Visitors at the Old Ephraim monument, July 2019
Old Ephraim; Old Ephraim monument; Long Hollow, Logan Canyon, Utah
Photograph of visitors at the Old Ephraim monument, July 2019.
Pumphrey, Darcy (photographer)
Utah State University Libraries
Digital Initiatives Unit, Merrill-Cazier Library
Reproduction for publication, exhibition, web display or commercial use is only permissible with the consent of the USU Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives (email: SCWeb@usu.edu)
Long Hollow, Logan Canyon, Utah
Detail of Old Ephraim monument, July 2019
Photograph of detail of Old Ephraim monument, July 2019.
Photograph of Old Ephraim's grave, July 2019.
Old Ephraim; Old Ephraim's grave; Legends; Long Hollow, Logan Canyon, Utah
Shopping malls
View of the front of the Cache Valley Mall.
Digital Initiatives Unit, Merrill-Cazier Library (Publisher – digital)
Published with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Outdoor Product; Catalog; PUR
PUR
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Outdoor Recreation Products Catalog Collection (Book Collection 72, P-17, 1993)
In copyright, https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en
Outdoor Product; Catalog; Pygmy Boats
Pygmy Boats
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Outdoor Recreation Products Catalog Collection (Book Collection 72, P-22, 2001)
Karen; Refugee Camps
Clip from Pyo Nwe interview, May 18, 2015
Pyo Nwe
Karen; Refugees; Karen Refugees; Thailand; Refugee Camps; Burma; Burmese Military; Porter; United States Immigration
Pyo Nwe 1978
Karen, Life in Refugee Camp
Pyo Nwe interview transcript, May 18, 2015
Pyo Nwe explained what her life was like in a Karen refugee camp. She details her experiences living in the camp, which include getting married and having children. She also explains the difficulties that she and her family faced (and still face) after coming to the United States.
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 1 CACHE VALLEY REFUGEE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT TRANSCRIPTION COVER SHEET Interviewee: Pyo Nwe Present: Pyo Nwe, Bethany Hanks, Chit Moe, Wes Van de Water, Meagan Gill Place of Interview: Pyo Nwe’s home in Logan, Utah Date of Interview: May 18, 2015 Language(s): Karen; English Translation: Interviewer: Bethany Hanks Interpreter: Chit Moe Recordist: Wes Van de Water Photographer: Meagan Gill Recording Equipment: Tascam DR-100mk11 linear PCM recorder; Senal ENG- 18RL broadcast-quality omnidirectional dynamic microphone Transcription Equipment: Express Scribe Transcribed by: Bethany Hanks, May 24, 2015 Transcript Proofed by: Bethany Hanks, May 25, 2015 Brief Description of Contents: Pyo Nwe describes her life in a Karen refugee camp before she came to the United States. She explains what brought her to the Karen refugee camp and what it was like living there, getting married there, and having children there. She also describes the changes and difficulties that she and her family faced (and still face) when they left the refugee camp and came to the United States. Reference: BH = Bethany Hanks BHI = Bethany Hanks interpreted by translator PN = Pyo Nwe PNI = Pyo Nwe interpreted by translator WV = Wes Van de Water WVI = Wes Van de Water interpreted by translator Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 2 NOTE: Interjections during pauses or transitions in dialogue such as “uh” and false starts and stops in conversations are not included in transcribed. All additions to transcript are noted with brackets. TAPE TRANSCRIPTION [00:01] BH: Okay, today is May 18, 2015. And this is Bethany Hanks with Wes Van de Water on audio and Meagan Gill taking photographs. We’re all students at Utah State University and are working on a project called “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Right now we’re visiting Pyo Nwe at her home in Logan, Utah. And her little son is with us, who is 8 months old, and Chit Moe is translating. So, first we want to thank you Pyo Nwe for letting us come and speak with you. So first, um, can I have you say your full name and birth year? PN: Pyo Nwe Nwe BH: Pyo Nwe Nwe? PN: January 1st, 1978. BH: Thank you. PNI: Date of birth, January 1st, 1978. BH: Okay, thank you. And what languages do you speak? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [laughs] [responding in Karen] PNI: I speak Karen and Burmese. BH: Thank you. Can you tell me a little about your family? Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 3 BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: In Utah, or? BH: Um, if you can talk about maybe your family here in Utah and also if you have family over in Karen too? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] [2:07] [Baby breathing loudly] PNI: Um, my family, we all lived in refugee camps and then we all moved to Utah, which is, we were in Salt Lake and we came in March 3rd, 2008. [2:25] [Baby makes noises] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: We lived there for one year in Salt Lake City, and we moved here in 2009, and we’ve been here ever since. BH: He likes the microphone, doesn’t he? [laughs] So the refugee camp where you were at – where was that exactly? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: It is called Mela Camp. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 4 BH: Mela Camp? And do you have any idea where the location of that is in Thailand? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: We didn’t know. It is close to the border, and I know that it’s in Thailand, but I don’t know whether it’s the south or which states or province it’s in. We just know that it’s a refugee camp. BH: Okay, and did you say how long you were there for? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: 1997 to 2008. PNI: From 1997 to 2008. BH: Wow, so then did you grow up quite a lot in this refugee camp? BHI: Like, did she grow up in refugee camp? BH: Yeah, like there as a young child and maybe as a teenager. PN: Yeah, teenager. BH: Yeah? PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Yes, I was sixteen years old back then. BH: Okay. What was it like for you, being there as a young person in the refugee camp? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 5 PNI: Well, at first I lived in Burma. I was poor – my family was poor, and from what I heard, refugee is a better place than Burma. At refugee camp they have school, and their schooling is free. So I decided to go to refugee camp for education purposes. BH: Okay, so what kinds of education did they offer in the refugee camp? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Well, the education in the refugee camp was – it’s not so great like in America, but it’s better than Burma though. [5:59] [Baby breathes loudly] BH: Okay, what kinds of things did you learn in the refugee camp? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: I don’t know if I learned much in the refugee camp because at first, coming to a refugee camp was to study— [Baby makes noises] —but then, things changes, you know. Different circumstances occurred, and it just changes. PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: And I didn’t get to learn. PN: [responding in Karen] [Baby makes noises] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 6 PNI: However, I did help out the school and the teachers with a few things; just helping out for a few years. BH: Okay. Did you have any brothers or sisters with you, or your parents? PN: Yeah, [responding in Karen] PNI: I have three brothers, I mean – PN: Three sisters. PNI: – three sisters. One is in Thailand and the other is in Burma, in Karen State. BH: Okay, we’ll get him some toys huh; let him play. [laughs] So are your siblings, are they still, you said in Thailand and Burma? Are they still over there? Yeah? So, they weren’t in the refugee camp with you? Or – BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] [8:47] PNI: No, they didn’t live with me in the refugee camp, but my older sister (the one that’s in Thailand) she has a daughter who has a disease, and in order to cure the disease, there isn’t a hospital in the refugee camp. There is, but it’s not very big. So, they had to go to Thailand to work over there and to get her daughter the cure. BH: Do you remember much about your life before being in the refugee camp? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Yeah, a lot. BH: Yeah? What kinds of things do you remember? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 7 PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Well, I remember lots of things, but which one are you wanting to know more about? BH: Yeah, let’s see, I guess things about your family – maybe your daily, kind of what life would have been like for you on just a regular day? Or maybe like the sort of the political situation, if it was dangerous at all. BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: [speaking in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] [11:53] PNI: Well, I do remember like from 1989 or 1990, well – not before 1990. I think I was about 9 or 10 years old back then. We had, like I said, three sisters, and I lived with my parents. Well, my biggest goal was to go to school you know, to have a better school for me. Back then it was really difficult because the Burmese military were coming and forcing people to become porters, and my dad was one of them. After he has gone to do the porter thing, and then he lost his leg, like during the war, and he couldn’t work any more after that. It was a really challenging for my family. After a few months or a few days (I can’t remember) my older sister, she kind of left us and she went to Thailand. BH: Wow, thank you. So was education, then, I know you said – you mentioned education earlier, and you wanted to get a better education. Were there other reasons for relocating to the refugee camp? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Yes, I wanted to go to school like really bad back then. In my village, my family was the poorest out of everybody, and then in order to go to school there we had Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 8 to have like a good umbrella, good shoes, good clothes – and my parents, they couldn’t afford to buy any of that. And I kind of felt embarrassed, I mean, to go to school there, so I though it’d be better to go to school in a refugee camp where everything is free, you know. But then when I got to the refugee camp, I got married – so I didn’t really get to go to school. BH: So you met your husband, then, in the refugee camp? What was that like? Was that a good place, I guess, to meet lots of people? PN: [responding in Karen] [15:33] PNI: I think it’s a good place to meet with lots of people, but back then I was kind of young. I was still young, and I had lots of thoughts: there isn’t anyone to support me; my family isn’t here either. [Baby makes spitting noise] I guess that’s how I though about getting married you know – to find my companion who, we can maybe support each other now. It’s just the thought that came by. BH: Very neat. So, your husband in here with you now? Did you all come over, did you leave the refugee camp together? Yeah? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: Yes. BH: How difficult was it to, I guess, go through the process of coming to another country? Was that difficult or was it fairly easy? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Well, in Burma, it’s difficult there. [Baby rattles toy and breathes loudly for a few seconds] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 9 In Thailand it’s the same thing. And here it’s still difficult. BH: Yeah? PNI: I don’t think that’s answering your question. Everywhere is difficult. BH: Uh-huh. So, I guess, another way to ask would be is it difficult to gain entry as a refugee into the United States? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] [phone buzzes] PN: [responding in Karen] [Baby coughs] PN: Sorry. BH: Oh, that’s okay. [17:58] [Pyo Nwe moves play set nearby] Children like to be active, I know. I have nieces and nephews, and they’re, yeah. BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: I think it’s a fairly easy process to get to United States, you know, compared to people who came here with visa or other things. Because we were refugees, then it was easier. PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: To get here, we received lots of help, you know. People helped us step by step to get here. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 10 BH: Okay, thank you. So in the refugee camps, did they celebrate any holidays or have any special religious days? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Yeah, there are. BH: Yeah, like, can you give us an example of one of those special holidays and maybe how it was celebrated? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] [19:49] PNI: The biggest thing would be, we have Karen New Year, and we have Burmese New Year. For Karen New Year, in the beginning we had like a – I would say like camp leaders, lots of leaders, you know. They will go up on the stage and just give speeches. BH: Wow. PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Yeah, Karen has it’s own culture, and Burmese has its own culture. BH: So, what’s the main difference, I guess, between Karen New Year and Burmese New Year? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Because I’m not as – I guess, I don’t have a good experience, like such leaders, but what I can tell is that for Burmese New Year, they celebrate it on April. For Karen, they do it on December. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 11 BH: Okay, so it’s mainly the time then. [Baby coughs] Wow. Thank you. [baby makes noises] So, when you were in the refugee camp, did you get any idea of what the people in Thailand thought of the refugees in the camps? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] [Baby coughs] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Well, I don’t know about other people, but for me, you know, I was really scared of the Thai military. Thai, yeah. Because back then if we had, say we have a meeting, say don’t go out of the camp today, then I will never go out of the camp because if the Thai military captures you, they will send you somewhere else. Another example is my husband who worked outside the camp – [Baby coughs] He was chased by Thai military lots of times, but fortunately he escaped every single time he was chased. PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: What makes me more scared is that when I went back to Thailand one day, I saw the Burmese military. They were taking people, you know. They were taking people to – I don’t know where they were taking them, but they were capturing people, so it makes me more scared. BH: Wow. PN: [responding in Karen] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 12 PNI: Yeah, for me, it was really scary, but I don’t know about other people. BH: So, is that something that happens a lot – that maybe refugees leave the camp, they sneak out or something, and then they’re captured by Thai military and taken somewhere else? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] [24:44] PNI: Yeah, I think it – [Baby bonks head] Ooh. BH: Oh no, is he okay? [Baby cries] PN: Oh. BH: Is he okay? [Baby cries] Head bonk. [baby cries] PN: Sorry. BH: Oh, that’s okay. PNI: He wants to sleep now. He’s feeling sleepy. Well, I don’t know about now, but back fourteen years ago, I would say it happened a lot because I have seen it myself. I lived close to the Thai military gate, I guess, their area, I kind of lived close to where they lived, and what I saw was there was this – Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 13 [phone makes noise] – there was this woman, I would say [phone makes noise] PN: [laughs] PNI: Sorry. BH: That’s okay PNI: Okay, what happened was this Thai military guy – he went out, he found a woman, he took her to the camp, not to the camp but to their place, and I lived really close to it. And they were doing some horrible things to her, I think. I heard the noise and everything, but I couldn’t help. I was so scared. So, I think it happened a lot. PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Well, at the same time, not all the Thai military are bad. Some are really good people as well. I remember when I was pregnant, I saw Thai military who was actually helping me with stuff, you know. He bought me food, so that was really nice. BH: Did you had some children while you were in the refugee camp. PN: Four. [laughs] BH: Four? PNI: She has four. BH: So, four. So, this one with you, he is number four? PN: Five. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 14 BH: Number five, okay. Was that difficult? Either medically—I mean, did they have, um, places where you know, there was a doctor around to help you give birth? And then you know, raising the children in the refugee camp? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Yeah, there were hospitals in the refugee camps. If I were pregnant – if I were close to giving birth, I could go to hospital and give birth there. But what’s sad is that, like, my sister or people who lived in Burma, they, there was no way they could afford to go to the hospital in Burma, so it was kind of sad. BH: Yeah. PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: I think, personally for me, I had a better life than my sisters had. [28:30] BH: How different is it now, raising a child here in America compared with in the refugee camp? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Well, before – [Baby touches microphone] – in the refugee camp, yeah, it was different raising a child compared to here and in the refugee camp. Back there, I had four kids, my husband would go out and work, and if he finds a job then he will bring us some money so we can buy good food, good meal. But here, it’s like, he has a job, and it’s better than the refugee camp, but here we have a different situation I guess. I’ve been here for seven years, and I wanted to go to school, but because of a bad situation I just can’t go to school here. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 15 BH: Is there anything that would help you be able to go to school here in the United States? PN: [responding in Karen] [baby cries] PNI: [speaking in Karen] PN: [responds in Karen] PNI: Well, before I was pregnant here in United States, I had a teacher, you know. She would come and visit me and teach me English. So that was really nice, but she moved to Colorado long ago. But now, I don’t expect to go to high school or middle school. It’s not something I can handle; I know that very well. But I would like a teacher who could come and teach me, because now that my children are growing up, I have time to study; learn more English. PN: [speaking in Karen] [laughs] BH: He’s cute. So I wanted to ask, although it sounds like you may have answered my question already, but given the chance to go to school, what would you study? Although it sounds like English is something that you would really like to learn, but is there anything else? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] [33:06] PNI: Well no. English is the main thing that I want to learn. However, I do want to learn a lot of English so I can communicate on a daily basis. Let’s say if someone were to ask me a question, so that I know the answer to that question, or I understand that question so I can answer it. BH: Mm-hmm. Yeah, so do you think learning English would make living in America easier for you? Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 16 BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Well, yeah, I think if I could understand a lot, but not a hundred percent, then I guess it would help a lot, you know. Though it’s not a hundred percent, it would help a lot. BH: Yeah. PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: And at the same time, my brain is not as good as American people, so it’s not like I can really learn English. It’s not like I can learn English like a hundred percent, does that make sense? [Baby cries] BH: I think if I understand what she’s meaning, you can translate it back and make sure I’ve got this right, but, it’s difficult once you’re an adult and you’ve already learned— PNI: Mmm, yeah. BH: one language— PN: Yeah. BH: it’s harder to learn another. BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Yeah. BH: Because I think the situation would be – if we were to go to Karen, I think we would be in a similar situation. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 17 PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Yeah, when I had a teacher, you know the one that moved to Colorado, back then, I think I understood English, a lot, I guess. I understood English more than what I understand now. Right now, I think I forgot lots of it, yeah. PN: [laughs] BH: Yeah. So, your first few months after leaving the refugee camp, you came to America. What was that like for you and your family? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Yeah, I think it was kind of a little bit challenging. When me and my family first came to America, there weren’t a lot of Karen people, and we really didn’t know a lot about America I guess. Well, at first, people were giving us those apple juice – we thought it was oil, so we didn’t want to touch it. And then when they gave us lotion, we didn’t know what it is, so we use it for our face because it smells nice, right? If we wanted to say something, there weren’t any interpreters back then. And if we wanted to go buy groceries, we didn’t even know where to go. BH: Wow. So, what did you end up doing when you needed to buy groceries? Did you end up – was there someone around who was also from Karen who helped? PN: [responding in Karen] [37:36] PNI: Yeah, it wasn’t Karen people that helped my family. There weren’t many Karen people like I said. It was people from the church. They pretty much helped us with everything, I guess. Taking us to the hospital, you know, taking us to go shopping, buying us stuff – yeah, from the church. PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Oh, yeah, what I remember is that my oldest daughter – she had like a tooth pain back here, the upper one, back here. We went to hospital, you know, and the Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 18 doctor looked at it, but the doctor took one tooth out, but it was the one at the bottom. BH: Oh no. PNI: But that one had cavities so it was okay, but the one that hurts was the one on top. BH: So, it was on the top left? PNI: Yeah, top. BH: And he took out the bottom left. PNI: The bottom left. BH: Okay. PN: [laughs] [speaking in Karen] PNI: I had to take my daughter to the hospital again to take the other one out, the upper left one. BH: How did you communicate that with the dentist, or the man who was working on her mouth? PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: We were just using, I guess, sign language – kind of this, that. But we had people from the church, like one person who took us to the dentist, but back then there was no interpreters, so we can’t tell him what was going on. We just tried to show him this and that. BH: Yeah, with your hands? PNI: Yeah, all without sound. PN: [responding in Karen] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 19 PNI: I didn’t know it either, that she had a tooth that was hurt, but my daughter just told me that it hurts. But thought the doctor already took, it was the one on the bottom already, but it still hurts. BH: So, this church that you mention that helped you? Is this the church that you, or the religion that you take part of? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] [40:37] PNI: It’s not my religion, that church, but they have a lot of people, you know. It doesn’t matter whether you’re that – whether you come from that religion or not. And they help a lot of Burmese and Karen refugees. PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Yeah, everybody who’s a refugee doesn’t know anything. So they help with everybody I guess. [Phone starts ringing] BH: Is that you’re phone—no? PN: [speaking in Karen] PNI: It’s a broken phone. BH: Oh. [laughs] PN: [speaking in Karen] BH: Oh, okay. PNI: It plays it every morning. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 20 BH: Okay. [laughs] BH: So, do you remember what the name of that church was? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: No, but it’s in Salt Lake. It’s the LDS church. BH: Okay. [Baby makes noises] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: It’s around 300 East. BH: Okay, in Salt Lake City? PNI: Yeah, in Salt Lake City. BH: Okay. PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: I think until today, they’re still helping people who are other refugees. BH: Okay. Let me see. [baby makes noises] BH: So, you mentioned that here in Logan, your husband has a job? What work does he do? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 21 PNI: He works at JBS. He cuts meat. That’s what he does – JBS, yeah. BH: Okay. And I think—so you mentioned in the refugee camps, your husband would have to leave the camp to work? Was there like a specific job that he had? Or was he leaving the camp to find a job? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Yeah, he had to look for work, you know, in the refugee camp – outside of refugee camp, I mean. BH: Wow. PN: [responding in Karen] [Baby shakes toy] [43:38] PNI: Yeah, it just really depends on the day. So, one day you find a job, then you get paid. One day, if you can’t find a job, then you don’t get paid. BH: So what kinds of jobs could be found in that way? What sorts of work could he find? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Well, if it’s around May, then he would work as a, like in a cornfield, where he has some kind of corn. BH: Kind of seasonal— PN: Yes PNI: Yes, depends on – Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 22 BH: Whatever was available? Those kinds of things. PNI: Yeah. BH: Okay. Let’s see. Is there anything that you wish that the people of Logan knew about you or your family? Or kind of your culture in general? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Well, I guess I don’t know, you know because, my family we’re from refugees, you know, and we didn’t know about America a lot. And today we still don’t know a lot about Americans I guess. We just kind of need help, you know. That’s basically what she just said. BH: Okay, so it’d be good if we could all find a way maybe to learn more about each other, yeah? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Yeah, sometimes, I don’t know, if we’re in trouble or something – we just don’t know what to do. We just kind of need a guide, I guess. PN: [responding in Karen] [47:17] PNI: Yeah, we’re just kind of a little scared and don’t understand a lot here, so it would be nice just to get help. BH: Okay, I think I have – I have one more question. Do you think you will ever go back to Burma, to Karen State? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 23 PNI: Yeah, I guess I would want to go back and visit Burma, but I’m not a hundred percent sure if I want to go back and live there permanently, you know. Yeah, I just don’t have any plans yet for that. PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: At the same time, I’m not a hundred percent sure if I want to live in the United States forever either. So yeah, I’m just not planning yet. BH: Mm-hmm. PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: And the other reason for me to be staying here is for my children. They have a better education here. BH: I guess just one question going off of that – do you think you would ever want your son here, who was born in America, do you think you would want him to see the land where you came from and know that people and that language? BHI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: Yeah, like I said, I grew up as a refugee, and I wanted to go back to school but I couldn’t. But now I’m here in United States. I want to give my children the opportunity to go to school here, graduate, you know – have a better education here. After then, I would like them to go back to Burma and help out other people you know, to tell them what they learned; to give back to the people in Burma. PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: For me, I want to help my people you know, but I can’t. I know I can’t. But for my children, yeah, sure they can one day. BH: Well thank you. I think that’s all of my questions, but I want to see if either Wes or Meagan – if they have any questions they’d like to ask, if that’s okay? PN: Okay, I have a lot of time. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 24 BH: See, your English is good! [51:19] WV: I guess I was kind of curious, if you’re not LDS – and I notice you have a picture of the Logan temple up on the wall – what is your religious background if you’re not LDS? WVI: [repeating question in Karen] PN: [responding in Karen] PNI: [speaking in Karen] PN: [speaking in Karen] PNI: Well, back to the refugee camp, I was Buddhist. My whole family was Buddhist. But here, me, my husband and – [speaks in Karen] – and my oldest daughter, us three – we converted to LDS. WV: Okay BH: Okay PNI: We already have, yeah. PN: [speaking in Karen] PNI: So I guess there are like four more left in my family, still isn’t LDS. PN: [speaks in Karen] PNI: Well, what I want to say is that it all depends on my daughters I guess. It doesn’t matter what religions they choose. It’s all up to them. We don’t have any objection to anything. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Pyo Nwe Page 25 PN: [speaks in Karen] PNI: For me, I chose it myself, to become LDS. It was my decision. BH: Okay, any other questions? No? Well thank you. So I think that’s the end of our interview. It is, it’s 11:58 AM, I don’t know if I mentioned, the starting time was about 11:04 or 11:05. So thank you, Pyo Nwe, and your little son. So, thanks to both of you. PN: [laughs, responds in Karen] [53:28]
Pyo Nwe, 1978
Gill, Meagan
Chit Moe
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 65
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Hanks, Bethany, 1989
Reproduction for publication, exhibition, web display or commercial use is only permissible with the consent of the USU Special Collections and Archives, phone (435) 797-2663;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67615
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
transcripts;
application/pdf
170153 Bytes
eng; kar
Text;
Burma (Karen State); Thailand (Mela Camp); Salt Lake City (Utah); Logan (Utah);
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 64
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67614
oral histories (document genre);
audio/mp3
51338140 Bytes
Sound;
Pyo Nwe--Photographs;
Pyo Nwe, 1978-
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 58
Hanks, Bethany
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608
Photographs;
image/jpeg;
832528 Bytes
Image; Still Image;
Karen State; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Couty, Utah, United States; Logan, Cache Valley, Utah, United States;
Bethany Hanks, Pyo Nwe, Justin, Chit Moe, & Wes Van de Water
Group shot of the interview process, standing view looking down on the group.
1234004 Bytes
Pyo Nwe & Chit Moe discussing an answer to a question asked by Bethany in her living room.
1220575 Bytes
Profile shot of Pyo Nwe during interview, more light.
1760365 Bytes
805243 Bytes
Profile shot of Pyo Nwe during interview, more dark.
1420985 Bytes
Pyo Nwe thinking during the interview process.
1936477 Bytes
Pyo Nwe during the interview process, more light.
1436214 Bytes
Q. Horatius Flaccus text
Q. Horatius Flaccus
CT - Quaker Lane Barber Shop, Photo, West Hartford
Barbershop, Photo
Quaker Lane Barber Shop, 244 Quaker Lane S., West Hartford, CT 06119
Quaker Lane
S.J. Quinney Announcing Auction for U.I.C. Real Estate to Prospective Bidders, July, 1947
S.J. Quinney; Theo Schneider; Utah-Idaho Central Railroad; U.I.C.; Railroad Abandonment; Real Estate Auction; Weber County, Utah; Box Elder County, Utah; Cache County, Utah; Franklin County, Idaho
On July 18, 1947, S.J. Quinney sent the following letter to announce the auctioning of all U.I.C. property throughout the counties of Utah and Idaho in which it had operated. Quinney had been appointed as receiver for the U.I.C. by the U.S. District Court and managed the sale of property, equipment, etc. for the repayment of company debts.
Quinney, S.J.
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Frederick P. Champ Papers, 1930-1976 (MSS 50, Box 338, Folder 2, Item 36)
S.J. Quinney to Herschel Bullen, Auction of U.I.C. Real Estate, August, 1947
S.J. Quinney; Herschel Bullen; Utah-Idaho Central Railroad; U.I.C.; Railroad Abandonment; Real Estate Auction; Receivership; U.I.C. Receiver; Cache Valley, Utah; Logan Herald
Following the abandonment of the lines of the U.I.C., S.J. Quinney oversaw the auctioning of U.I.C. property and real estate as the appointed receiver for the company. In this August 6, 1947 letter from Quinney to Bullen, Quinney informs Bullen of the time and procedure for the Cache Valley portion of the auction, and of its publication in the Logan Herald.
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Herschel Bullen, Jr. Papers, 1883-1966 (MSS 178, Box 20, Folder 2, Item 11)
Hispanic Americans; Minority high school students; Families; Immigration & culture;
Miss Maria talks about how she came to the United States, and Cache Valley, from Michoacá Taguadon, Mexico. She talks about the economic struggles she and her family have experienced while here. She discusses being a teenager in Cache Valley, talks about her quinceañera celebration, and her goals for the future.
R, Maria;
The original of this item can be found at Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, FOLK COLL 38 Box 12 Folder 15
Digitized by Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Williams, Randy;
Barry, Donna;
Gross, Susan;
Reproduction for publication, exhibition, web display or commercial use is only permissible with the consent of the USU Libraries Special Collections and Archives, (435) 797-2663.
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives
Latino/Latina Voices Project, 2007, 2012
Latino/Latina Voices Project inventory can be found at: http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv83200
image/jpeg; audio/mp3; application/pdf;
eng; spa;
Image;StillImage; Sound; Text;
Michoacan (Mexico); Mexico;
Mexico; Cache Valley (Utah and Idaho); Utah; Idaho; United States;
Hyrum (Utah); Cache County (Utah); Utah; United States;
Outdoor Product; Catalog; Rab
Rab catalog, front cover, February-July 2019
Rab
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Outdoor Recreation Products Catalog Collection (Book Collection 72, R-08, 2019)
bee
Rachel Hahs
Flickr
“Scared of the Dark: A Culture of Monsters” physical exhibit.
Image of the “Scared of the Dark: A Culture of Monsters” physical exhibit located in the Merrill-Cazier Library.
Rachel Hudson
Bells: Connecting Animals, People, and Land Graphic
Outdoor recreation
Rafters
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections &Archives, Outdoor Recreation Products Catalog Collection (Book Collection 72, R-09, 2019)
Rafters (Publisher -- original)
Digital Initiatives Unit, Merrill-Cazier Library (Publisher –digital)
Outdoor Products; Catalog; Raichle;
Raichle
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Outdoor Recreation Products Catalog Collection (Book Collection 72, R-1, 1975)
In copyright https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en
Outdoor Product; Catalog; Rainbow Boatworks
Rainbow Boatworks catalog, front cover, 1984
Rainbow Boatworks
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Outdoor Recreation Products Catalog Collection (Book Collection 72, R-12, 1984)
Outdoor Product; Catalog; Rainbow Country
Rainbow Country catalog, front cover, 1979
Rainbow Country
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives, Outdoor Recreation Products Catalog Collection (Book Collection 72, R-18, 1979)