with the starting population of about 600 people. The time it was founded is very much disputed, some saying 1869 and others saying 1868. In the early years, Lanesboro was just like any other small Midwestern town. Lanesboro had everything its residents needed. Somewhere to eat, somewhere to drink, somewhere to worship, and a hotel. Lanesboro grew quickly adding a flour mill, a hardware store, general stores, and eight saloons. That's two more than what we're allowed by law. In 1876, Lanesboro was at its peak with over 1,600 residents. My family moved here to Lanesboro from St. Paul in 2004 when I was only two years old. My parents, Mike and Kirsten Gjere, saw opportunity and potential here. They made the decision to relocate for several reasons. Now, 12 years later, they talk about those reasons, difference between a small town and a bigger city, and what lies for Lanesboro and its future.

Mike Gjere (01:05): We spent all of our summers in the country and we liked being here so we just decided we would like to live here full time. When I was younger, we had a farm near Lanesboro that we'd spend the summers at. We had the opportunity to buy a farm here in Lanesboro so we bought a farm and we decided to move down here.

Kirsten Gjere (01:25): All our activities were bicycle riding and we did some fishing and canoeing and we liked all that out here so we decided to move.

Mike Gjere (01:35): Oh, that was a lot of work. Yeah.

Kirsten Gjere (01:35): We bought this place at an auction, which was nerve wracking.

Mike Gjere (01:39): Yeah. We bought the farm at an auction and the barn was falling down, the house was falling down.

Kirsten Gjere (01:46): The windows were rotted out.

Mike Gjere (01:47): There were no fences.

Kirsten Gjere (01:49): Carpets smelled like mold.

Mike Gjere (01:51): It was rough.

Mai Linh Gjere (01:52): In 2016 during the spring and summer months, Lanesboro streets are bustling, people everywhere, eating, tubing and sightseeing. With a population of just 740, one would think Lanesboro doesn't have a lot going on. But by looking at Main Street, that is clearly untrue, sort of. For three months, Lanesboro is a cheerful, quaint and busy town, but it wasn't always that way. In fact, some describe it as more of a ghost town year round.

Asset ID: 8676
For a complete transcript, please visit www.museumonmainstreet.org

Small Town, Big Changes, Minnesota

This story was collected, edited, and produced by students in Lanesboro, Minnesota, for the Museum on Main Street program at the Smithsonian Institution. It is part of the "Be Here: Main Street" collection, intended to capture Americans' stories about their neighborhoods, waterways, towns, traditions, and personal experiences. #bHereMainSt

The story explores why people settled in Lanesboro originally in the 19th century, contrasted with a deeply personal and local perspective on what it takes to sustain a small town in the year 2016. This intimate portrait of community life, economy, Main Street and the future of rural America is uniquely told through the lens of the filmmaker, her peers, local business owners, and the town’s decision makers.

Farming and Agriculture in Lanesboro, Minnesota

This digital story recording was created in conjunction with the Smithsonian's Museum on Main Street program and its Stories from Main Street student documentary initiative, called "Stories: Yes." The project encourages students and their mentors to research and record stories about small-towns and rural neighborhoods, waterways, personal memories, cultural traditions, work histories, as well as thoughts about American democracy. These documentaries are then shared on Smithsonian websites and social media.

Recorded in conjunction with Houston County Historical Society, Minnesota. Produced by Stories: Yes curator Olivia Obritsch, with support by Erin Dorbin and Olivia Hoff. 

Kelly Asche (00:05): With the data I look at in the history that I know and the things that I've learned, I see communities constantly and consistently evolving and changing. And so I tend to think about small towns in a little bit more positive light that it has changed a lot, it has evolved from where it has been 20, 30, 40, or 50 years ago. I know not everything's positive. I know there are problems and challenges, but I believe we need to nuance the narrative a little bit more away from just negative or revitalization, but more towards look at all these interesting things happening at all of these interesting places.

Olivia Obritsch (00:37): Nowhere could this be more applicable than Lanesboro, a small town with a plethora of experience with change gleaned from the events that have taken place here in the last 40 years. This is that story.

Jennifer Hungerholt (00:59): When I think back to the '70s, I lived in Rochester and I'd come down here and visit my grandparents on weekends. Town was just dead. I mean, it was nothing going on

Robin Krom (01:10): Lanesboro was a beautiful town, but it was pretty well closed up.

Marc Sather (01:16): Lanesboro was like many small towns. It was somewhat abandoned, boarded up.

Olivia Obritsch (01:23): So what caused the transformation in Lanesboro from its semi neglected state to the vibrant town it is today?
Robin Krom (01:31): The trail was the first huge factor, I think, that really brought Southeastern Minnesota as well as Lanesboro a lot of growth.

Olivia Obritsch (01:47): The railroad first entered the area in 1868 with the construction of a new portion of rail line that originally stretched from Rushford to Lanesboro. The railway was first christened The Root River Railroad but changed names several times in rapid succession until 1880, when it was absorbed into the preexisting Chicago, Milwaukee and St.. Paul Railroad Company, often referred to as simply The Milwaukee Road.

Asset ID: 8671
For a complete transcript, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org

The Rebirth Of Lanesboro, Minnesota

"It was a magical place. My wife and I said, we're going to live here sometime."

Lanesboro resident Blake Coleman on his very first visit to the town he now calls home, and what he loves about Lanesboro.

Visiting Lanesboro for the first time

Glen Nyenhuis shares a story about hunting along the railroad tracks that used to run through Lanesboro, Minnesota ~ hopping the train back to town in exchange for a bird; And finishing each hunting trip with a steak dinner at the White Front cafe. Glen and his wife Yvonne eventually moved to Lanesboro and bought the White Front, which they ran for many years.

Glen Nyenhuis on hunting In Lanesboro

"No matter what happens to the town, people have to eat!"

Yvonne Nyenhuis shares the story of her time running the White Front Cafe with her husband Glen. An important gathering place in Lanesboro for locals and tourists alike, Yvonne talks about how she saw her role as a business owner being one of service to the community.

The White Front Cafe

Area resident David Hennessey's reaction to a major fire downtown as described in an email he wrote a day after the event.

Lanesboro's Infamous Fire 2002

Charlie Ruen describes watching his  cows protect their calves as they cross the Root river,

Calves Crossing

Betty is skinny dipping and gets surprised by some boys driving by.

Skinny Dipping Surprise

The Minnesota Humanities Center offers a new way to think about our future—grounded in the humanities. Our state is rapidly changing and growing even more diverse. Look around. In case after case, in community after community, we too often choose not to listen to each other. As a result, we experience gaps and breakdowns.
 
The Humanities Center’s approach affirms we’re all in this together—using philosophy, literature, art, music, history and language—we focus on what unites us not divides us.

Caitlin Welch

Minnesota Humanities Center

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