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https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/5eca27967bf3730626185c12e7cffd54.pdf
58f83c1bd0a39447428a1ba1d5846843
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
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Warner-Evans, Hilary, 1994;
Warner-Evans, Hilary, 1994-;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Western Lowland Eritrea; Ethiopia; Egypt; New York, NY; New Haven, CT; Idaho;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Afeworki Woldemichael, 1979-;
Williams, Heidi, 1989-;
Berhane Debesai Abraha, 1980-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-17
Description
An account of the resource
Afeworki Woldemichael talks about his family and home in Eritrea. He discusses his time in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, where he met his wife and had two children, his journey to the United States, living in Connecticut, Idaho, and Utah. He discusses his adjustments to life in the United States, and expresses hopes to improve his English to be better able to communicate with the people of Logan. He talks about what the future of his family will be like when his wife and children come join him.
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page 1
CACHE VALLEY REFUGEE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
TRANSCRIPTION COVER SHEET
Interviewee: Afeworki Woldemichael
Present: Afeworki Woldemichael, Heidi Williams, Magen Olsen, Berhane Debesai
Abraha, Hilary Warner-Evans
Place of Interview: Mr. Woldemichael's apartment in Logan, Utah
Date of Interview: 17 May 2015
Language(s): Tigrinya; English
Interpretation: Berhane Debesai Abraha: Live translator
Interviewer: Hilary Warner-Evans
Recordist: Magen Olsen
Recording Equipment: Tascam DR-100mk11 linear PCM recorder; Senal ENG-18RL
broadcast-quality omnidirectional dynamic microphone
Transcription Equipment: Express Scribe
Transcribed by: Hilary Warner-Evans, May 21, 2015
Transcript Proofed by: Hilary Warner-Evans, May 25, 2015
Brief Description of Contents: Afeworki Woldemichael talks about his family and home in
Eritrea. He discusses his time in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, where he met his wife and had two
children, his journey to the United States, living in Connecticut, Idaho, and Utah. He discusses
his adjustments to life in the United States, and expresses hopes to improve his English to be
better able to communicate with the people of Logan. He talks about what the future of his
family will be like when his wife and children come join him.
Reference: HWE= Hilary Warner-Evans (Interviewer)
HWEI= Hilary Warner-Evans' words being interpreted by
translator
AW= Afeworki Woldemichael (Interviewee)
AWI= Afeworki Woldemichael's words being interpreted by
translator
BDA= Berhane Debesai Abraha
HW= Heidi Williams
NOTE: The interview was conducted with the assistance of a live translator, Berhane Debesai
Abraha. The interpreter arrived about ten minutes later than the interviewer, photographer, and
recordist but is present from the beginning of the transcript. False starts, pauses, or transitions in
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page 2
dialogue such as “uh” and starts and stops in conversations are not included in transcript. All
additions and added information to transcript are noted with brackets.
TAPE TRANSCRIPTION
[00:01]
[Checking microphone. Indistinguishable talk from HWE, BDA, and AW. AW tapping
mic.]
HWE: Okay. It's May 17th 2015. This is Hilary Warner-Evans interviewing Afeworki
Woldemichael, a member of the Eritrean community here in Logan, Utah. And we're at
his apartment in Logan. Also present is Berhane Debesai Abraha, who is translating, from
Tigrinya and Magen Olsen, who is doing the recording, and Heidi Williams, doing
photography. So, can you give your full name again and your birth year?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya]
AW: Okay. May 24, is birthday next Monday [laughs]
BDA: [quietly] Sunday.
AW: Yeah, my–. Yeah, next Sunday. Yeah.
AWI: His birthday is May 24th [unclear]
AW: Yeah.
HW: [to BDA] And yours is twentieth.
BDA: Mm-hm
AW: May 24.
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: 1979
AWI: Yeah. May 24th 1979.
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: Afeworki Woldemichael.
HWE: And what languages do you speak?
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page 3
AW: Tigrinya.
HWE: Can you tell me about your family?
AW: Yeah.
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: Okay.
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to Interviewee.]
AW: Okay First, my brother, Nguse Gebreyohannes [??]. Gebreyohannes. And the last name,
Woldemichael. Woldemichael. By Tigrinya, Woldemichael. By English, Woldemichael.
[laughs]
[02:16]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: Yeah.
AWI: Yeah, his oldest brother is Nguse Woldemichael, but the way we write it is different so
we– [Speaks in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: Gebreyohannes.
AWI: Nguse Gebreyohannes Woldemichael. Okay.
AW: Second– My mother born ten people.
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: Yeah.
HWE: Wow.
AWI: His mother have ten children.
AW: And we have seven people. And three people is died.
AWI: He's got seven siblings and three of his siblings, they died. Deceased.
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page 4
AW: Two brothers in the independence. [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
AWI: One of his brothers, he died when we're struggling for independence. That means before
1991 against Ethiopia, the war. And the other brother died when we were defending our
country in the second war between 1997 to 2001. And his eldest brother he died from too
much alcoholism.
AW: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
[04:12]
AWI: Do you guys need the names of all his siblings?
HWE: [hesitates] Probably not, but–
HWEI: [Repeating statement in Tigrinya]
HWE: –I don't know.
AW: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
AW: Nine boys and one girl. [laughs]
AWI: He got eight brothers and one sister including him as one of the ten. So now he got six
brothers and one sister.
AW: Yeah.
HWEI: Five brothers?
AW: Six brothers. One–
HWEI: One sister.
AW: One sister.
HWEI: Or five brothers. [Asking question in Tigrinya]
AW: Yeah. [laughs] [Speaking in Tigrinya]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page 5
AWI: He has five brothers and one sister. Including him there are seven surviving siblings.
HWE: And you have a wife too, right?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: Yes.
HWE: Yeah. Do you have any children?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: Yeah. Two boys.
HWE: And are they back in Eritrea?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: They are in the Ethiopian refugee camp.
HWE: Okay. How old are your children?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: One, four years. And the other, [speaks in Tigrinya.]
AWI: His oldest is four years and his youngest, he will be two in September.
[06:04]
HWE: What ethnic or religious community do you consider yourself to be a part of?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: Orthodox.
HWEI: Eritrean Orthodox mission?
AW: Yeah.
AWI: He is a follower of the Eritrean Orthodox church.
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page 6
HWE: And you are a follower of the church here in Logan, right? Or, I mean, not Logan but in
Utah.
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya].
AW: Yeah.
HWE: Can you tell me about your birth county?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
AW: My country very good, has mountains. All the mountains. Utah, the same in Utah.
[laughs] Good country. [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
AWI: He says, Eritrea is beautiful. It has so many mountains just like Utah. It has highlands and
lowlands. It has two seasons.
HWE: And are you– You're from the highland part?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: He is from the lowlands.
HWE: Oh, okay. So, what did your family do for work? Were they a farming family?
[8:07]
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: They were irrigation farmers.
HWE: Okay.
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page 7
AWI: Yeah, they are irrigation farmers.
AW: Yes.
HWE: What kinds of crops did they grow?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya]
AWI: Corn, Sorghum. Do you guys know Sorghum? It grows like corn but there's grains on the
top.
AW: [Speaking in Tigrinya].
AWI: And Dagusa.
AW: [laughs]
AWI: I told you, remember, it's used for local drinks. They raise it, but– [speaking in Tigrinya
to interviewee.]
AW: [Speaking in Tigrinya.] [laughs]
AWI: He doesn't know how to call it in English, but we just call it Dagusa and we use it for
drinks, local drinks. And, is it called sesame? It's a grain. They use it for oil? Sesame.
HWE: Yeah, sesame.
AWI: Yeah, sesame.
HWE: How long did you live in Eritrea?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: All day. [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: All my life until I moved to the Ethiopian refugee camp.
HWE: How old were you when you went to the camp?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page 8
AWI: He was twenty-seven going to twenty-eight years.
HWE: Why did you leave Eritrea?
[10:00]
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: There was no job and no job opportunities so I just wanted to improve my life and I
moved for a another place.
HWE: And what was the experience like of leaving?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: His home town is near the border of Eritrea and Ethiopia and it was a war. Eritrea and
Ethiopia, they are in kind of semi-war yet. And where he raised, the area he was raised,
he knows everything, where to go, which to go and he knows which front line, which
lines are Ethiopian front lines. So it's easy for him. He can go daytime or nighttime
because he knows who is where so it was not a big deal for him to cross the border.
[12:00]
HWE: So when you crossed the border, you went to Ethiopia. And were you trying to go
anywhere– What was your final destination you were attempting to go to?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya].
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: Yeah, when he leaving his home town in Eritrea, he got two options. His first option was
to stay in the refugee camp and to work to America and other countries, maybe Europe,
maybe Australia. If that option was not possible, his second option was to go to Sudan,
Libya, cross the mediterranean and to go to Europe.
HWE: Okay. What was your experience like in the refugee camp?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AWI: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page 9
[BDA's phone rings and he turns it off.]
[14:00]
AWI: He said, life was tough in the refugee camp because they didn't give them anything. At
first, they were giving them only fifteen kilos of wheat.
AW: Per month.
AWI: Per month. Sometimes you don't have money to grind them and make them into bread or
something. Sometimes he just boiled them, put salt on it, and just eat it. But after that,
some of them, they get money, borrow it from friends and some of them they just get– Or
they have to work for themselves in that area, farming, whatever they can.
HWE: And did you end up working while you were there?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: Yeah, in the surrounding areas near the refugee camp they were working physical
work, laborers, sometimes on the grain harvest. In seasons they work as weeders because
we have to weed the fields by our hand.
HWE: And, so with the money you earned by working eventually could you buy more food?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[16:08]
AWI: So at first they were giving them only 15 kilos of wheat and a liter and a half of oil so
they could not do anything with it. So they work and they earn money and they have to
buy tomatoes, onions, and other stuff to make their own soup. But starting 2009 they
started giving them around 800 milligrams of sugar, might be around two pounds of
sugar, per month. And some times they were giving them some kind of soup. It's made up
of wheat or something like that. So the only thing they have to do is work and earn
money and make their own food.
HWE: What kind of medical care was available at the camp?
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page
10
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking to interviewee in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: The medical care, that was okay. But the problem was the medical care was provided by
IRC. I think it's the International Refugee Commission. But all the doctors are Ethiopians
and they speak Amharic. And they just wanted to speak Amharic. They don't want to talk
in Tigrinya. And they don't know Tigrinya. But relatively they are okay and if you can
communicate with them you get good medical care.
[18:04]
HWE: So was your wife with you in the camp?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: Okay, his wife is Ethiopian. He met her. She was his friend, or girlfriend. So they were
living together when he got his process finished and he already got his visa. They make it
official. They get married. [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: On September 20th, 2012 they make it official because he was coming here. If he has to
claim her as a girlfriend that doesn't work. He has to marry her. But they met in Ethiopia
in 2010 and they were staying together.
HWE: So when you were in the camp you were living with your wife for most of that time?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
[19:48]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
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HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
AWI: He met his wife in the Ethiopian villages because he was going over there to work. Then
when they get pregnant, when she had a baby, he brought her over to the refugee camp
because the baby is his. The baby is Eritrean even though he was born in Ethiopia. So he
brought her to the camp and the baby has to register as a refugee like him. Then he
convinced her, hey, better stay with me. If I get a chance to go abroad then I'm going to
claim you as my wife. Then she stayed with him. But first, until she got her first baby,
she was living with her parents and he was living in the camp but he was working outside the
camp. And at that time he saved some money and he bought a carriage, something you
pull with the horse. [Speaking to interviewee in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: But sometimes they pull it with a donkey. So he was working with it transporting stuffs
over there.
HWE: And can you describe your living conditions in the camp?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.] [coughs] Sorry, I have to drink water. [Repeating
question in Tigrinya.]
[21:51]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: Yeah, at first life was so hard. Because of all the people over there. They speak the same
language because they are on the border with Eritrea, but all cultures and the way we
think is different. And we are enemies. We are at war. So at first we don't want to talk to
them. They don't trust us. We don't trust them. But we [??] them. We work with them.
We start trading with them, buying stuff from them. And they buy stuff from the refugees.
And then we start to just become kind of one people. Nobody cares for the refugees and
that. But at first it was hard.
HWE: And were you living with anyone else when you were in the camp?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya]
[23:45]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya]
HWEI: [Speaking to interviewee in Tigrinya.]
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12
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking to interviewee in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[26:05]
AWI: Yeah, at first when he was crossing into Ethiopia in 2005, you know, when the refugees,
when they, you go in the office, they call, they give you some paper work. They arrange
to interview you and they give you some coin to get the wheat and the oil. But they just
say, hey, you can get wheat and oil with this one but you are on your own so he doesn't
have anything. He doesn't know anyone in the camp. So there was a tea shop over there
and the tea shop was just made up of tin but they sell teas. So he was sitting over there
and some of the refugees who came before him, maybe a year or so, they saw him and
they told him, “Oh, you look like you're new. Where do you live.” And he said, “I just
arrived here. They drop me here by a car. I have no where to go.” And they told me,
“Okay, you can live with us.” And he lived with them for two years. Then after that he
started working in the surrounding areas and he started saving some money and over
there you just build your own home. Nobody owns the land. It just belongs to the refugee
camp. So there were some people, they were going to Israel in the Middle East. So they
just sold their home to him and he bought that home and he started living by himself. And
in 2008 the refugee commission from the United States, they started registering to come
to the United States and they got a group case. And they were waiting for their group case
and meanwhile he met with his wife. They got a child. Then she moved back with him.
Until he comes here, he was living with his wife. And he was talking about his two
friends, the ones who accepted him first. One of them, he came to Denver but for some
reason he deceased. And the other one, he didn't get to come to America. They rejected
his case. I don't know why but he's in Germany.
[28:07]
HWE: How did you celebrate holidays when you were in the camp, or did you celebrate them at
all?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: He said, it depends on your attitude and on your brain. If you got things you put it first,
food and other stuff. If you don't have anything, just buy vegetables because they are the
cheapest over there. Just, you have to do what you have to do.
HWE: And did you get together with other people to celebrate at all?
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HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[30:14]
AWI: Yeah, he said, we were refugees. Most of the time we lived close to each other, we hung
out together, we discussed about what we have to do because we don't want to live on the
welfare of the refugee camp. We want to earn money and improve our life. So during
holidays we always shared what we got. Some people have money. Some of them they
don't have. So if your neighbors or other people you know, if you know they don't have
anything and if you know they are bachelors or singles, you just invite them, “Hey, come
tomorrow. I'm going to make food or buy a sheep or a chicken, whatever you've got, or
meat.” If they are families, because families they want to spend the holiday together, you
just share what you've got with them. You tell them, “Hey, tomorrow is a holiday, I know
you guys don't have anything. Here's this thing and celebrate the holiday.” But you share
whatever you got. It can be meat. It can be food. It can be vegetables. Whatever.
HWE: Did you do anything else besides just eat together?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking to interviewee in Tigrinya.]
[32:00]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.] [laughs]
AWI: He's saying, we just get together. We make coffee. If they've got a woman most of the
time the woman do coffee. If they don't have a woman, they just make it themselves. And
we discuss about their cultures because some people they were from the highlands, some
people from the western lowlands, some people from the eastern lowlands, that means
from the coast of the Red Sea. And we discuss about the way they live in their areas, how
they live, how they celebrate things, their culture and they just communicate and discuss
about cultures and things. And I asked him, do you guys dance, he said, how are we
going to dance? [Speaking to interviewee in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.] [laughs]
AWI: They don't have record or a CD player or something to play the song, so you don't dance
without the music.
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HWE: There were no musicians?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: There were musicians. They were funded by the IRC. Or because they were by the IRC.
But they perform only on the holidays assigned by the IRC. It can be a Women's Day, a
Refugees' Day, Eritrean Independence Day. But they don't celebrate all holidays.
HWE: What kinds of instruments did they play?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[34:03]
AWI: They played guitar, organ, but–
AW: [Speaking in Tigrinya]
AWI: –we got our own equipment. We call it Krar. It's kind of guitar. But there was nobody
that could play saxophone. Because they had the instrument, but there is no person who can
play it.
HWE: And was the way you celebrated holidays in the camp, was that similar to how you
celebrated them in Eritrea?
HWEI: [Repeating in Tigrinya.]
AW: Yeah.
AWI: Yeah.
HWE: Did you get a sense at all of how Ethiopia felt about having all of the refugees in their
country?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
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[37:15]
AWI: Yeah, at first it was hard and they don't even like us, because they were even physically
attacking us, because there were some people who lost their teeth. There was a guy who
was hit by an ax. And they are refugees. The only thing they can prepare their food is by
firewood. And there were some people who went for the fire wood and the locals they
were beating them. They were telling them, “This is our wood, what the heck are you
doing with it?” They're all women. They got their wood and the locals, they just put fire
on the wood. They are not taking it. They just put fire on it, but after some time, the
government, the Ethiopian government. It was governing all the locals. It was telling
them, “Hey, these guys are refugees in our country. We have to help them. We are the
same people. We've got some political problems.” But some of them even, they were
born in Ethiopia but after the war broke, they were deported back to Eritrea because they were
born in Ethiopia, by blood they are Eritrean. They were deported. But the government
tried to discuss with the locals. And with the refugees too. So they start to get off it and
they were telling them they can get benefit because they accept the refugees, they can
have political benefit from it. And there was some refugees' organization from the
Netherlands. They came to the camp and they were teaching the refugees how to improve
their life, how to breed chickens, how to make beans because it was forest, and when they
were teaching the refugees, they were also teaching the locals together. So the locals
think, oh, so if we keep the refugees, we can get a lot of benefit. And they start trading
with them finally. Their difference doesn't exist and they start living together. But first
they were all hostile and they don't want them to be in that area.
[39:08]
HWE: How did you learn about the US refugee program?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[high pitched feedback noise 40:18]
[40:59]
AWI: At first, when he was living in Eritrea, he doesn't have any detailed knowledge of the
refugee case for him to come to America. His main reason to go to Ethiopia was to go to
Israel because he can cross through Sudan, but the border is so tough he cannot cross the
Sudan. But since he lives by the border of Ethiopia he just crossed to Ethiopia. His idea
was to go to Sudan, then Egypt, to Israel. But he was in Ethiopia and he was working on
something, he was calling someone, things like that. And there were a lot of people going
to Israel. To go to Israel from Ethiopia, you have to go to Sudan first, then cross all this
desert. You have to go to North of Egypt, cross the Sinai peninsula, then you go to Israel.
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And it costs a lot of money. And so you have to get money from your parents if they've
got some. Or you need someone or some relative in the United States or Europe because
parts of it take a lot of money. And there are a lot of smugglers in the border between
Israel and Egypt. But when these people who go to Israel, they get together over there and
they start petitioning to the refugee commission for the United Nations. They tell them,
“We're Eritreans. We've got a lot of political problems. We've got a lot of refugees in
Ethiopia. You guys are not doing anything.” Then after that it is the UNHCR. I think it is
a refugee commission. They collaborated with the United States and they started giving
them group case and things like that. And they started immigrating to America.
[42:43]
HWE: Can you tell me about how you got to the US?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [laughs]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: Yeah.
AWI: When he was in the refugee camp, when they are approving him to go to the United
States they have to wait for a flight because they send you when they have empty flights
coming back from Ethiopia. His first flight was on January 15th, 2013. And they cancelled
it. And the second flight was March 5, 2013. They also cancelled it.
AW: [Speaking in Tigrinya]
[high pitched feedback noise 44:09]
AWI: Then there was another flight scheduled for him on April 4th, 2013. So from the refugee
camp he moved to Addis Ababa because the airport is in Addis Ababa, the capital of
Ethiopia.
AW: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
AWI: And they cancelled it again.
AW: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page
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AWI: Then when you come to the United States you have to do medical check up for TB and
other vaccinations. It works only for six months. Because they cancelled his schedule
three times, his medical thing was expired. He has to retake it in Addis Ababa.
[high pitched feedback noise 44:52 to 44:56]
AW: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
AWI: After he get his medical, after 44 days, on June 18th, they told him, “Hey there is a flight.
You're going to the United States on July 1st.” [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: Yeah.
AWI: Then he came to the United States on July the 1st. [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: So when he land, he went outside of the Bole airport where he take a flight to Egypt.
They got a transit. From Egypt they flew directly to New York. From New York they
took him by a bus to New Haven, Connecticut and he stayed there for five months.
[46:13]
HWE: Were there other refugees on the flight with you?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[high pitched feedback noise 46:26]
AWI: There were two Eritreans. There were Sudanese and Somalis too.
HWE: What was it like living in New Haven?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: At first, the air is cold in Connecticut. He was raised in the lowlands of Eritrea and it's too
hot. [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: Most of the time where he was raised, it was forty, forty-two, sometimes forty-five
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page
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degrees centigrade. [high pitched feedback noise begins 47:43] That means 100 degrees
Fahrenheit. So New Haven was so cold for him, so as soon as he arrived, when he got his
papers, he started working with a landscaping company his second month because he
came here to improve his life. [end noise 48:01] Then from his arrival after five months it
gets too cold because he came in July. In December it gets too cold, then he moved to
Idaho. [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[high pitched feedback noise 48:35 to 48:37]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: Mm-hmm.
AWI: So in Idaho he was working two jobs. One of them was growing with a potato company
and another one was with a cheese company.
HWE: And before you started work in the US, did you get any help from the government or any
religious organizations?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Responding Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[50:00]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page
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AW: Yeah.
AWI: They were taking food stamps from the workforce of that state, that means Connecticut.
AW: [Speaking Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: And five months they paid him his rent. I think it's some government organization, he
can't remember their name but something to do with immigration.
[high pitched feedback noise 50:24 to 50:28]
AW: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
HWEI: Immigration, immigrants.
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: He's saying they are everywhere in every state. When you are a refugee they just help
you. They give you money and they help you. It was some kind of immigration services.
HWE: And is there any way that your first few months in the US could've [high pitched
feedback noise 51:04] been improved?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.] [noise ends 52:12]
[52:20]
AWI: Yeah. I don't know if they can do more, but they were giving us, they were paying for the
rent. And for the first two months, they give us 200 dollar for food stamp each month, but
after that they cut by 11 dollars so they were giving everyone in the whole United States
only 189. And when he moved to Idaho, they helped him with his rent for two months
and they're giving him food stamp for six months and after those they told him, “Hey
come to the work force for some interviews and we'll help you with additional food
stamps” but he told them, “Hey, I'm working and I can support myself. I don't need any
more food stamps” and [high pitched feedback noise 53:05] he didn't show up in the
interview.
HWE: And was– So you went from New Haven to Idaho and was it any warmer in Idaho than it
had been in New Haven? [laughs]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page
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HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.] [laughs]
[54:04]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: He said, he was talking to his friend in Idaho. He told them, “Hey, this area's too cold. I
cannot do it here.” His friend told him, “Okay, it's cold here but let's try it over here.
Come over here.” And he came to Idaho. When he was coming there was a lot of snow
coming down. And it was even cold even in the airport, [end noise 55:05] so he told the
security, “Hey, I'm staying inside. I'm not leaving until my friends come back, show up.”
Because his friends, [high pitched feedback noise at 55:09] they were not in the airport at
the time he was landing. So he waited inside the airport to wait for his ride but it was too
cold even in the airport. Then he started work then. Utah and Idaho, they are kind of the
same in weather but they are different than Connecticut. Connecticut is close to Canada
and close to the sea, the ocean, and it is colder than Idaho.
BDA: [to HWE] So what do you think? You came from the west coast– east coast. [laughs]
HWE: Me? About the weather?
BDA: Oh sorry. The interview is about him not about you. [laughs]
HWE: [laughs]
AW: [laughs]
HWE: How long have you lived in Cache Valley?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
[56:04]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: He's going on his tenth month. Last month, on the 13th , it was his ninth month.
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page
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HWE: And did you go straight here from Idaho?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
AW: Yeah.
AWI: Yeah.
HWE: And why did you decide to come here after Idaho?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: Yeah, in Idaho he was working two jobs, almost 20 hours a day. He was sleeping just
three hours a day. And they were paying him only nine dollars per hour. So he was asking
friends for a better job with better payment. So came here. They work only between 9 to
10 hours in Hyram. And he gets paid 13.75 an hour. The job is hard, but I got time to rest.
That's why he moved to Logan.
[58:22]
HWE: And you work at JBS?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: Yeah.
HWE: Okay. What has it been like living in Logan?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: He said, I like Logan. It's safe place. I don't have to worry about my security. And I work.
I support my relatives. I support my children and his wife. He's processing their visa. I
hope they will come soon. And most of the time when you move from one state to
another state you have to think about yourself and discuss with yourself, why are you
moving? So I told Logan had a better lifestyle, lifestyle than there was in Idaho, better
pay. So, so far, I cannot complain. Logan is a good place and I hope I will improve my
life better than I have now.
[60:31]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page
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HWE: Do you feel included in the community here?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: Yeah. Until now, I didn't encounter anything bad, not only in Logan but in the whole
United States. Sometimes, due to the language barrier, there might be some conflicts but
I'm sure it's because we don't speak English and they don't speak Tigrinya. But if I can
speak English and explain my culture and my needs, I hope I feel included.
HWE: What do you think could be done to make you feel more at home here?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
End part 1 of 2: 62:06
Begin part 2 of 2:
[00:01] [high pitched feedback noise from beginning to end]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: He said, I think he needs to do more to study English and if he studied English, if he can
communicate with the locals, he will tell them how we live our [??] things like that. And
he learns the culture of the locals if they can communicate. If he can communicate with
the other people, just respect each other and live including each other, life will be easier.
But if we don't communicate with them, if we don't know the language, it will be hard.
But the only thing we have to do is learn English and explain ourselves.
HWE: Okay. How is your home here different than the one you had in Eritrea.
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.] [laughs]
AWI: He was living in a house but now he's living in an apartment.
HWE: [laughs]
AW: [laughs]
HWEI: [Speaks in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page
23
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.] [laughs]
[02:20]
AWI: There is a lot of difference. The utensils here and back home are different. Back home we
use firewood to cook our food and other stuff, but here we use gas stoves. And for ready
to eat things we use a microwave here, but over there, nobody knows what a microwave
is.
HWE: Can you tell me about your experiences with your landlord?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: We don't even know who's owner of this apartment. They heard lives in Texas, and some
other company, they lease all the apartments. They got a drop box downstairs. Every
month, they write the money order and they just drop it. And they don't know who takes
the money or who owns these apartments.
[03:58]
HWE: So what happens when you have a problem like if your fridge breaks or something goes
wrong?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: So all of the refrigerators, they have a contact number, so if something goes wrong, you
just call that contact number and they deal with it.
HWE: Oh, okay.
HWEI: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: But so far they don't have any problems so they never use that number.
HWE: Okay. What would you like people in Logan to know about you and other Eritreans here?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page
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AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: He says, here in Logan, those who can speak English, they are so few. But I hope we can
learn English and discuss with the Logan community how they go, their political system,
the way they live, their culture, and more else. And I hope we can communicate with
them. But now there are only a few people who can talk to them.
[06:14]
HWE: If you could, would you go back to your home country?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: He cannot go.
HWE: But if you were able to, would you want to?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: I don't think we are going back home but if the government or the system is changed over
there, if they can allow all the refugees to come back to Eritrea, if he becomes a citizen, I
might go for a visit, but I don't think I will go back.
HWE: What are you most proud of?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[08:00]
AWI: I'm happy because I'm healthy and I can work and support myself and my families. And,
second, although I know only few English, I am proud I can– I will try to make friends
and communicate with other people.
HWE: What are your dreams for the future?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page
25
AWI: This time I cannot tell you about my dreams because I am working on bringing my
family, my wife and children, so when she comes here, we will discuss about our future
dreams with my family, my wife and my children. And after, if she comes here, we'll
both dream together, but if I dream something now and she dreams another dream, it'll be two
dreams and one family. So when she shows up here, we can discuss about myself, about
our future. We will buy a house and we'll improve our future life and future life of our
children.
HWE: Okay. I think that's all. Do you guys have anything you want to ask?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
[09:53]
AW: Okay. [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: He said, I appreciate you on behalf of myself and the other people in Logan or Utah.
Because you guys are working to get our culture and to take it to the people of Logan and
other people. So I appreciate what you guys are doing.
HWE: Thank you.
AW: You're welcome.
HWE: I hope we'll be able to do that correctly. Do you have anything else that you want to add?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
AWI: I don't have any other things to add, but I hope in our, in my future interview, things like
this or other stuff, I hope I will do it myself without a translator. I think I want to talk to
any person, man, woman, it doesn't matter, but I just want to do it myself without a
translator.
HWE: Okay. So, thanks for agreeing to meet with us. And we have a release form to sign that
has to do with putting the interview and the photos in the archives being used for an
online presentation.
HWEI: [Repeating statement in Tigrinya.]
[12:07]
AW: Okay.
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Afeworki Woldemichael Page
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BDA: Does he need to write in English, or?
HWE: No, you can write in whatever language you want.
HWEI: [Repeating statement in Tigrinya.]
AW: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
BDA: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
AW: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
End part 2 of 2: [12:29]
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
transcripts;
application/pdf;
162008 Bytes
Identifier
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http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/94
Language
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tir; eng;
Publisher
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Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
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Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67609
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
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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;
Source
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Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 59
Subject
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Eritrea; Eritreans; Families; Refugees; Ethiopia; Logan, UT; Culture; Tigrinya; English; Education; International Refugee Commission; Refugee Camps; Work; Eritrea-- Food; Afeworki Woldemichael-- Interviews
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview transcript with Afeworki Woldemichael in Logan, Utah, 2015 May 17
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/00326fae1624d398354d88c68bd27729.pdf
d064a8279c706fb04109bc182cc781b7
Dublin Core
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Title
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Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
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Van de Water, Wes; 1989
Gross, Susan
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Karen; Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City
Creator
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Eh Htoo; 1984
Eh Htoo
Chit Moe
Date
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2015-05-16
Description
An account of the resource
Interview with Eh Htoo about his life as a refugee in Thailand, serving as a porter in the Burmese military, leaving home, and immigrating to the United States.
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 1
CACHE VALLEY REFUGEE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
TRANSCRIPTION COVER SHEET
Interviewee(s): Eh Htoo
Present: Wes Van de Water, Eh Htoo, Chit Moe, Bethany Hanks, Meagan Gill
Place of Interview:
Date of Interview: May 16, 2015
Language(s): Karen
Translation:
Interviewer: Wes Van de Water
Interpreter: Chit Moe
Recordist: Meagan Gill
Photographer: Bethany Hanks
Recording Equipment: Tascam DR-100mk11 linear PCM recorder; Senal ENG-18RL broadcast-quality omnidirectional dynamic microphone
Transcription Equipment: Express Scribe with PowerPlayer foot pedal.
Transcribed by: Susan Gross, May 19, 2015
Transcript Proofed by: Wes Van de Water, May 23, 2015
Brief Description of Contents: Eh Htoo talks about his life being born into war in the Karen state in Burma. He describes his life as a teenager: his father dying, and then being recruited as a porter for the Burmese military, and his subsequent escape into a refugee camp (Mae La) in Thailand. He talks about his life in Mae La camp: going to school and working to collect bamboo, before moving to the United States (first Salt Lake City, Utah, then Cache Valley, Utah).
Reference: WV = Wes Van de Water
WVI = Wes Van de Water’s words interpreted by translator
EH = Eh Htoo
EHI = Eh Htoo’s words interpreted by translator
BH = Bethany Hanks
BHI = Bethany Hanks’ words interpreted by translator
CM= Chit Moe
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 2
TAPE TRANSCRIPTION
[00:01]
WV: Okay. So Eh Htoo, tell us – oh, sorry; first off it is May 16th, 2015 (I almost said 2005)
[Laughter]
WV: It is six o’clock; we are here meeting with Eh Htoo. My name is Wes Van de Water, I’ll be doing the interview. Meagan Gill is recording, and Bethany Hanks is our photographer. And our translator for this interview is Chit Moe.
Okay, so Eh Htoo, if you wouldn’t mind, could you tell us your full name and the year that you were born?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: My name is Eh Htoo, and I was born in 1983.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: And he is not sure what date (or days) he was born, but he only know –
WV: Knows the year?
EHI: Yeah.
WV: Okay. So Eh Htoo, tell us a bit about your family, where you’re from.
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: I came from Karen state (which is in Burma), but my family, my relatives – they are all in Burma right now, in Karen state.
WV: So your family is still in Burma then?
EH: Not Burma, Karen state.
EHI: It’s in Karen state, but it’s in Burma country.
WV: Oh, okay; got you – sorry, so your family is still over in Karen? So if your family is still in Karen, how did you wind up here in the United States?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 3
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: So I became a refugee twice, based on my experience: once when I was born, and the other one was – which he hasn’t talked about it yet. Okay.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: [Responding in Karen.]
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Oh, okay. So ever since he was born – no, I was born in 1983; ever since I was born, there was a war between Burmese military and the Karen military. I automatically became a refugee and went to a refugee camp ever since I was born. And in 1985, I came back to my Karen state –
EH: Ninety-five.
EHI: Oh, in 1985?
EH: Ninety-five.
EHI: 1995, I’m sorry. In 1995, I came back to my country because I heard there was peace, and it’s better to live in there. So I love my country, that’s why I want to go back.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: So after I went back to my country (which is in Karen state), it wasn’t what I was expecting: there wasn’t any peace, and there was still war going on. And when I was 13 years old I became a soldier.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Okay, so not a soldier, but I was – [speaking in Karen]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Actually not a soldier, but I was forced to become a porter. And that happened –
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: And that happened during the war, you know, so I had to carry bombs and stuff. Basically I was a porter – so they force you to become that – [speaking in Karen]
EH: [Responding in Karen.] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 4
EHI: So that happened once in 1995, and the other time was in 1998.
[04:59]
WV: So did you get out of the military then, and you became a refugee when you got out?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: So the point is – okay, in 1998 I was 16 years old, okay? At that time I was still a porter, you know, I had to do stuff during the war. So there was one thought that came to me: “If I die during the war,” – before that, I have a mom and an older sister. Because they’re female, the military won’t take them as a porter; and I was only 16 years old, and I was the only boy in the family so I was forced to become a porter. And then I started thinking, “What if I die during the war? There is no point – I can’t repay my family, nor can I help them in any way.” So I started thinking, “It’s better for me to go to refugee camp, maybe study there; and that could be a possibility to help my family, or in any other ways.” Instead of, “What if I die in the war? That is bad.” And my thought is going to refugee camp is better for me. That’s why I went to the refugee camp.
WV: So you left your family there in the hopes that you might be able to help them, rather than staying in the military?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Yes, that was his dream; his goal.
WV: So how long have you been here in the States then? When did you get here?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: In July it will be seven years in Utah.
WV: So have you been here, in Utah, the entire time? So when you first – or where was the camp that you were at when you first went to the refugee camp – where was that?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 5
EHI: It’s called Mae La camp – M-A L-A-E –
WV: M-A?
EHI: M-A L-A-E camp.
EH: M-A-E L-A
EHI: Oh, M-A-E L-A –
EH: M-A-E L-A: Mae La. M-A-E L-A –
WV: L-A?
EH: Yeah. Mae La.
EHI: And I believe this is the largest camp in Thailand.
EH: Yeah, largest camp.
WV: In Thailand?
EH: Yeah.
EHI: Um-hmm.
[08:03]
WV: So how long were in – is it Mae La? Is that how you say it?
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
WV: How long were you there?
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Almost nine years.
WV: And then how did you get out of the camp? How did you wind up coming over to the U.S.?
EHI: So from the camp to the United States?
WV: Yeah, from the camp.
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 6
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Well the thing is, people from the United States, from other countries – they were, you know, coming to the refugee camp and wanted to take refugees to their country. And then I heard about it, so I applied for it; and then I applied for it on 2007, and I departed my camp in 2008.
WV: And did they relocate you straight here, to Cache Valley, or did you go somewhere else first?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: It was in Salt Lake.
WV: So that was first?
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Yeah.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: He lived in Salt Lake for four months, and he moved to Logan after that.
WV: Okay. So what was your experience like in the camp? What was it like living there?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: So my experience in the refugee camp was just like most people, you know: people were going to school – I wanted to go to school. But in my situation I didn’t get to know my dad – my dad died. Yeah, my dad died and my family couldn’t support me, you know; they couldn’t send me to school because I was only person living in the refugee camp. And like most students, they have free time after school you know, to go hang out; me, I didn’t have those time.
WV: So did you just work then, while you were in the camp? Is that all you had time to do was work, and not go to school?
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: [Repeating the question in Karen.] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 7
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
CM: Can we pause this really quick? How do we do that?
[Recording pauses as Eh Htoo tells the children to leave the room]
WV: We good? Okay.
EHI: Well, I was a worker, and at the same time I was a student. I go to school for five days in the week days, and the weekend I work. You know, I need to work because I need to buy clothes, I need to buy candle, I need to buy books, I need to buy stuff, you know, to take care of myself: toothpaste, toothbrush; I mean, there is a whole list (I can’t name them all) –
WV: Right.
EHI: Those are the stuff I need, so I need to work on the weekend.
[12:23]
WV: So were food and clothes and those things not provided at this camp then?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Yes, they did provide (for example) rice, salt, oil – stuff like that, you know, just for daily basics; but clothes and stuff, nobody is going to give us clothes or toothpaste, or any other things so I need to make money to buy those.
WV: So now that you’re here, in Utah, are you going to school, or are you working? Or both?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Like I said earlier, I was in Salt Lake for four months –
WV: Um-hmm.
EHI: And then after I move from Salt Lake to Logan, I started working here at JBS.
WV: So are you hoping to bring your family here, or do you want to go back to Burma, to your family? (Or Karen, excuse me.)
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 8
WVI: [Repeating question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Well I do want my family to come here, you know, I do – but it’s not possible because my family, they grew up in the village and I don’t think they would like this place here, you know, Utah (not Utah, but in the United States). Although we have better education, better food, it’s not something they would like. And another thing is of course I want to go back home: all my family is back there, I want to go back home; but before I can go back I need to make sure that, you know, Karen state is safe and has protection. Right now that is not the case, so what I’m doing is I’m working – if I have a lot of money then I will send some to my family each month (or whenever I have extra money).
WV: So are you able to still keep in contact? Like do you either call or do you write your family back home?
WVI: [Repeating question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Well yes – I call my mom like every two months (or something like that), you know, I ask her how she’s doing and how is the situation in Karen state? Is it getting better? You know, just the surrounding situation in Karen state. So yeah, I do keep in contact with my family.
[15:58]
WV: So what is the situation like back in Karen? Is it, you know, is there still a lot of fighting there, or is it just still too unstable to go home?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: So in Karen state, you know, I can’t say there is war right now, and I can’t say that there isn’t a war right now, or that war is going to occur in the future; I can’t say anything. It can’t be predicted.
EH: Yeah. [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: So like I was saying, you know, I cannot tell whether there is a war or not because if there is people who have more power than me, then they will always suppress us; if there isn’t people like that, then it will be safer.
WV: So when do you hope to be able to go back home? I mean, do you think the situation will ever calm down enough that you can? Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 9
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: [Speaking in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Well so I do hope to go back there, but even if I were to go back, I would only stay there for one or two years – it won’t be permanent. If I were to go back there, you know, I want to help my family and the people that are in the village. You know, I want to teach them what’s the best way to live, how to survive – and only that will make me feel better (then I would come back here). Even if I were to stay, and even if there are lots of place to work at, but there isn’t any protection so I – yeah.
WV: So even if you go back to your family, you would still eventually come back to the States? I know you said that, “Because I grew up in a village, it might be hard for them to adjust here.” But do you think it might be better if they came back with you?
WVI: Say it again?
WV: Sorry, that was kind of a long question.
WVI: Yeah.
WV: Do you think even though they might prefer to stay in Burma, do you think you would try to bring them back with you when you came back to the states?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: So yes, I tell my mom, you know, I want her to come here: it’s better for us, and our lives are guaranteed here, you know; but no, she just doesn’t want to live here. Well and the thing is that even though it’s not protected, you know, even though the state is in a war situation, my mom still wants to live there (even though she has to hide each day, it doesn’t matter; she believe that she can go through each day).
[20:27]
WV: So then what – I guess what do you plan on doing? I mean, do you plan on just going back periodically to visit, to help? Or what are your, I guess your plans after you’ve gone home?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 10
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Well, yes. Let’s say as I go back to Burma, each time of course I will look at my surroundings (the situation). If it gets better – like if the Burmese military were, you know, not fighting other ethnic groups, not just Karen (and there are many, many ethnic groups in Burma) – so if the situation is better, and if they accept U.S. citizens, you know, to go and visit Burma (to get permission to live there for many years), then I would stay there like five or six years.
WV: So have you gotten your citizenship here, in the United States then?
WVI: [Repeating question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Yeah.
WV: How long did that take? Or what was that process like?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: It took about four months to become a citizen.
WV: Wow, that’s fast.
WVI: [Speaking in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: So it took three months to apply for it, and then after that they will call me to go and scan my finger. And after that I took a test, and I passed. So, really quick.
WV: So did you learn English when you were – it was Thailand, right? Where the camp was?
WVI: Yeah.
WV: So did you learn English while you were there, or did you just pick it up when you got here, to the U.S.?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 11
EHI: So yes, I did go to school back in the refugee camp, so I did know basic English; but of course my accent was different from other people, and my English teacher wasn’t an English person. And when I got here I had to make an adjustment, you know, I had to learn the accent and try to relearn it all over again.
WV: So overall, did you have an easier time adjusting here? I mean, do you prefer living here – or was life, you know, okay in the camp?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
[24:13]
EHI: Well I prefer to live in United States, because living in Thailand – I wasn’t a Thai citizen; they didn’t accept me and it’s not my country. Here, they accept me as a U.S. citizen, so I would prefer to stay here.
WV: So you arrived in Salt Lake – did you move here, to Logan, for work?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Correct.
WV: I know there is a fairly large community here, how do you like living in Logan?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Well it’s not the place that I like, you know, I think it depends on someone’s heart (I guess). You know if my heart is like living here, then yeah. So it depends on my – [speaks Karen] it depends on my heart I guess.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Some people doesn’t like to live here, but –
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: So as long as there isn’t any war – as long as there isn’t any fighting then yeah, I don’t mind living in Logan.
WV: So you like it here because it’s peaceful? Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 12
WVI: [Repeating question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Yeah.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: And another thing is everybody follow the rules here – they respect the rules. So, yeah.
WV: Were you raised with any particular religion?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: [Speaking in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Oh, okay. Well yes, I mean everybody grew up –
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Everybody grew up with a different religion, but for me it was different, you know: I grew up believing in nature, I would say. You know, like a mountain – they might have a mountain spirit; for water they might have a water spirit. So that’s what I believe in.
WV: So was that a more traditional belief in Karen?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: So I think it’s not just for Karen people, you know, the religious tradition; it might also be for other people as well.
[27:08]
WV: Let me rephrase: so was that, I guess, a common belief there?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 13
EHI: [Speaking in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Well yeah, that back then a lot of people in my village – they had the same belief as me, you know: they believe in nature in my village.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: But right now I think there aren’t many who still believe in nature because everywhere, you know, there are Christian, Buddhists, and it’s just surrounded by that particular religion (my religion); so there isn’t a lot of people who still believe in nature.
WV: It’s not as common these days?
EHI: No; yes.
WV: So I guess one thing that I’m curious about is if there is one thing that, you know, you could tell people (either, you know, in the area, or the U.S.) – like if there is one message that you would want for people to hear, what would it be?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: So I think he is asking – there are many messages, but for what purpose?
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
WV: Okay, so from your experience, you know, what you’ve seen and what you’ve been through, if there is something that, you know, you want people to know (either about you or where you come from)?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
[30:17]
EHI: So basically, when I was 15 years old my dad died, and then after that (like I said) I was forced to become a porter. Because my mom and my sister was female, there was no way they could do that.
[Speaking in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 14
EHI: So he is saying that he doesn’t feel very comfortable like saying – it’s not he is not comfortable – he has to stop at a certain point for me to translate that, it’s just not coming out.
[Speaking in Karen.]
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Well of course I had many bad experience, but I’d like to share two, particularly. One is that when I was 18 years old (it was in 1998) –
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: I mean 16 years old. Like I said, people were coming, taking us as porters. And because my mom and my sister was female, they couldn’t do it. And the thing is like each house has to go five weekdays to do a porter, and if we don’t go then they will charge us $100 each day if we don’t go. We didn’t have any money; we were so poor, so I had to go do it. Everybody was so big and old; I was the smallest to become a porter.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: So you know, as I was doing porter – at the beginning I was told, “It’s only going to take ten days, and because you’re only like 16 years old we won’t put you in the front,” you know, “where there are higher chances of getting hit by the bullet.” That is what I was told, but that wasn’t the case, you know; it doesn’t matter you were young or old, I was put at the front. It doesn’t matter I was young or old, they gave me big bags, you know, (just like everybody) that I had to carry – they are all the same weight. And then what happened later was, because there was war going on, they told me at first that they were going to protect me and put me in the back, but that wasn’t the case. And after ten days – it’s because there was a war going on, they just couldn’t get any help and they didn’t protect me, or they can’t ask other people to come or take my place because I’m already, you know, at the front and it’s really dangerous to replace people. So, yeah.
[34:32]
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: So like I said, after ten days you know, I was hoping that people would replace me with the other bigger and stronger person, but they didn’t. And because I was so small, you know, the military didn’t think I would come up with a strategy or a way to escape the situation, but I did. I thought of it, I didn’t want to stay here, you know; it’s dangerous. So as war going on, because I was only 16 years old and the military didn’t think of me as anything – and that is also when I escaped from that place.
[Speaking in Karen.] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 15
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Oh, and as I was escaping I didn’t go straight to the refugee camp, I went back to my home: to the Karen state.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: So as I was escaping that place, you know, I also helped two old men. They were telling me that, “It’s dangerous, don’t escape this place,” you know, “there are bombs everywhere and you might get hit, so just don’t do it.” And then I said, “No, believe me; I’m going to walk at the front, so if there was a bomb then I would get hit first. Because I was so small, even if I get hit you guys can carry me with you. But if you guys get hit by the bomb, I can’t help with it.”
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
[37:39]
EHI: So you know, that day it was a run and there was when everything was quiet down, you know, the war is like kind of – everybody was resting. And at the same time we had a duty where we had to go and fill up water and bring it back to that place. And I told those two old men, “Don’t bring anything with you; just bring your clothes and a container to pretend like we’re going to swim to get water.” And that’s when I escaped from that place.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: As I was doing porter with the Burmese military and they were speaking Burmese and I was speaking Karen, and there was also some challenges between me and the Burmese military (because of language barrier).
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: In the process of escaping, you know, those two old men – they know the place and they know the roads; but at the same time they know there are bombs, but they don’t know where it is. So as we were escaping, they showed me where to go, you know, they showed me this is the way back home. So I thought that, “Let’s say if this is the road, of course there are going to be bombs.” So what I did was I kind of walked in a place where people won’t usually going to walk on it. So that’s how I escaped through those bombs.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Let’s say from the place where there is war going on, and the place to my house it would take about a day to walk; but because I had to try to avoid those bombs, it took about one and a half or two days. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 16
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: The distance is about from here to Bear Lake.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
[40:38]
EHI: So as soon as I get to my village, you know, I went to ask those people who told me that it’s going to take ten days and I won’t be put at the front, and then I went straight to them (it was in the evening-ish), I went to see them and was going to ask them those questions, you know.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: You know, the person that told me it’s going to take ten days, and I won’t be put at the front was like a leader in the village, you know; he is like – he is really old and he is really nice. I went to him and ask him, “Why was I put at the front, and why does it take longer than ten days? And why didn’t you replace me with other people?” So that leader, you know, that old man (that leader) – he told me, “I’m really glad that you escaped that place. I didn’t think that anybody would come up with a strategy to escape that place, because we don’t have anybody back here to replace any of you out there.” So he was glad that I escaped that place.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Starting then, starting from the time I escaped – you know, as I was thinking, “Although I escaped that place, they’re going to come back and force me to become a porter again. And if they do that each time, of course I am going to get older and older. And as I get older they’re going to, you know, force me to do much, much heavy work and much, much harder things.” So I decided, “It’s no use living here,” you know, “If I die out there, it won’t benefit me or my family or my people.”
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: As I was coming up with those thoughts, I ended up in a refugee camp.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Like what I said earlier, I asked my mom, saying that I’m going to go to a refugee camp to live, and she’s like, “Okay, you can go then.”
[43:40]
EH: [Speaking in Karen.] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 17
EHI: So before I left my village, you know, I asked my mom for permission. She said, “Okay, you can go.” But before my left, my mom told me, “Son,” you know, “you can go there; you can go to the refugee camp, but I cannot support. Of course they’re going to give you pencil, books to go to school, maybe food – but if you want any other particular things, you know, such as good clothes or any other thing, there is no way I can support you. So if you want to go, just think about – just keep that in mind.”
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: And like I said earlier, I go to school for five days and I work on the weekend, and that’s how I support myself because I didn’t have any help back then.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Before I got to the refugee camp I already knew someone, and fortunately he went to the – there is like a place you have to put your name to get food – and he went ahead and put my name on the list, you know, saying that I’m going to be coming, I’m going to get some food. And yeah, I liked that idea, but in order for me to get food that person had to lie for me, you know; he said that my parents were dead, and I had to live that way. I didn’t like lying, but I had to lie to get food. I had to say that my parents are gone, and that’s one of the ways to get help, I guess.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Okay well like I said, in that program if you tell that your parents are gone – well in this case my dad was really gone, but my mom isn’t – then they put my name saying that my parents are gone, and in this case they will help me for 20 years (that was the promise). They gave me umbrella, toothpaste, toothbrush –
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Soap and shampoo, and a candle to study (so I can see in the dark).
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: And they gave us those every year (once a year).
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: [Speaking in Karen.]
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Okay, actually it’s not like that – for umbrella they give it once a year, but for the other five items, they give it every month. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 18
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: And I’m really, really thankful for that, and you know, for helping me and giving me those items (those are really needed).
[47:55]
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: That’s pretty much the end of my story, I guess. Like I was saying, I go to school five days, I work in the weekends. My work is – I woke up at three in the morning – my work is dependent on the season I guess. If people were selling this particular item this three months, and I will have to do the same thing. So what I have done was at three a.m. I went out in the deep forest and looking for bamboos (like small bamboos), and I have to you know, it could be rainy, it’s dangerous, I have boots and it was kind of dangerous. But yeah, I won’t get home until five p.m. in the evening, so it’s all day work.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: So bamboos are really heavy, you know; each day the most I can get is about 60 kilogram – [speaking to Eh Htoo] Kilogram?
EH: Um-hmm.
EHI: But the way that people are buying it, they buy it one gram is one dollar – not one dollar, but one Bahts in Thai money; so I would get about 60 Bahts a day.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: And that takes all day long: from three a.m., to five p.m.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: And if we were to compare it with U.S. dollar, it would be two dollars a day.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: And that would take around ten hours (I think) – ten hours of work.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Well this is pretty much it about my story. Of course there are other things, but they are not really important or significant.
WV: Thank you for sharing. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 19
WVI: [Repeating statement in Karen.]
EH: Thank you.
WV: So that’s about all the questions that I have. Meagan or Bethany, do either of you have questions for Eh Htoo?
WVI: [Repeating the statement in Karen.]
BH: I did think of a couple
BHI: [Repeating the statement in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Yeah, no problem.
BH: You mentioned – well you talked a lot about escaping from the military – was that a common thing? Were there many people that escaped?
BHI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Well it really depends, you know. For people who sees things different like, “This place isn’t right, we have to escape,” then yeah – it’s possible for them to escape that place; but for people who fear that “There are bombs, there are military, they are going to catch you” – then I don’t think they will ever come up with a thought of escaping that place.
BH: What would have happened had they caught you while you were trying to escape?
BHI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Well for me (I was only 16 years old), so even if they caught me it won’t be much of a problem; but for those two old man – yeah, it’s a big problem.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
[53:25]
EHI: Well yeah, even if – let’s say the people were trying to escape and they got hit by the bomb, it just cause a problem for that leader in the village camp, and it cause a problem for the military as well. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 20
BH: Oh, thank you.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
MG: Good?
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: He is saying it doesn’t matter what country it is, but refugee occur mostly just like this, you know, because some country are not stable because there is war going on, there is no protection for people. I guess that’s how most refugee occur.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: He wants to ask you guys a question now.
BH: Sure.
EHI: So do you guys think that the more refugee we have, is that a better thing or not? Is that a better thing or not?
WV: Do we think it’s good that we have more refugees here, in the States?
WVI: [Repeating the question in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: So he is saying around the world – the whole world. Is it better if there isn’t any refugees? Or is it better if there is some refugees?
WV: Well I mean, for me at least, I wish there didn’t have to be.
WVI: [Speaking in Karen.]
WV: I would much rather have people be in a place where they are safe.
WVI: [Repeating statement in Karen.]
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: As you were saying, you know, you want people to have peace and you know, no refugees; but is there a way for that to happen?
WV: I don’t know; hopefully some day.
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 21
WVI: [Repeating statement in Karen.]
[55:58]
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Do you know why there are refugees these days?
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: The whole world, yeah. Do you know why there are refugees?
WV: You mean still?
EHI: Yeah, still? Or why did they even happen in the first place?
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: [Responding in Karen.]
Yeah, like why did it occur? I don’t know.
WV: I wish I had an answer; I don’t know. It’s just some people do what they want, regardless of the price to others; there is no real reason for it.
WVI: [Repeating the answer in Karen.]
EH: [Responding in Karen.]
EHI: Well I have an answer; I think you know, it’s because of three reasons why there are refugees: one is because of business and economy; secondly it is because of religious; thirdly it is because of politics.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: That’s what I think.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Well I think those are the answer, but I don’t know which is the right answer. I don’t know how to solve this problem either. But I just hope that, you know, people who has more power could maybe come up with an idea to get rid of this, I guess.
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Eh Htoo Page 22
EHI: Yeah, I’m sure that those are the three reasons why refugees occur. I really hope, you know, people who have more power can help, or maybe other countries can help.
WV: Well and I agree that I think those are the causes; but as far as, you know, I don’t think there is a good reason why people do those things (is what I was trying to say).
WVI: [Repeating the statement in Karen.]
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Well for my conclusion, I guess, of course I have many other things I want to share with you guys (but I don’t think there is enough time) – let’s say if I were to graduate from here in the States, you know, and let’s say if I was invited to the White House just to talk about these issues – it would be nice. But currently I am nobody, I don’t have an education; so yeah, I just don’t have the power or hope to even say that, talk about those issues.
WV: Well that’s one of the reasons why we’re here, and why we are doing this. You know, we are one school, but our hope is that we can help you get your story out there, so that maybe we can do something.
WVI: [Repeating the statement in Karen.]
EH: [Speaking in Karen.]
EHI: Yeah.
WV: So thank you for giving us the chance, and for talking with us.
WVI: [Repeating the statement in Karen.]
WV: I think we’re good.
[End recording – 60:25]
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http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/85
Language
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ENG, KAR
Publisher
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Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
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Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67611
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
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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;
Source
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Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 61
Subject
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Karen; Refugees; Karen Refugees; Thailand; Refugee Camps; Burma; Burmese Military; Porter; United States Immigration
Title
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Interview transcript with Eh Htoo on May 16, 2015 in Hyrum, Utah.
Type
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Text;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/7b270c2f89923c765b37515bfced4943.pdf
8eb91d1c45a0876d361c14a2dfc4263f
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Title
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Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
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Van de Water, Wes 1989
Van de Water, Wesley; 1989
Coverage
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Karen; Thailand; Salt Lake City
Creator
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Snay Tun 1995
Hanks, Bethany
N/A
Date
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2015-05-19
Description
An account of the resource
The interview took place in Snay Tun's family home in Logan. Snay Tun is a young Karen man in his early twenties. The interview occurred on the floor of his living room where we spoke for about an hour regarding his life as a refugee, moving to the US, school, and his passion for the sport Takraw.
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 1
CACHE VALLEY REFUGEE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
TRANSCRIPTION COVER SHEET
Interviewee(s): Snay Tun
Present: Wes Van de Water, Snay Tun, Bethany Hanks, Meagan Gill
Place of Interview: Logan, Utah
Date of Interview: May 19, 2015
Language(s): English
Interviewer: Wes Van de Water
Recordist: Meagan Gill
Photographer: Bethany Hanks
Recording Equipment: Tascam DR-100mk11 linear PCM recorder; Senal ENG-18RL broadcast-quality omnidirectional dynamic microphone
Transcription Equipment: Express Scribe software
Transcribed by: Wes Van de Water May 23, 2015
Transcript Proofed by: Wes Van de Water May 23, 2015
Brief Description of Contents: Snay Tun talks about his youth in the Umphiem Refugee Camp, moving to the United States, his life as a college student, his family, Karen traditions, and about the sport of Takraw.
Reference:
WV = Wes Van de Water
ST= Snay Tun
BH = Bethany Hanks
MG= Meagan Gill
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 2
Tape Transcription
[00:01]
WV: Okay, so we are here meeting with Snay Tun, it is 11:22 on May 19th- um, I am Wes Van de Water, I will be doing the interview, Bethany Hanks is doing the photography, and Meagan Gill is recording the interview. Um, so Snay, if you would, could you tell us your full name and birth year?
ST: Well, my name is Snay Tun, my birthday is October 13, 1994.
WV: Thank you. So, I guess to start off, could you just tell us a little bit about your family, about- are you from Burma or Karen?
ST: Uh, I am from Burma, but I our country is inside of Burma.
WV: Okay.
ST: We are Karen.
WV: Oh so you're form Karen state?
ST: Yes, Karen state.
WV: Ok. So could you just tell us a bit about your family in the Karen state?
ST: Well, I don't really know, but because they said there is a war, so we had to move over to another country. So, yeah.
WV: Ok. So, did you grow up in a refugee camp then?
ST: Yes. I grew up in a refugee camp.
WV: Uh, which camp were you from, or did you grow up in?
ST: I grew up in Umphiem.
WV: Umphiem?
ST: U-M-P-H-I-E-M
WV: Where was that located, do you know?
ST: It's in Thailand.
WV: Thailand.
ST: Yeah. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 3
WV: So, how old were you when you first went there?
ST: Oh, I was like five years.
WV: And how many- or how long did you live in Umphiem?
ST: I lived there for nine years.
WV: So, what was life in Umphiem like? What was it like living there?
ST: Well, if, like, it was just- it was a refugee camp. As you see it's not like, not really free to go outside. We just stayed in the camp. But we do receive food and then medicaid. Yeah, like it's a hospital or children free to get medication for free.
WV: So what were the setups of the camps like? Like what kind of, were, they, um, were they sort of like temporary buildings that could be moved, or were they, um, places built like this where they're not really designed to be moved?
ST: uh, well, I'm not really sure, because like, you know the home was built with the wood-
WV: Mhm
ST: So, yeah, if they moved like that, to, like, like... um, broke down everything and moved to another one, because we're not sure like, it's still good to move or not, you know.
WV: Um, so where or how did you wind up leaving the camp? And where did you go after you left the refugee camp?
ST: After I left the refugee camp, I just moved to here. Moved to USA.
WV: Ok. Um, so did you where did you arrive when you first came to the States?
ST: Salt Lake City, Utah.
WV: So what caused you to move from Salt Lake to Logan?
ST: To Logan, at first my father he got a job here, so yeah. He like, told us to come and move with him in here and stay here. So, he could take care of us, like if we lived close to him.
WV: Ok. Where does your father work?
ST: JBS.
WV: So and you said that you- so you moved here to Logan and you started going to school, is that right? Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 4
ST: Yes.
WV: What are you studying here?
ST: Right now?
WV: Yes at Utah State
ST: I don't have major yet, I am an undeclared student. I just take a major, like general class.
WV: Uh, what do you think you want to study?
ST: Well, I think I want to study political science.
[04:22]
WV: Do you have any, what do you plan on doing, or what would you like to do after you finish college?
ST: Uh well, after I have finished college, I'm not really sure what to do yet. But I thought if I get my degree, I might, like, plan to go to back to Thailand or something. Yeah. Or Burma.
WV: What would you like to do if you moved back there?
ST: Moved back there? Um, well, for what I'm thinking maybe, like, join some kind of like, community. Like
WV: what exactly do you mean?
ST: Like join some of kind community like, Karen community or something.
WV: So would you, I guess would you be interested in, trying to you know, trying to help stabilize the situation in Burma, you know, try to maybe work with the government on fixing things?
ST: Yeah, I plan to, yeah. If I got my degree. But I'm not really sure will study that.
WV: Right, so when did you start school here?
ST: I start school here since like 2009. I, like, well, I get in Salt Lake City, I stay there for 10 months, so I study 8th grade, when I move here, I studied 9th, and then, yeah.
WV: So you lived in Salt Lake for 10 months?
ST: Yeah. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 5
WV: Ok. And then you moved up here. So how big is your family? Is it just you, your mom and your dad?
ST: No, we have like, I got two brother and one sisters.
WV: Ok. How old are they?
ST: The, my sister is older. She is around 27. 28.
WV: What about your brothers?
ST: He is 25. And another one is 23.
WV: Ok. So, you're all a bit older. Adults then. Do they all live here in Logan?
ST: No. Two stay in Thailand. One in Logan.
WV: Ok.
[06:39]
WV: Um, so, let's see... so I guess- well, both here in Logan as well as um, growing up in the camps, did you uh- have any celebrations that you guys would do, like any special holidays?
ST: Yeah, like, especially like birthdays, yeah, we celebrated. Also, like New Years in camp, we did it. But, in here, we have a really big space. But they did it in Salt Lake City.
WV: Um, so, I guess how do Karen people celebrate birthdays? Do they do things very differently?
ST: Um, not really different. But, like most of them kinda do it on Sundays after church. So, like, they just go and announce it at our church. So, after church, everyone gonna come back and like, at the house and but, yeah, we celebrated together.
WV: Ok. Uh, where do you go to church? Or what church do you attend?
ST: Uh, it's in Smithfield.
WV: It's out in Smithfield?
ST: Yeah, and its' in Smithfield.
WV: What church out in Smithfield?
ST: Uh, I don't really know what to call it. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 6
WV: I'm trying to think what that would be. I've only been there a few times. Is it, mostly just other members of the Karen community that go there, or is it, sort of a mixed group?
ST: Uh, no, just Karen people.
WV: Ok.
ST: Just Karen that go there.
WV: So it's a lot of, so I guess a lot of your celebrations are just within the community, so sort of everyone's welcome?
ST: Mhm.
WV: Um, so do you remember much, growing up in the camps, about maybe the political environment, or did you just, know that you weren't really supposed to go outside?
ST: Well, I grew up in a camp, but you know sometimes they will tell us not to go out of the camp, or something. Yeah. That's how, but sometimes they let us, you know it's kind of difficult. If you don't have jobs, you need money, right? So you have to go out, but if like, they catch you, they just gonna take you away. Because, yeah. You are a refugee, so, yeah.
WV: You were about 14 when you left, right?
ST: Yeah, I was about 14.
WV: So did you, I guess, what was the youngest age that people would work there in the camp?
ST: Work, I think, maybe, I don't know, like 10? 12? I don't know, if you want to, you can, because there's no limit of age.
WV: Ok. What kind of jobs are available for you know, 10 or 12 year old kids to do?
ST: I, well, you know, just random jobs. Like, maybe, just going and like plant corn, maybe, yeah. When I was like, 12, like, they just go and like cut rice. Harvest.
WV: Were the fields inside the camp?
ST: No. Not inside. Like, just everything just outside of the camp.
WV: Ok.
ST: Because inside of the camp, just only going to be homes, adn then, yeah.
WV: Oh, so they just had houses and things? Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 7
ST: Yeah, house, school, and hospital. Yeah. Church, monastery.
WV: So, like about how big was the camp?
ST: How big?
WV: Was it pretty small and kind of cramped together, or was it pretty spread out?
ST: You know, some part is, like, homes are less sticking together. It depends on how you build them. Some people they wanna build homes that stick with each other, but some people have like a bit space. Small space between each home and another one.
[10:45]
WV: Um, so was the camp you lived in, was it one of the UN camps, or was it a Thai military camp?
ST: It's a UN camp.
WV: So is that how you found out about being able to come over here to the States was from the UN workers?
ST: Well, I think, I'm not really know about that, because like my parents took care of that, so yeah. I think they might hear from their friends.
WV: So when you first moved here to the US, how was it adjusting to living in Salt Lake?
ST: Adjusting? Well, you know, first time when I get here, I don't really know, like live, or act. But, later I get used to it, after I go to school, and like, yeah. That's how.
WV: So did you have, um, did you have help from the government, or any of the local community, as far as adjusting to living here?
ST: Yeah, we do. Because, like when we moved here first, we received medicaid and stuff like that.
WV: Was that through the government, or was that people in the community helping?
ST: The government.
WV: Okay. Um, so what about, um, living here up in Logan, how do you like it?
ST: Well, I really like it, because I, well, in my sight, I see like homes, there's space between one and another, but when I live in Salt Lake City, I saw the apartments like kinda sticky. So I just Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 8
used to living in home that, like, live like with space between other ones, so I like it better than Salt Lake.
WV: Yeah, Salt Lake is- [LAUGHTER] pretty packed.
ST: Yeah. Sticky traffic.
[LAUGHTER]
WV: Yeah, traffic is really really bad.
ST: Heavy traffic.
WV: Um, so how has it been, um, adjusting to being a college student for you? Because you said you were doing 8th grade when you first arrived in Salt Lake?
ST: Yeah.
WV: So how has going to college been for you?
ST: Well, going to college, well, it's kinda hard to say. You know, but, because like you have to study a lot, so yeah.
WV: So did you learn any English when you were over in Thailand, or did you start learning when you were arrived here?
ST: When I live in Thailand, I used to learn abcs and stuff like that, I learn the alphabet later. So yeah, just, yeah, later.
[LAUGHTER].
WV: Ok. So you knew a bit before you got here?
ST: Yeah.
WV: Um, so, how does your, like your home here in Logan, compare to your home in the camp?
ST: Well, it's a lot better. Because there, um, you know, inside of the camp, so it's like, the home was made of wood and stuff like that. In here like you don't build with that. So yeah, but it's a different thing. There just only from one family stay inside here in an apartment. So, like, people stay, like stay away from one another.
WV: So, I guess one of the things that, you know, that we're looking at, and sort of asking the people we've been meeting with is, is there anything that, you know, you feel, is important for you to be able to share with other people here in Cache Valley? You know, either about your Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 9
experience, or your family, like is there anything that, if you could, um, that you would like to tell us? Does that make sense?
ST: Mhm. Well, I think that living in the USA life, live under regulations and stuff. Then, it's good to be better for us if we follow them than if we didn't. Because we know that in the US everyone live under the rules, so we can get in trouble if we don't follow them. Yeah.
[15:30 PAUSE FOR A FEW SECONDS]
WV: So, as far as what you've been able to accomplish since you came here to the US, what things are you most proud of, that you've been able to do since you came here.
ST: Well, um, I'm proud of like, I can speak better than I used to before. So, yeah. I'm proud of that, so I can like help my family and my brother who need my help later on.
WV: So are you the one that, do you speak, um, are you only one in your family that speaks English?
ST: Yeah.
WV: Ok. So I guess one of the things that I'm just curious about is, what do you do for fun or in your spare time?
ST: Well, in my spare time, I like to play Takraw, sometimes I read a book.
WV: What was the first one?
ST: Takraw.
WV: What is that?
ST: It's a game. Southeast Asian game.
WV: Uh, could you tell us a bit about it?
ST: Yeah, well, it was [clears throat] the ball is about this size big. It's like, well, you know, it's kinda hard when it's like not really new, it's kind of getting soft. So yeah, it's just like foot volleyball, you call it. You can only use your head, your knee, your side foot and front foot. But you can't use your hand.
WV: So it's kind of like a cross between volleyball and soccer then?
ST: Yeah. Volleyball. Like, yeah, volleyball and soccer, like just only three touch.
WV: Ok. Um, so how, like, what are some of the rules to it, how does it work?
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 10
ST: Three people in a team. Well, you can touch it only three times one side. So you can pass one, to you, and one to her, and then over the net. I can do this only three time and then put it into another side, like just over the net. Just like that.
WV: So what exactly is the ball made of? I think I've seen maybe a picture or two,
ST: Yeah, plastic.
WV: Just plastic?
ST: Hard plastic.
WV: So how does it work with, you know, like scoring, how do you determine who wins?
ST: Well, there's a score, so, like, if you score like, there's a line, just like a, yeah. A line. You have to hit inside of the lines. So, yeah, you get a score, or like put it- there's a lot of activity you can do, called roll spike, back kick, so yeah.
WV: Um [LAUGHTER] I don't know anything about it... so you said roll spike?
ST: Yeah. You flip and kick in the air.
WV: Like, you flip through the air?
ST: Yeah, you kick in the air.
WV: Um, hmm. What kind of court is it played on? Is it cement, do you play in the sand or the grass or?
ST: Well, you can play anywhere, maybe. Yeah, cement. On grass. But, you know, it depends on people, where they wanna play. So you can do that.
[18:57]
WV: Um, let's see. So does the net, is it like a volleyball net?
ST: It's small.
WV: In the one picture I saw,
ST: Yeah, it's smaller.
WV: OK. Just to keep the teams on opposite sides.
ST: Yeah, because, you know, people kick the ball really hard. If you have about this size big, the ball can't go through it. The ball... Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 11
WV: So are you supposed to go, sorry... So you said it's about, maybe,
ST: The ball is about this big.
WV: So the ball is maybe a small watermelon size,
ST: Yeah.
WV: and the net is, are you supposed to shoot through the net?
ST: No, over.
WV: Over. Okay. How high up does it sit? Like, where does the net hang?
ST: Five feet and maybe, yeah. Five feet or five one or two. Or um,
WV: Okay. So it is very [LAUGHTER] sorry, I just find it really interesting, I've just never heard about this before. So it is very difficult to kick up over the net, do you have out of bounds, can you kick outside of-?
ST: well, you can, like, if you kick it out of the line, so it's out, so you won't receive a point.
WV: Mhm.
ST: So you're supposed to get the ball and kick it inside of the line. Where they tell you to kick, because three people in the team. Maybe one people serve it at the back, the other one's going to give another people ball, so the other one is going to spike it. Like, yeah.
WV: So, about how big is the um, I guess, the court?
ST: The court? Yeah, well, probably about this wide. Maybe a bit wider.
WV: So maybe, fifteen feet across? Roughly?
ST: I think so. But I don't really get it down. I would have to check it on the internet.
WV: So do you just decide when you're playing, is there a regular point limit, does it go by time?
ST: No, just like regular point limit.
WV: Ok. So what do you usually, what's the score to win typically?
ST: 15 point.
WV: 50? Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 12
ST: 15.
WV: Oh, [LAUGHTER], 15.
ST: Yeah. But it just, we do it kind of like international count. So, yeah, if I get the ball, I score it. I got one point. If I get the ball, but I didn't score it. The point goes back to 0-1. But like you get the ball. You might, play like that.
WV: So you can lose points?
ST: No, you cannot lose points. If I score yours right?
WV: Mhm.
ST: Right now, I've got the ball, so I score into yours, so I get one point. Next ball, I kick it, but I didn't score it, so the point goes back to 0-1. If you score, then you get 1-1 like me. If you score another one, you get 2-1.
WV: Ok. Gotcha.
[LAUGHTER].
ST: If I got the ball, so you score my point first-
WV: Okay. I think I got it. So is that, is that just like from the Karen or Burma area, or is that common all over Southeast Asia?
ST: Maybe not all over. Because they play all over. Not just Karen people. Thai. China. Japanese. Korean. Philippines, Malaysia. Indian. A lot.
WV: Hmm. I've never heard of that before. What was that called again?
ST: Takraw.
WV: How do you spell that?
ST: S-C-P-A-K
WV: S-C
ST: P-A-K. Space. T-A-K-R-A-W.
WV: T-A-K-R-O what?
ST: R-A-W. T-A-K-R-A-W. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 13
WV: Oh, it's two separate words? Gotcha. So, how often do you play then? Is it something that you-
ST: Well, when we have the time and we're not busy. And it's on a sunny day to play one.
WV: [LAUGHTER] So you haven' t been able to play recently then? With the rain.
ST: not really. When it's cloudy or rainy, you don't really play, because its' kind of cold. Then like we're worried it's going to be slippery too, because you just use only your foot. So yeah, that's why.
WV: So do you play indoors in the winter, or do you guys not play at all here?
ST: We don't really have a space, so we don't really play indoors, so we don't play.
WV: Okay. Um, so what's the uh, sorry, I just looked up at your flag, and I see that you have these little pictures pinned to it, what are those?
ST: No, that's- [LAUGHTER], we just pin that up.
WV: So there's nothing to it.
ST: No, nothing. Just only, we just, yeah... the flag.
WV: So I'm kind of curious, because again, I've seen a couple of these, what exactly does the flag, or the marks and colors on the flag mean?
ST: Um, well, you mean the mark? There is nine like, nine. Is that what you mean?
WV: Well yeah, the lines, the stripes, and then the-
ST: There is nine mark right. It means like nine place.
WV: What does that symbolize?
ST: Nine place. Like, nine place.
WV: So just nine different places?
ST: Yeah. Nine different places.
WV: What exactly is that referring to? Like is it nine specific places, or?
ST: Yeah, nine different places. So, but I don't really know. My parents just told me about it.
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 14
WV: Ok.
ST: So like, we learn about it from school. Nine different places. Or, maybe [LAUGHTER], I don't know.
WV: And what's the, I think that's a drum? The yellow thing in the center?
ST: Yeah, it's kinda maybe drum? Yeah.
WV: Does it, have any specific kind of drum or is it-?
ST: Yeah, specific kind of drum, like for Karen people.
WV: Where is it used?
ST: Used? Like, in it have, like many different kinds of it. Because like, there is not just only one. It has different specific names. So yeah.
WV: So there's like different types of drums, then?
ST: Yeah.
WV: Are they all called the same thing, and there's just different shapes and sizes?
ST: Different shapes and size.
[25:55]
WV: So what kind of, I mean, you know events or things are those drums used for?
ST: You know, some people, they're gonna hit it while they announce things, or yeah. Sometimes, they gonna hit it, like, you know, depends on what situation they got. Like, maybe on the solar they're gonna hit one. So like there's a different drums on the solar, lunar or solar, or something like that. Maybe on a, maybe fast, or celebration they're going to hit, like a different one. It's not the same one. There's, like, many kinds that are different.
WV: Okay. Um, what are those drums called? Do you know?
ST: I just know in my language. [LAUGHTER].
WV: Okay, you don't have a translation for it?
ST: No, no.
WV: Um, so besides, so you have, Karen New Year is in December, is that right?
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 15
ST: January.
WV: Oh, January.
ST: January first.
WV: So what other, uh, do the Karen people have any other specific holidays?
ST: Maybe, Independence Day. Independence, yeah.
WV: When is that?
ST: August 12th.
WV: OH, that's my birthday.
ST: [LAUGHTER] Really?
WV: Yeah. [LAUGHTER]. So that's Karen Independence Day?
ST: Uh-huh. I think it was the revolution day instead. Revolution.
WV: Okay. So is that, is that what started the conflict with Burma?
ST: Uh, yeah. That is. No, it's like the president, like, dead day. Like, they go to a congress, along the congress, like rest, they got killed. So, like they mark it as the revolution day.
WV: So one of the things that I don't know too much about, maybe you could tell me, is, what exactly started the conflict between Burma and Karen?
ST: Well, at first, like, after maybe British leave, but they left the land, so they thought like, maybe Burma, like, so, like, they can just discuss to each other, like if their land goes to like everyone, or something. But after the Karen go and declare, their like land, from Burma, they didn't ask for it. But Burma's like, uh, told them, I don't really know what to call it now. They didn't give the lands to like, so like, they have to fight. So, yeah.
WV: So, Burma didn't honor the deal that was made, is that it?
ST: Kind of like that. If we call it Burma, it's not right, because there's a lot of nations that is Burma, who's not soldier, you know? So yeah, there's a specific name for the soldier that we are fighting with.
WV: Okay, so you guys make a distinction between regular Burmese people and the Burmese military?
ST: Yeah, so if we call Burmese like, that's almost everyone who lives in Burma. So, yeah. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 16
WV: Um, what, term do you use to distinguish the two?
ST: Well, uh, one I don't really what to call it. MSPDC, I don't really know what to call it. In our own language, or Burmese language, we call it like another one.
WV: So you just have a separate term for the military?
ST: Mhm.
WV: So how big is Karen as a state?
ST: Uh, I don't really know, but I use to learn it, but I already forgot.
[LAUGHTER].
ST: Like several, eight nations inside of Burma, each nation go to separate one states, so like, you know, we have this big, each one takes a small one. Small one just is a small one after.
WV: So is it organized sort of like the United States the country, but Utah is a state. Is it the same kind of thing?
ST: Yeah, it's just like another state, but in here, but just everyone is like the same. Like same nation, same- you know like, but this place is different. Different nations that are separated from another one. So, like, everyone have their own state. They speak different language. Just not the same. The Karen are, but Burmese is just the dominant language in Burma. Everyone speaks it.
WV: So do most people speak multiple languages there/ So does everyone learn Burmese, but you might learn Karen as well?
ST: Burmese is the most dominant language. Because we call it Burma, so, like everyone is just supposed to know Burmese.
WV: So how many languages do you speak?
ST: Two or three. Three maybe? Yeah.
WV: So what are the three?
ST: Just my own language. And then English, and then, yeah, Thai.
WV: Okay. And did you pick up Thai in the camp? When you were growing up?
ST: Yeah.
[31:39 BRIEF PAUSE] Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 17
WV: Um, so, if things in Burma were, you know, not as chaotic, would you wanna move back, or do you like living here in the United States?
[Faucet in the kitchen is turned on]
ST: Probably maybe just, stay here for a while. And but I'm not sure about going back. Probably some time I might go back.
WV: Would you go back to visit, or would you go back to live?
ST: Just for a visit.
WV: So you said that you had a sister who is still in Thailand, is that right?
ST: Mhm. Sister and brothers.
WV: So did they grow up in the camp, too, and just not leave? Or-
ST: Uh, yeah. Because they already have wife and husband, so they just stayed there with their husband and wife.
WV: Oh, so they just stayed with their own families.
ST: Mhm.
WV: Okay.
[32:43 BRIEF PAUSE]
WV: Trying to think. So is there anything else that, I mean, you, maybe that I haven't asked you, that you'd like to talk about or,
ST: Uh, well, probably. [LAUGHTER]. Not. I, can't think of anything.
WV: I guess, when, so Chit Moe contacted you about meeting with us, right?
ST: Yes.
WV: So what, I guess was your initial interest in talking to us?
ST: Talking to us? Well, like... [PAUSE]. So, just like, if we talk about ourselves. If you come visit, if you're new, and you talk about our nation, or you question us so you know about part of it, so yeah.
WV: Ok. Um, okay, I think that's most of the questions that I have, do Meagan or Bethany have any questions? Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 18
BH: I, I have some questions.
ST: Okay, sure.
BH: Um, so, back- back to the game that you were talking about, it just sounds really interesting. Takraw, right?
ST: Yeah, Takraw.
BH: Uh, is that a game that you learned in the refugee camp?
ST: Yeah, we learn it since we were little. We used to play. We just tried to play random things.
BH: Okay, so you played that quite a bit there?
ST: Just tried to kick around.
BH: Um, are there other games that you would play in the camps?
ST: Uh, soccer as well.
BH: Just those two pretty much?
ST: Mhm.
BH: and was that because, you were there, as a young a pretty young child, right?
ST: Yeah.
BH: So- oh, sorry.
ST: Go ahead.
BH: So, is it kind of most of what you would do in the day, or did you have other responsibilities?
ST: Well, because we're students, so we're supposed to read, but I was lazy to read. So, yeah. Sometimes, after we read, we just kinda go and just maybe watch movies. Except for when we had free time we just go out and shoot birds. Well, we never found, or when we never found them we just kind of go like that. When we have a friend we played soccer.
BH: Okay. So it's cool that you kinda had different activities.
ST: Mhm.
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 19
BH: Different things that you could do by yourself and things that you could do with other people.
ST: Yep.
BH: And, um, I... I actually, I'm curious about this-
ST: Oh, that's a calendar.
BH: A calendar?
ST: Yeah.
BH: Is that from Burma?
ST: Yeah, I think that's form Burma, or-
BH: Is that Burmese written on there? Burmese or Karen?
ST: It's Karen. It's,yeah, it's Karen.
BH: Cool. Is that, I guess, is the calendar system the same?
ST: Yeah, the same, but, you know, we have like New Years, and like, you know, sometimes we kind of like there's some another month, there are differences from USA calendars. So yeah, that's how we do it. Sometimes we compare. Sometimes which one... [LAUGHTER].
BH: Okay. I guess, I'm not really close enough to like, look at the, the material, but.
ST: You can go and look
BH: I can go and look?
ST: Yeah, yeah.
BH: Because it looks, um, okay. So it's like
ST: There is- there is an English, I think.
BH: Oh, there is?
ST: Yeah, I think so.
BH: Cool. So it, I mean, it looks like, uh, I was thinking maybe it was something kind of like your carpet here, that was, uh, or the rugs that was maybe liked stitched together, but it looks like something that's printed off. Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 20
ST: Yeah, that one is printed off.
BH: Okay. Cool. I might have had another question, do you have any questions? [To Meagan]
MG: So you said you were going to church.
ST: Yeah.
MG: What religion are you?
ST: Christian.
MG: Okay.
WV: So it just like a general Christian church that you go to?
ST: Yeah, just like that.
WV: Okay.
BH: I just thought of another. [LAUGHTER].
ST: Sure.
BH: So I'm looking, I'm trying to look at different pictures. And so I see up here there are these two photographs, are either of these, are you in these?
ST: Yeah, I'm in the small one. My brother is in the other one.
BH: In this one?
ST: Uh-huh. When I came to Logan.
BH: Yeah? SO these pictures are from when you first got here?
ST: Bear Lake.
BH: Oh, Bear Lake?
ST: Mhm.
BH: Cool, I was just curious about those. Is there, and this is just a curiosity, but is there anything about Burma, or Karen that you, uh, that you kinda miss?
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 21
ST: Well, a thing I miss? I don't really know about what I miss, but you know, a good thing that I miss, because in Thailand there's a war, that we didn't get to face it. So yeah, good thing for us, so we didn't have to flee. Yeah, but, if you ask the elder people who used to live, like sixty or seventy years, if you ask them, they will you about the stories of like having to flee from Burma. Or like the army, yeah. If it like getting dark, they have to pack up things, and call up their family and start leaving. Yeah.
WV: So your family was able to avoid most of that, then?
ST: Well, I don't really choose to ask my parents about that.
WV: Mhm.
[38:56]
WV: You don't really remember having to deal with any of that.
ST: No, I didn't have to, because I was just born in the camp. And we couldn't really go anywhere, so, I didn't know like, what happened later. I know that we're like still a kid when it happened, so I didn't really know about anything.
WV: Do you guys have any other questions, or- [PAUSE] So, I mean, I guess we're just about done, then. Is there anything else that you, maybe, again, that we haven't asked? That you'd still like to talk about?
ST: Probably not. [LAUGHTER]. I don't really know how to ask questions.
WV: I guess, maybe, okay, final question. How exactly are these made? These rugs? I've seen a lot of them.
ST: Yeah, just like a carpet for us. Where we lived, we used to cover our floor with this.
WV: Mhm.
ST: Like, if you cover your floor with this, and it gets dirty, it doesn't like, get on the carpet. So you can clean it easily.
WV: Right.
ST: Yeah, so yeah. It's made with plastic, I think. I'm not really sure.
WV: I was going to say, because are these from- did you bring these from Burma, or did you get them here?
ST: Just get them here in a convenience store.
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project: Snay Tun May 19, 2015 22
WV: So these would normally be, made out of this kind of plastic material then, or are these usually like uh, cloth or something that these are usually made out of?
ST: Probably, I am not sure about them being cloth.
WV: Or, cloth... what else do you make rugs out of? [LAUGHTER]. I clearly don't know much about rugs. Um, yeah. That's just about all the questions that I've got. So thanks again for being willing to meet with us. And I think we're good.
ST: So you wanna see the game? I'll show you the games.
WV: Sure.
ST: Yeah?
[Movement. End of recording.]
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Audio Recording of Oral History
application/pdf
98115 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/89
Language
A language of the resource
ENG
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67617
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 67
Subject
The topic of the resource
Karen; Refugees; Karen Refugees; Religion; Sports; Takraw; Cache Valley; Cache Valley Refugees; College; School; Utah State; Utah State University; Burma; Thailand; Refugee Camps
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview transcript with Snay Tun on May 19, 2016
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/ec37db902484c81737f71565fca78eb5.mp3
648e17d6e8361a721b5dcb10043f1676
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
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Warner-Evans, Hilary, 1994;
Warner-Evans, Hilary, 1994-;
Coverage
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Western Lowland Eritrea; Ethiopia; Egypt; New York, NY; New Haven, CT; Idaho;
Creator
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Afeworki Woldemichael, 1979-;
Williams, Heidi, 1989-;
Berhane Debesai Abraha, 1980-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-17
Description
An account of the resource
Afeworki Woldemichael talks about his family and home in Eritrea. He discusses his time in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, where he met his wife and had two children, his journey to the United States, living in Connecticut, Idaho, and Utah. He discusses his adjustments to life in the United States, and expresses hopes to improve his English to be better able to communicate with the people of Logan. He talks about what the future of his family will be like when his wife and children come join him.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
oral histories (document genre);
audio/mp3;
71621802 Bytes
Identifier
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http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/97
Language
A language of the resource
tir; eng;
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 58
Subject
The topic of the resource
Eritrea; Eritreans; Families; Refugees; Ethiopia; Logan, UT; Culture; Tigrinya; English; Education; International Refugee Commission; Refugee Camps; Work; Eritrea-- Food; Afeworki Woldemichael-- Interviews
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Afeworki Woldemichael in Logan, Utah, 2015 May 17
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/1580d119f7e1df7d2211b5461bc04ce7.mp3
76c8243236c4b0e5c18dd90eb91a8cfc
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
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Van de Water, Wes; 1988
Gross, Susan
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Karen; Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Eh Htoo; 1983
Eh Htoo
Chit Moe
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-16
Description
An account of the resource
Interview with Eh Htoo about his life as a refugee in Thailand, serving as a porter in the Burmese military, leaving home, and immigrating to the United States.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
oral histories (document genre);
audio/mp3
58004379 Bytes
Identifier
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http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/84
Language
A language of the resource
ENG, KAR
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67610
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 60
Subject
The topic of the resource
Karen; Refugees; Karen Refugees; Thailand; Refugee Camps; Burma; Burmese Military; Porter; United States Immigration
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Eh Htoo on May 16, 2015 in Hyrum, Utah.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/e08e48408fc00429752ee8133e6b508f.mp3
452bf6e0a72e3cd868735b2ad9cb7cd9
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
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Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Gross, Susan;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand; Japan; California, Utah;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Sin, 1967-;
Dilg, Cami, 1986-;
Har Be Bar, 1995-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-17
Description
An account of the resource
Ka Sin and his family live in a different apartment complex than our other interviewees. He works at JBS meat packing plant. His family includes his wife Ser Geda; daughter Kem Pu, 16 yrs; son Zat No 10 yrs; son Mo 20 yrs; and son Myo 14 yrs.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
oral histories (document genres);
audio/mp3;
60429828 Bytes
Identifier
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http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/103
Language
A language of the resource
bur; kar; eng;
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67610
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 60
Subject
The topic of the resource
Burmese Muslim refugee; Family; Immigrant, Tradition, Cache Valley, Utah; Logan, Utah;
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Ka Sin, Burmese Muslim Refugee. 2015-05-17
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/7b42745dbe0070ae41c4d3029c4fb006.pdf
1110a0d6bdaa711cc1a45c9227ee0497
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Gross, Susan;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand; Japan; California, Utah;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Sin, 1967-;
Dilg, Cami, 1986-;
Har Be Bar, 1995-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-17
Description
An account of the resource
Ka Sin and his family live in a different apartment complex than our other interviewees. He works at JBS meat packing plant. His family includes his wife Ser Geda; daughter Kem Pu, 16 yrs; son Zat No 10 yrs; son Mo 20 yrs; and son Myo 14 yrs.
Cache
Valley
Refugee
Oral
History
Project:
Ka
Sin
Page
1
CACHE VALLEY REFUGEE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
TRANSCRIPTION COVER SHEET
Interviewee(s): Ka Sin
Present: Deanna Allred, David Giles, Cami Dilg, Ka Sin, Har Be Bar, Kem Pu[?]
(Ka Sin’s daughter), Zat No (Ka Sin’s son), Mo (Ka Sin’s son), Ser Geda
(Ka Sin’s wife), Myo (Ka Sin’s son)
Place of Interview: Ka Sin’s home, Logan, Utah
Date of Interview: May 17, 2015
Language(s): Burmese
Translation:
Interviewer: Deanna Allred
Interpreter: Har Be Bar
Recordist: David Giles
Photographer: Cami Dilg
Recording Equipment: Tascam DR-100mk11 linear PCM recorder; Senal ENG-18RL
broadcast-quality omnidirectional dynamic microphone
Transcription Equipment: Express Scribe with PowerPlayer foot pedal.
Transcribed by: Susan Gross, May 20, 2015
Transcript Proofed by:
Brief Description of Contents: Ka Sin talks about his journey from Burma, to a Thailand
refugee camp, to Japan, then New York, then California, and finally Utah. He talks about
working and learning English in Salt Lake City, Utah, and then later moving to Logan, Utah. He
talks about his life during the war in Burma and in the refugee camp in Thailand. He discusses
his life in America, and the way his children are growing up here, versus the life they may have
had in Burma.
Reference: DA = Deanna Allred
DAI = Deanna Allred’s words interpreted by translator
KS = Ka Sin
KSI = Ka Sin’s words interpreted by translator
DG = David Giles
DGI = David Giles’ words interpreted by translator
KP = Kem Pu
ZN = Zat No
M = Mo
Cache
Valley
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Oral
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Project:
Ka
Sin
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2
MY = Myo
NOTE: [You will have to modify this as appropriate—whether using CommGap or in-person
interpreter.] The interview was conducted with CommGap Interpretive Services; the interpreter
joined the interview via a cell phone. False starts, pauses, or transitions in dialogue such as “uh”
and starts and stops in conversations are not included in transcript. All additions and added
information to transcript are noted with brackets.
TAPE TRANSCRIPTION
[Part 1 of 2 – 00:01]
DA: Yeah, will you introduce who is here with us? I’d love them to stay.
DAI: [Repeating question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: His daughter and then his youngest son.
DA: Youngest son?
KSI: Um-hmm.
DA: [Speaking to Ka Sin’s daughter] And what is your name?
KP: Kem Pu[?]
DA: Kem Pu? How old are you?
KP: I am 16.
DA: [Speaking to Ka Sin’s son] And what is your name?
ZN: Zat No.
KS: Zat No.
DA: Zat No – can you spell that?
ZN: Z-A-T N-O.
DA: N-O.
DG: Okay; exactly like it sounds, actually.
Cache
Valley
Refugee
Oral
History
Project:
Ka
Sin
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3
DA: And how old are you?
ZN: Ten.
DA: You’re ten.
DG: [Speaking to Kem Pu] Okay; are you getting your driver’s license by chance?
KP: Yeah.
DA: Yeah?
DG: Cool.
DA: [Speaking to Kem Pu] What school do you go to?
KP: Logan High.
DA: Logan High? Good. My daughter went there for a little while.
[Speaking to Zat No] And what school do you go to?
ZN: Wilson.
DA: Wilson? Yes.
DG: Okay.
DA: Okay, good.
DG: Would it be okay if we closed the window?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
DA: It’s just the sound – for the sound.
DAI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
DG: Okay.
DA: Sorry; will that make it uncomfortable?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
Cache
Valley
Refugee
Oral
History
Project:
Ka
Sin
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4
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Do you guys want him to open the fan?
DG: Let’s try it. Yeah, I don’t think it will be a problem, but let’s try it.
DGI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
DA: Okay.
DG: Alright, so let’s begin the tag.
DA: Okay.
KS: [Speaking in Burmese.]
DA: I’m going to look at Cami’s notes about this. I liked what you did there.
[Soft talking in the background between field school students.]
DG: Okay, so I think –
DA: Okay.
DG: These are the questions that you want.
DA: I’ve got the questions here.
Alright, my name is Deanna Allred.
KS: Yes.
DA: We are here at the home of Ka Sin, a Burmese Muslim refugee that we’re doing
interview for the “Voices 2015: Refugees in Cache Valley” (here, in Logan). I’m also
here with Har Be Bar (who is our translator), and David Giles (who is our recordist), and
Cami Dilg (who will be taking pictures). We are also here with Ka Sin’s daughter and
son – are you another son?
??: I’m his son, yeah.
DA: And what’s your name?
M: Mo.
DA: Mo?
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DAI: Mo.
DA: Okay; how old are you, Mo?
M: Twenty.
DA: Twenty? Okay.
So, and I saw your wife here too? Yeah, your wife was here. And what’s her name?
KS: Ser Geda.
DA: Ser Geda?
KS: S-E-R –
KSI: S-E-R –
DA: S-E-R?
KS: G-E –
DA: G-E?
KS: D-A.
DA: D-A?
KS: Yeah.
DA: And this is your wife?
KS: Yeah.
DA: Thank you for letting us come.
I’m going to try to translate a little slower – as I’ve listened, some of it’s gone a little fast
and we’ve not gotten it all.
DAI: Um-hmm?
DA: So I’ll try to just translate slower – just a couple sentences at a time – and then I think
that will go a little better.
DAI: Okay.
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DA: So you can explain to him that we will probably be going a couple sentences at a time.
[03:36]
DAI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
DA: And it is Sunday, May 17th, 2015. We have another son?
KS: Yeah, Myo.
DA: What’s your name?
MY: Myo.
DA: Myo?
MY: Yeah.
DA: How do you spell that?
MY: M-Y-O.
DA: And how old are you?
MY: Fourteen.
DA: Fourteen? You have a great family.
KS: [Laughs]
DAI: [Repeating statement in Burmese.]
DA: Yeah, this is great. Okay, did I get all the tag?
DG: I think so.
DA: Okay. So we are just going to start the interview.
What is your full name and birth year?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: K-A S-I-N.
DA: Um-hmm.
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KS: Yeah. Birthday – December 18, 1967.
DA: Fifty-seven?
KS: Sixty.
KSI: 1967.
DA: Sixty-seven; okay, good. What languages do you speak?
DAI: [Repeating question in Burmese.]
KS: Burmese and Karen.
KSI: Burmese and Karen.
DA: And Karen? Good. Tell me about your family?
DAI: [Repeating question in Burmese.]
KS: Yeah. [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: He has a total family of six people in the family: four childrens, and him and his wife.
DA: Um-hmm. Describe for me your religious community, your ethnic community; describe
for me what it is for you to be a Burmese Muslim?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Living here it’s the same, but the ethnic group and religious group is a little different.
DA: It’s a little different?
KSI: Yeah.
DA: In what way?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: How do we like practice the religion.
DA: Right, um-hmm. Is there a place where you can go to practice your religion?
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DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Here they have it, but it’s a different language –
DA: Oh, right.
KSI: But in Salt Lake they do have it in the same language.
KS: Yeah.
DA: In Salt Lake?
KSI: Yeah.
DA: Okay. Tell me about Burma? You were born in Burma?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: What would you like to know about Burma?
DA: Is it hot? Is it beautiful?
KS: Ah, yeah.
KSI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
[07:28]
KSI: There are three seasons –
DA: Um-hmm.
KSI: Yeah, summer, rainy, and foggy.
DA: Summer, rain and foggy – that’s good. We haven’t heard that before. How long did you
live there?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
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KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KS: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KSI: Like 21 years.
DA: Uh-huh? Twenty-one years?
KS: Maybe 25 year.
DA: Maybe 25; yes? Why did you leave?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: It’s hard to live because there are civil wars going around, and they are like ethnic groups
(like Karen group) that didn’t get along with –
DA: That didn’t get along with the government?
KS: Yeah.
DA: Or each other?
KSI: Yeah, with the government, with the soldiers, and with the Karen ethnic group.
DA: Okay, okay. So what was that experience like – leaving Burma? What was that like to
leave your country, leave your home?
DAI: [Repeating question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: He felt very bad, like because at first he had some educations in the city, and then he had
to move because in Burma there are all still civil war. He felt very bad.
DA: Yeah, I’m sure; I’m sure. Where did you relocate first?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: At first Burma to Thailand refugee camp.
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DA: Yeah. And then where?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: He relocated first in the Thai city for about three years and it did not work out, so he had
to move to a refugee camp.
DA: Um-hmm, okay. What was your experience like in the refugee camp?
[11:07]
DAI: [Repeating question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: They are like –
KS: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KSI: A lot of different peoples –
DA: Um-hmm?
KSI: And different situation – like sometimes they are same level.
DA: Yeah. Describe to me what you ate (the food), what was the medical care like? If you got
sick, what would happen?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: They gave free food from rice, oil, salt, and they don’t do meat or other stuff – because
he also want to eat those meat –
DA: Yeah. But there wasn’t any?
KS: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KSI: He had to find a way –
DA: To get food?
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KS: Yeah.
KSI: All the medical care out there are free.
DA: Was it easy to get to? Was it close?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: It’s not that easy to go to the hospital because no transportation –
DA: Right.
KSI: I have to walk.
DA: And it was big – it was a ways away?
KSI: Um-hmm.
DA: Yeah.
KSI: Like 15 minutes.
DA: Yeah. Describe your work and school, there in the refugee camp, for you.
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: For the school, there is no school for an adult (like him). And then a job – he had to go
outside of the camp and work for it.
DA: Um-hmm. Tell me what your life was day-to-day; so you would get up about what time?
You would eat breakfast, or – tell me what a typical day was like for you.
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: He would wake up like early in the morning (like four) –
DA: Um-hmm? And then that’s – what time would you go to bed at night?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
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KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Like nine to ten.
DA: Yeah, yeah; okay. What did you do for work in the camp?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
[15:15]
KSI: He help with the road –
DA: Okay?
KSI: Fix the road, and also the stables[?] –
DA: Okay. Do you still get up at four?
KS: Huh?
DA: Do you still get up so early?
DAI: Now?
DA: Yeah.
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Sometimes; and sometimes earlier than that.
DA: Really?
DG: Wow.
DA: Tell me about the holidays (or the celebrations) that you celebrated in the camp?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
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KS: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KSI: Yeah. He wants to talk about the Eid.
DA: Uh-huh, yes?
KSI: In the morning he will wake up and go to mosque and pray, and then he will find new
clothes for his children to wear.
DA: Um-hmm. Someone else had said you needed a new outfit for Eid, is that right?
KSI: Um-hmm, yeah.
DA: Yeah. Okay, what was the government like – how did the government behave with the
refugees? What was the climate there? Was it helpful? Was it combative? How helpful
was the government when you were in the refugee camp?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
DA: This would have been Thailand I guess, yeah.
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Yeah, he don’t know about the government because he don’t see it; but there is a
sharing[?] group that helped. And then sometimes they are good, sometimes they are very
bad peoples. If you want to go out and work, they close the gate – they never let him go
out. And then he would find a way to get out from the gate and then go find job. And then
once he came back the soldier will stop him and then take some money.
KS: [Speaking in Burmese.]
DA: Why wouldn’t they want you to leave to go work?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: They thought that they already gave free food to the refugees, and then they thought that
it’s enough for them.
DA: Rice, but no meat?
KSI: Yeah.
DA: Was enough? Okay. Did you feel safe in the camp? Did you feel safe for you, and safe
for your family? Was there safety there?
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DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
[20:45]
KSI: It’s not safe because the refugee camp in Burma – it’s very close; sometimes the Burmese
government will come and shoot and burn their houses.
DA: Um-hmm, um-hmm; we’ve heard that story before, yeah.
KSI: They want control the camps –
DA: Yeah, and it was very dangerous.
KSI: Um-hmm.
DA: Yeah. How did you learn about the U.S. refugee program?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KS: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KSI: There are a group that would take care of the camp that would come and let them know –
like, “You can go register for the American, for Denmark, for Australia.” And then he –
yeah, from there he come here.
DA: Okay. Who helped you apply?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Thai also helped, he don’t know exactly –
DA: Um-hmm?
KSI: Yeah, Thai – that group also help – it’s called like OPE –
DA: Um-hmm, um-hmm.
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KSI: OPE.
DA: Tell me about coming to the U.S. – I’m sure that was a lot – very emotional – to leave;
I’m sure it was scary. Tell me about when you came to the U.S. – where did you come
first? What was that first day like?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
[23:50]
KSI: It’s very emotional because totally like different people. In the camp, like people are not
like human [laughs].
DA: Um-hmm, um-hmm.
KSI: Yeah, because they are all dirty.
DA: Um-hmm, yeah. Where did you first land? Where did you first come? Where was your
first stop here?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: First, Thai, Bangkok (bigger city) –
DA: Yeah.
KSI: And then to – where was it?
KS: Japan.
KSI: To Japan, and to New York, to California, and then to Salt Lake.
DA: Did you live in Salt Lake for awhile at first, or did you come right to Logan?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: He was in Salt Lake about one year –
DA: Um-hmm?
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KSI: And then he also work at DI. His wife work as a babysitter to other people houses.
DA: Um-hmm, good; good. So if you worked at the DI, did you get help from any churches or
any other organizations in the U.S.? And what about – what was helpful, what wasn’t
helpful about your assistance?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: The church helped – did the most.
DA: How could that be improved?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
DA: What improvements could we make?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KS: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KSI: DI help a lot with teaching English. He can only work for a year, and for the
improvement – it’s not – he don’t need that much improvement because he think that it’s
kind of enough.
DA: It was enough? Okay; that’s good to know. How long have you lived here, in Logan?
[27:44]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: About six years.
DA: Yeah?
KS: Yeah.
DA: What do you do here?
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
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KSI: He work at Miller.
DA: At Miller? Um-hmm.
KS: Yeah.
DA: What is it like for you and your family to live here, in Logan? Is it a good place, you
know, do you feel accepted by the community? Do you feel the schools are good and
helpful?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Compared to the camp it’s a very good place here; the community is also good – he can
make friends easily.
DA: Um-hmm. Do you like working at Miller’s?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
DA: Is that a good thing?
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: He can’t say, because he don’t know if he like or not because he have to work.
DA: Yeah, you have to work – it doesn’t matter if he likes it or not –
KSI: Yeah.
DA: Yeah, that makes sense. What would make you feel more at home here, in Logan, for
your family and for you?
DAI: What was that question again?
DA: What would make him feel more at home here, in Logan?
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
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KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Now he don’t feel like this is his home because he is just – only him working, and then he
have a lot of children.
DA: Um-hmm, um-hmm. So he does feel like this is his home, or he doesn’t?
KSI: He doesn’t.
DA: He doesn’t? Why? What could we do – what would need to change for him to feel at
home? Or where would he feel at home?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Government help him, but he know that he have to work for himself. And also, in the
future, his son and wife maybe if they could help him work, so that way he could buy a
house –
DA: Um-hmm, um-hmm. Is there anything specific – like would it be helpful if there were
more cultural events? Does he feel like he has a community here that assists him and
helps him, you know, if he has to go to the grocery store or get gas, or whatever – you
know, is there anything that we can do to help him feel more at home? Or is it just a
language barrier, you know? I mean, what sorts of things would help him feel more at
home?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
[32:26]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Yeah, he feel like – yeah, if they would help he would feel like he is part of the
community.
DA: Okay, okay; great. Tell me what is the difference between your home here, and your
home in the refugee camp?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: It’s a big difference as like brown and the sky.
DA: Um-hmm, um-hmm. Do you have a good experience with your landlord?
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DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Yeah, he has a good experience. If he need help he can call them –
DA: And they’re very helpful?
KSI: Yeah, they are.
DA: That’s good; that’s good to know. What would you like the people of Logan to know
about you? And then what would you like them to know about your family?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Like to let everyone know he don’t have much time –
DA: Um-hmm?
KSI: And then for his kids – like their friends, they could tell by themselves.
DA: If you had more time, what would you want to do?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
[35:48]
KSI: Once he was younger, he always interested in English, he always want to like, know. And
now if he have time, he would like to take classes.
DA: Learn English?
KSI: Yeah.
DA: If they came to Miller’s at lunch hour a couple of days a week and taught English, would
you be able to go to those English classes?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
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KSI: At Miller, there is no time because he only get 30 minutes of lunch time –
DA: Oh.
KSI: And then after that he have to go to use the restroom.
DA: Yeah, yeah – just take care of yourself.
KS: Yeah.
KSI: Yeah.
DA: Um-hmm. That makes sense. Would you like to go back to Burma?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Well he would like to go back because he has parents – his father (who is unhealthy), but
he cannot go back now: his childrens are still young, and money problems.
DA: Um-hmm. Can you communicate with your father?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Yeah, he can communicate; and he also send like $100-200 a year.
DA: Um-hmm, to them; does it help?
KSI: Yeah.
DA: It helps them? Do you send pictures to each other? You know, does your father know
what your family looks like in pictures?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: There was a friend who went back to Burma, and then he send one picture, and now he
don’t know how to send it.
DA: Um-hmm; because he’s not there anymore?
KSI: Yeah.
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DA: What are you most proud of?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
[39:35]
KSI: He is very proud of his childrens that come here and live their life; he can’t imagine like,
seeing his childrens, like in the camp working in the jungle.
DA: Um-hmm, yeah. What are your dreams for your future, and the future of your family?
What are your dreams and what’s the dreams for your family?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: He don’t have his own dreams for himself, but he do have a dreams for his childrens to
like grow up and get better jobs (not like him). He would like to buy a house here for his
family.
DA: Um-hmm, yeah. That’s good. Is there anything that I haven’t asked, that you would like
me to know? Are there any other questions; is there anything you want me to know that I
haven’t asked?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: If you like, he can talk about his experience more.
DA: Yeah, yeah; I would like to hear more about your experiences.
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DAI: [Repeating statement in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
[43:27]
KSI: In Burma, in the city, he lived with his family there (five people in the family) –
[Speaking in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: He is the middle one. When he was younger he don’t have to do any work, and then when
he get older he had to work. And then his older brother, like somehow with the soldier,
got to refugee camp.
DA: So where is his brother now?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Still in Thailand.
DA: Still in Thailand?
KSI: Oh no, Burma.
DA: In Burma? So not in the refugee camp?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: No.
DA: No? Okay. That’s all of my questions. David or Cami, do you have any questions?
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DG: Yes, I did. Let me see. So you said that when you first left Burma you tried to move to a
city in Thailand? Can you tell us a little more about that, and what that was like trying to
live in a city?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: It’s not in the big city; it’s just like in the kind of city in the jungle, so like a lot of
creatures.
DG: Okay. So why did you leave the city?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: There was only three months of work in a year, so it’s not enough. And then he cannot go
back to Burma, so he had to leave.
DA: Go back.
DG: Okay.
DA: Do you talk about this much with your kids – about your experiences in Burma? Do they
know?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: He did not talk about it because he don’t want his childrens feel like sorry or feel bad,
and then feel fear.
DA: Um-hmm.
DG: Now just one more question (for me): you mentioned that you were having a hard time
sending pictures to your family? Do you need help figuring out how to do that, or is there
some kind of problem just getting it to your family?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
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KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
[47:30]
KSI: Yeah, he would need help with it.
DA: Okay. Does your father have a computer?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: No.
DG: Okay, yeah; I know how to like send pictures through email, but if he doesn’t have a
computer, that’s going to be difficult.
DA: Um-hmm, yeah.
DGI: [Repeating statement in Burmese.]
DG: If you like, I can show you how to do that when we’re finished today.
DGI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.] [Laughs]
KSI: Well they don’t even have computers, so –
DA: He doesn’t have a computer, so it wouldn’t help?
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
DG: Well I do know that if you can send him a letter, I know you can take your photos to like,
I think Wal-Mart with print them out for you, so you can you know, just put them in a
letter and mail them. I haven’t had to do that in a long time, but I think Wal-Mart would
be able to help.
CD: I think it’s more of a problem of a physical address getting it –
DG: Ah.
CD: To him.
DA: Yeah.
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DG: Okay, I missed that detail.
DGI: Yeah. [Laughs]
[Repeating statement in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
DA: Cami, did you have any questions?
CD: Yes, I’m going to move a little bit closer to the microphone.
We’ve interviewed some other people that were also in the refugee camp, and they
mentioned (like you did) the need to obtain new clothing for Eid. I’m wondering where
you would get the new clothing from?
CDI: In the camp?
CD: Yeah, to celebrate. Yes, in the camp.
CDI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: He had to find money earlier, yeah, and then he would buy it for them.
CD: And would the clothing be purchased outside of the camp, or inside the camp?
CDI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Inside of the camp. Inside of the camp.
CD: I wasn’t sure, maybe you picked up on this – are both of your parents alive, and they are
still in the camp, or just your father?
CDI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: They are both alive, but not in the camp – in Burma.
DA: In Burma; and it’s hard to get the things to Burma.
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CD: So you have family members still in Burma – are they more safe or less safe than if they
were in the refugee camp?
[50:53]
CDI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: They don’t have to worry about their lives; because they are old, when the civil war is
coming the soldier won’t take them because they cannot work anymore.
DA: So they’re older –
KSI: Yeah.
DA: And so they’re safer?
KSI: Um-hmm, they’re safer.
DG: That’s a terrible way to be safe.
DA: Um-hmm.
DG: I have just one more question. When you left your home in Burma, and then when you
left the camps, did you have any of your children with you at that time?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: When he come to Thailand, he had to walk like three days and three night. He is not
married yet; he got married in Thai camp.
DA: In Thai camp.
KSI: Um-hmm. So once he leave Thailand with his children.
DG: What was that like, having to move to a new place with little kids?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: It’s not that hard, he just want like all together safe, and get whatever he want to do.
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DG: Okay. Those are all the questions I have.
DA: Do your children participate at school in other things? You know, do you go to the school
to the things that they’re active in?
DAI: Here?
DA: Yeah, here in Logan?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Yeah, he don’t participate, but when his children still go to school he force them to go to
school. And then only his wife participate in like parent-teacher conferences –
DA: Conferences; yeah, that makes sense. Do you like American food?
[54:29]
KS: Hmm?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.] [Laughing]
KSI: He like hamburger –
DA: A hamburger?
KSI: But it’s kind of expensive for him.
DA: It is expensive; it is expensive, yeah.
KS: The pizza a lot.
KSI: Pizza –
KS: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KSI: He says there it’s less expensive: he can buy a box and they’re whole family can eat.
DA: Yeah, pizza – everybody loves pizza!
[Laughter]
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KS: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KSI: If he only have to eat American food, it will be more expensive –
DA: Yeah, yeah. Do you grocery shop in Salt Lake, like most of your community does? Do
you have to go to Salt Lake to get your groceries?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Yeah.
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Like two months.
DA: Yeah, yeah; where is that grocery store?
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: He bought rice here, and in Salt Lake – I don’t even know the address –
DA: Yeah?
KSI: Like Redwood Road.
DA: What’s the name of the store?
KSI: There are like Cambodian store –
DA: Cambodian store?
KS: Chinese.
KSI: Pakistan and Chinese, I think.
DA: Yeah. I’m sorry you have to go so far.
DAI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Well he had to go buy like half of the food over there, and then half of the food here.
DA: Here? Where do you like to shop here?
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DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Like Smith’s.
DA: Smith’s – that’s where we all go, yeah.
[Laughter]
Good; good. I don’t know that I have any more questions. You have been very delightful.
Your family is beautiful.
DG: Thank you.
DAI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
KS: Thanks.
DA: So we just have some forms to sign. Oh –
DAI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
KS: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KSI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
DA: This just says we can use the interview for the presentation.
DAI: Oh, this is already signed.
DA: Oh yeah, yeah; sorry. Yeah, I can’t give you that one [laughs].
KS: [Speaking in Burmese.]
DA: Yeah; this just says that we can use the recording: it will be stored at Utah State
University. And then do you mind if we take pictures?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
[57:58]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
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KS: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KSI: Yeah, you can take pictures.
KS: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KSI: [Responding in Burmese.]
DG: And we do need you to fill out all the blanks, and we need to talk about that last one a
little bit – so when you’re done with the rest, we’ll talk about it.
[Background discussion between the folks present; both in English and Burmese.]
Okay, do we want to end the tape?
DA: So we’re just making sure we have consent to use the audio tape and the pictures in the
Special Collections, and he understands.
DAI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: Yeah.
DA: Yep.
KSI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KS: [Speaking in Burmese.]
DA: Oh, we don’t need that one.
[Discussion between Ka Sin and translator in Burmese.]
KSI: Is it in English?
[More discussion between Ka Sin and translator in Burmese.]
KSI: I can’t read Burmese [laughs].
DG: Oh, you can’t?
KSI: I can’t.
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DA: It’s beautiful; I mean, look how pretty it is. Do your children – do you read Burmese? Do
you speak much Burmese?
[Discussion between Ka Sin and translator in Burmese as they fill out the information and
release forms.]
CD: I’m just going to take a few photos to make sure that the light is okay, if that’s alright?
DG: And email, if you have one.
DGI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
KSI: No, he doesn’t have email, so –
KS: Is that finished?
DG: That last one is – I would love if you could translate for me – that last blank is
restrictions: just if there is something you don’t want us to do, you can write it there.
DGI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
DG: So if you don’t want us to share your name, or share your photo, or something like that.
DGI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
KS: [Responding in Burmese.]
DA: Okay, this is the celebration – I know it’s in English, but maybe your kids could translate
that for you. This is what – thank you – this is where we will be showing the photos and
the presentation that we put together for the community.
DAI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
[End part 1 of 2 – 60:02]
[Part 2 of 2 – 00:01]
KS: If he is, he will come.
DA: Okay, good. Thank you.
[More background discussion with the folks present.]
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[Speaking to Ka Sin’s child] So will you be a senior next year, or a junior? A senior? And
how do you like Harry Potter?
ZN: It’s a great story.
DA: It’s a great story; yeah, it’s my favorite [laughs].
CD: You don’t mind if I take some photos?
DG: Oh, the recording is still going.
DA: The recording needs to – yeah, we’re done with the recording. Thank you.
DG: Alright, we are done with the interview.
[End Part 2 of 2 – 00:50]
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
transcripts;
application/pdf;
197263 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/105
Language
A language of the resource
bur; kar; eng;
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67611
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 61
Subject
The topic of the resource
Burmese Muslim refugee; Family; Immigrant, Tradition, Cache Valley, Utah; Logan, Utah;
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Ka Sin, Burmese Muslim Refugee. 2015-05-17
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/4b2f2e883e12a2b1988c99ec9ca67c75.jpg
19f66eb79dedeb39ef40c6380db47e24
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
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Gross, Susan
Coverage
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Eritrea; Ethiopia; Frankfurt, Germany; Maryland, United States;
Creator
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Gebremedhin, Kahsay Berhe, 1971-
Warner-Evans, Hilary, 1994-
Abraha, Berhane Debesai, 1980-
Date
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2015-05-23
Description
An account of the resource
Kahsay Berhe Gebremedhin is speaking during the interview while Magen Olsen and Berhane Debesai Abraha watch him attentively. There are a couple paintings in the background.
Format
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Photographs;
image/jpeg;; image/jpeg;
1038906 Bytes
Identifier
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http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/180
Language
A language of the resource
tir; eng
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 58
Subject
The topic of the resource
Refugees; Eritrea; Logan, UT; Logan Public Library; Kahsay Berhe Gebremedhin-- Photographs; Interviews
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Kahsay Berhe Gebremedhin, Paintings in Background
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image; Still Image;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/2dc8a791050e28d88262b79e49bc3d68.mp3
18c62f28df8327e513238514cef956c5
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Warner-Evans, Hilary, 1994-;
Gross, Susan;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Segeneiti, Eritrea; Sudan; Libya; Malta; England; New York, New York; Las Vegas, Nevada;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Seltene Gebrelasie Gebretinsa, 1975-;
Olsen, Magen, 1986-;
Berhane Debesai Abraha, 1980-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-16
Description
An account of the resource
Seltene Gebreselasie Gebretinsa tells about his birthplace in Eritrea, a little bit about his family and his religion. He talks about his 11 year service in the army as an impetus to flee his country and become a refugee. He discusses his journey as a refugee, first in Malta, and the process to eventually come to the United States. He talks about adjusting to living in the United States, from taking classes to learn English and working to support himself. He talks about his wife and children he left behind, and his hopes of being able to have them join him in the United States.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
oral histories (document genre)
audio/mp3;
61953052 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/99
Language
A language of the resource
tir; eng;
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67614
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 64
Subject
The topic of the resource
Eritrea; Eritreans; Families; Refugees; Ethiopia; Logan, UT; Culture; Tigrinya; English; Education; International Refugee Commission; Refugee Camps; Work; Seltene Gebreselasie Gebretinsal-- Interviews
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Seltene Gebretinsa in Logan, Utah, 2015 May 16
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/25f384a755f8d2a2ea817db733fdb52f.pdf
a5bbf2248e345a1cdcdd406b42627139
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Warner-Evans, Hilary, 1994-;
Gross, Susan;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Segeneiti, Eritrea; Sudan; Libya; Malta; England; New York, New York; Las Vegas, Nevada;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Seltene Gebrelasie Gebretinsa, 1975-;
Olsen, Magen, 1986-;
Berhane Debesai Abraha, 1980-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-16
Description
An account of the resource
Seltene Gebreselasie Gebretinsa tells about his birthplace in Eritrea, a little bit about his family and his religion. He talks about his 11 year service in the army as an impetus to flee his country and become a refugee. He discusses his journey as a refugee, first in Malta, and the process to eventually come to the United States. He talks about adjusting to living in the United States, from taking classes to learn English and working to support himself. He talks about his wife and children he left behind, and his hopes of being able to have them join him in the United States.
Cache
Valley
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Oral
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Seltene
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Gebretinsa
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CACHE VALLEY REFUGEE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
TRANSCRIPTION COVER SHEET
Interviewee(s): Seltene Gebreselasie Gebretinsa
Present: Seltene Gebreselasie Gebretinsa, Hilary Warner-Evans, Berhane Debesai
Abraha, Heidi Williams, Megan Olsan
Place of Interview: Logan Public Library, Logan, Utah
Date of Interview: May 16, 2015
Language(s): Tigrinya
Translation:
Interviewer: Hilary Warner-Evans
Interpreter: Berhane Debesai Abraha
Recordist: Heidi Williams
Photographer: Magen Olsen
Recording Equipment: Tascam DR-100mk11 linear PCM recorder; Senal ENG-18RL
broadcast-quality omnidirectional dynamic microphone
Transcription Equipment: Express Scribe with PowerPlayer foot pedal.
Transcribed by: Susan Gross, May 22, 2015
Transcript Proofed by: Hilary Warner-Evans, May 24, 2015
Brief Description of Contents: Seltene Gebreselasie Gebretinsa tells about his birthplace in Eritrea, a little bit about
his family and his religion. He talks about his 11 year service in the army as an impetus to flee his country and
become a refugee. He discusses his journey as a refugee, first in Malta, and the process to eventually come to the
United States. He talks about adjusting to living in the United States, from taking classes to learn English and
working to support himself. He talks about his wife and children he left behind, and his hopes of being able to have
them join him in the United States.
Reference: HW = Hilary Warner-Evans
HWI = Hilary Warner-Evans’ words interpreted by translator
SG = Seltene Gebreselasie Gebretinsa
SGGI: = Seltene Gebreselasie Gebretinsa’s words interpreted by translator
NOTE: The interview was conducted with the assistance of a live translator, Berhane Debesai
Abraha. The interpreter was there for the whole period. False starts, pauses, or transitions in
dialogue such as “uh” and starts and stops in conversations are not included in transcript. All
additions and added information to transcript are noted with brackets.
TAPE TRANSCRIPTION
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Gebretinsa
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[00:01]
HWE: Okay, it is May 16th, 2015. This is Hilary Warner-Evans interviewing Seltene
Gebreselasie Gebretinsa.
SGG: Yeah.
HWE: And he is a member of the Eritrean community here, in Logan, Utah. We are at the Logan
Public Library, in the Temple Fork Room. And Berhane Debesai Abraha is translating
into Tigrinya. And also present are Heidi Williams, recording, and Magen Olsen, doing
photography.
Can you – we’ve actually already gone over part of this – but can you give me your full
name and your birth year?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: His birthday is January 1, 1975.
[Speaking in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: And his name is Seltene Gebreselasie.
HWE: Okay. And can you tell me about your family?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Okay, no problem; I can tell you about my family: I was born in east Africa, in Eritrea,
and my father is Gebreselasie Gebretinsa. Okay.
SGG: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: And I was born in southern zone, it’s called Zoba Debub in Tigrinya, and the place he
was born in Segeneiti – it’s a small village.
[Speaking in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: It’s around 70 kilometers south of the capital city Asmara.
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SGG: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: I was born and raised in Segeneiti, and when my age reached 18, I went for National
Service.
SGG: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: And I have been in the army for around 11 years, and life was not comfortable for me.
And I just left the country and moved some other place.
HWE: Do you have any brothers or sisters?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yes.
[Speaking in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah, he has one sister, and there are four boys. Aand there was another brother –
[Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah, he died in the war with Ethiopia before 1994 – the War of Liberation with
Ethiopian’s army; he died in the struggle.
HWE: And are you the only member of your family here, in the United States?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah, he’s the only one.
HWE: What languages do you speak?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
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SGGI: He speaks Tigrinya.
HWE: And what ethnic or religious community do you consider yourself to be a part of?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: He is a Christian; he is a follower of Eritrean Orthodox Church.
HWE: Can you tell me a little bit about Eritrea?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[06:31]
SGGI: Eritrea is a beautiful and comfortable country to live, but at this time because of the
situation of the war and the political system, it’s not becoming favorable for the people to
live in it.
SGG: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah, at this time Eritrea is kind of in a war, so everybody is in the army for ten years or
more; so people cannot live their life, cannot support their family – so everybody is
leaving to help themself and to improve their life and the life of their family. So that’s
why I move out of the country: in search of a good life, and better life.
HWE: How long did you live in Eritrea?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: He was living in Eritrea starting the date of his birth, 1975, up to 2008.
HWE: Can you tell me about the experience of leaving?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah, I am married and I have two children; since I was in the army I cannot support
them, I cannot do anything. And it was for a long time. So I want to improve my life and
my family’s lives. And I leave Eritrea to the Sudan’s border; then from Sudan he went to
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Libya, through the desert there. He crosses the Mediterranean to Malta; and from Malta
he came to the United States.
HWE: Did you spend any time in a camp while you were coming over?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: He was in Malta from 2008, up to 2012, under the Refugee Commission.
HWE: What was it like being with the Refugee Commission in Malta?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: So Malta’s refugee camp was kind of good, because you are free to move out. So he was
not in the camp, he was working in Malta –
[Speaking to interviewee in Tigrinya]
SGG: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: He was working with some farmers on the farm. So while he was a refugee, until he
comes to the United States, he was working earning money, and he was supporting his
family and himself. So they didn’t have anything to worry in Malta, because they could
work and they were working.
[10:57]
HWE: So how did you – when you were working on a farm back in Eritrea.
HWEI: Eritrea.
HWE: Right?
HWEI: [Repeating statement in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah, I was born in a farming family, so I was raised with them – so I was working on a
farm.
[Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
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HWE: Can you talk about the food or the medical care that you received when you were in the
refugee camp in Malta?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Okay, in the refugee camp in Malta, for the first seven months we were under the
Refugee Commission until they finish all our registration and until they check and
double-check our information. So they were providing us food, the house was clean; they
give us shelter, clothes and bed. But after seven months, when they finish the registration
stuff, we were allowed to leave the camp and to work. So after that I was working and
earning money myself, and I was living by myself.
HWE: What kind of work did you do?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: He was working with the local farmers.
HWE: Okay.
SGGI: So they got a big farm. He was working with them.
HWE: How did you celebrate, like, holidays when you were living in the camp?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[14:06]
SGGI: Okay, he say it was okay; Maltans, they have a lot of holidays – and we celebrate all
holidays with them. And their biggest holiday is Christmas, and we were celebrating it
with the people.
SGG: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: And their second holiday was Easter, and we are celebrating it with them.
HWE: What kinds of things did you do for Christmas and Easter?
HWEI: [Repeating question in Tigrinya.]
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SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah, he is saying he was so close with the family he was working with; they were kind
of parents for me. And for the purpose of work he was rented in front, close to them; so
most of the time, 25% of the time, he was celebrating the holiday with them.
HWE: And how did that differ from how you celebrated it back in your home country?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: It’s kind of the same – they didn’t have any difference.
HWE: Okay. So did you eat like any particular foods, or do anything particular?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: He said in Malta they kind of live in extended family, so most of the time on holidays
they don’t cook – they just go out all together. So since he was working with them, they
always take him with them, and they go out and order food and get it; they don’t cook at
all.
HWE: Okay. And did you do anything else besides go out to eat? Did you go to church or
anything like that?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[17:51]
SGGI: Okay. In Malta they always go to church Saturday evening and Sunday morning. So the
church was close to my apartment, and I kind of know their language at that time – so I
used to go to their church.
HWE: Now was it like an Orthodox church?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: No, Catholic.
HWE: Okay.
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SGGI: It was a Catholic church.
HWE: So was that very different for you to go to a Catholic church, instead of Orthodox?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: He said for him it doesn’t make any difference because in his home town, tthe place he
grow up, the majority of the people are Catholics, and few are Orthodox; so he knows
what Catholic is, and their culture.
HWE: And in the camp – were there other people from Eritrea there?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: A lot.
HWE: Was that the majority of the people there?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: The majority of the refugees were Somalians and people from West Africa.
HWE: So did you end up celebrating at all with other people from your home country? Or did
you mostly just go with the people you were working for?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah, he was saying the refugee’s holidays – they are always the same, so he was
celebrating it with the family he was working; but the public holidays – he was
celebrating them with the people from Eritrea.
HWE: What kinds of public holidays did you celebrate?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[21:39]
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SGGI: He said the religious holidays are the same, so he would sometime celebrate them with
the family he was working, but holidays like May 24th (that means it’s Eritrean
Independence Day) and June 20 (it’s kind of Memorial Day – we call it the Martyrs’
Day) – he was celebrating it with the Eritreans.
HWE: And how did you celebrate those holidays?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Most of the people – after they were allowed to leave the camp in war, they rented their
own apartment, so they would celebrate the whole island. So when there is holidays they
rent a big hall, and they prepare food and drinks, and they celebrate it together.
HWE: And what kinds of food and drinks did you have?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: For the foods they buy meat and some of them they prepare ingera, and they just make
food just like the way we do at home. And for the drink they just buy beer.
HWE: So for the meat would you get like a whole animal?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: So they were buying beef from groceries.
HWE: Okay. And did you get the beer from the grocery too?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.] [Laughs]
SGGI: Yeah, that is the only way – you can buy it from groceries [laughs].
HWE: [Laughs]
So how did Malta feel about the refugees coming in from Eritrea?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
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SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[25:06]
SGGI: Malta is a small island, its population is around half million, 500,000. So at first, when
the refugees come to their area, they didn’t like it because it’s a small country, and there
are a lot of refugees; but some time they get used to them, so they were friendly. Then
after they get their refugee status, American Immigration System, they came to them and
they give them asylum to the United States.
HWE: So did you feel safe when you were there?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: He says the country is so nice – it’s a free country, nobody talks to you, nobody even
asks, nobody stops you. But when they first arrived in Malta, the people they don’t like
them; sometimes even if they see another Eritrean or another refugee on the bus they just
leave the whole bus. But after some time they get used to them Then they didn’t care
anymore.
HWE: And how did you learn about the U.S. refugee program?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: There was a refugee office over there, a refugee commission office, so he go over there to
the office, and there are a lot of refugee places to go: Europe, Canada, America (or
United States of America), and Australia. You choose which area you want to go, you
just go and you settle with them and they take care of your process.
HWE: Okay, so you can choose which country you want to go to?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[28:42]
SGGI: They ask you question and if you want to go to Germany, France, Holland (or the
Netherlands), Slovakia, and Hungary. I don’t want to go that places, so I tell them that I
am not going to these places and they give me opportunity to go to the United States.
HWE: And how did you apply to do that?
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HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah, at that time, the United States were taking a lot of Eritrean refugees, so as soon as I
know the United States taking refugees, I went there and applied. And it took me around
seven years to process everything. And I did my interview and they gave me the
congratulation paper. That means they accepted him. And after that he came to the United
States.
HWE: So did someone in the office help you do that process, with all the paperwork and stuff?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah, in their office they have a translator, a paid translator, so I go through the process.
In Malta at the Immigration Office you cannot do it the way we do it in Africa, because
in Africa you can bribe stuff like that, but in Malta you cannot do that; you have to go
through all the process. They provide you translator, and they check everything, your
background and other stuff. And when you pass everything they tell you when you come.
When you finish your immigration process, then when they approve you, you just come
to the United States.
[31:34]
HWE: And can you tell me a little bit about the journey to the United States?
HWEI: You mean the airplane journey?
HWE: Yeah, or how you go from Malta to the U.S.?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Okay. So when all their process is done, when their flight is scheduled to show up in
Malta, the Refugee Commission – they took them to the airport; they put them in the
airplanes and they showed them their chair and they told them, “Good luck, have a nice
trip.” And from Malta, they fly to England for a transit. And in England some people
were waiting for them – and the same thing: these people, they took them to the next
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airplane, and they put them on the airplane (they same the thing), “Good luck, nice trip.”
And after that, from England they landed in New York.
HWE: And were there other Eritrean refugees going on the plane with you?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: There were four Eritreans and three Somalians on the plane.
HWE: So you came to New York first. Did you fly, then, directly from New York to Salt Lake?
Or did you spend time in another place in the U.S.?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[34:51]
SGGI: Okay, when they come from Malta, their destination was not New York – it was Las
Vegas, Nevada; but they stayed two days in New York because the weather was bad.
Planes could not fly that day; so they stayed two days. Then after the weather got normal,
they flew to Las Vegas, Nevada, for their final destination. And he stayed three months in
Las Vegas.
[Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
HWE: What time of year was it when you were flying?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: It was December 7, 2012.
HWE: What were the first months like in Las Vegas?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
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SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: He said, Las Vegas is okay, but I didn’t like it – it’s too hot. But I stayed there for three
months because he was going to English classes. After he finished the first three months
of the class, then he moved to – [speaking Tigrinya to interviewee]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: He moved to Logan.
HWE: Where were you taking English classes in Las Vegas?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: He was going to the Catholic school church, because this Catholic school – the Catholics,
they got an organization for the refugees (they help with their flight and other stuff). So
he was going there – it was for free. The first couple of months when you show up here,
you need to get your social security, you have to get your ID (that is a kind of work
permit). So I was waiting for the papers, but I decided to go to school instead of just
sitting and wait for the papers.
HWE: Were you there with other members of the Eritrean community?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[38:21]
SGGI: When he come from Malta, he was with three other Eritreans (that means four of them),
so they were all assigned to Las Vegas. So four of them, they give them one house with
three bedrooms; so they were staying together for the first three months. And after three
months he moved to Logan.
HWE: And the others stayed in Las Vegas?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: They stayed there; they are still there.
HWE: What else was Las Vegas like, besides too hot?
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HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: He said Las Vegas has a lot of big building, beautiful places: hotels, houses and other
stuff – but it’s not like Utah; I didn’t like it. He can’t see a lot of stuff there.
HWE: So you were in like a more rural area when you were in Eritrea?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah, he was more in a rural area. Then he moved to a small town.
HWE: How could your situation, when you first came to the United States, have been improved?
I mean, in terms of like the help you received.
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[41:28]
SGGI: When they first showed up – the United States government helps us a lot: they do
whatever we need necessary. When we first show up they give us 1100 dollars each in
our hand, but we don’t know anybody in this country, so they ask the Refugee
Commission to rent house for them. So they help them to rent a house or apartment with
their money. And everyone, they were given – [speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: [Speaking in Tigrinya to interviewee.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: They were giving them 350 dollars every month. They were assigned to take 350 for
eight months, but as soon as he moved in the third month he get 350 dollars every month
for the first three months. And he came to Logan, so they cut the money they were giving
him.
HWE: Oh. So when you decided to move to another place they stopped giving you the money?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
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SGGI: He said you can take it – they don’t stop it, but most of the time if you got a job, I don’t
need any assistance. So thanks God when I moved here, I got a job, so I don’t want to
take money anymore.
HWE: Did you not have a job in Las Vegas?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: No.
HWE: Okay. How long have you lived in Logan?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Two years.
HWE: And where do you work?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: JBS Beef Company.
SGGI: JBS Beef Company in Hyrum.
HWE: What is like here?
HWEI: You mean work, or?
HWE: Work and just life in general in this area.
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[44:05]
SGGI: He likes Utah – it’s a good place to live; I didn’t see any bad things here, so it’s a nice
place to live here.
HWE: Do you feel like you’re included in the Logan community?
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HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: This is a good place to live. Most of the time we spend our time at work, so he cannot say
anything about any other people; they cannot say they include me, they didn’t include
me, but every time we are at work and at home.
HWE: Do you live with other people here?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
HWE: Oh, you live on your own, right? You said that already.
HWEI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah, he got two roommates.
HWE: Oh, okay. Okay, is there anything that you think would make you feel more at home
here?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking to interviewee in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: He said now I want to stay in America, so I am improving my life and I am looking for a
better opportunities. We are waiting for this country to grow up and for us to get more
opportunities.
HWE: How is living here different than living back home?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[47:44]
SGGI: Life in America is so expensive, rent is expensive; you cannot live if you don’t have
work. And even though you are not going to live with anybody, everybody wants money.
Back home, life is not expensive; so, for example, if you don’t have any apartment to
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live, you can live with families, you can live with other people for some time; you can
share with everybody. But here you have to work hard and pay a lot of money for life.
HWE: How has it been renting an apartment or house?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: He said when I compare with Malta – In Malta I used to have my own one bedroom
apartment and that one bedroom includes everything: furniture, bed, kitchen utensils,
refrigerator, and everything – and he was paying only 150 dollar for it (150 Euros for it).
But here, rent is so expensive it’s just – cannot compare; it’s too expensive.
HWE: And what is your landlord like?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[50:29]
SGGI: Yeah, he is sole renter of the apartment they live in now – the landlord, we never sees
him. There was a time when we used to go over their place, but now they got a drop box;
we just write a money order or check, you just drop it. They don’t say anything; they
don’t even come to the apartment.
HWE: What would you like people in Logan to know about you and other members of your
community here?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
HWEI: [Speaking to interviewee in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: He is saying I would like to thank for, not only for Logan, but for the government of the
United States, because they know we got in trouble, so they are helping us: they are
bringing us over here, and they tried to find jobs and apartments for us. So I came to the
United States in Las Vegas when I came here, and they’re still helping me. But the state
of Utah, they accept a lot of refugees from Eritrea, and they try to help them with work,
school, housing and other stuffs. So I appreciate the United States government for
helping the Eritrean communities, and I want them to keep helping because there are still
more people who needs extra help.
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HWE: Would you go back to Eritrea if you were able to do that?
HWEI: You mean to visit, or just go back entirely?
HWE: Both, I guess.
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[54:07]
SGGI: He is saying as long as the political situation is the same in Eritrea and the government
stays there, I don’t want to go there and I cannot go there because this government is not
treating us well. I have been in the army for 11 years. How can a person stay in the army
for 11 years without payment. But if administration changed, I would like to go visit my
families and see Eritrea; all the people of Eritrea are friendly and nice people. So I want
to go there and see them; it has been too long since the time I was out of Eritrea.
HWE: So you said earlier you had a wife and two kids in Eritrea?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah, I have a wife and two kids.
HWE: Are you still in communication with them?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah, I call them.
HWE: Do you send them money?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah.
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
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SGGI: Yeah, I am the sole helper of the [???] community.
HWE: Do they have any plans to come join you here?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah, I applied for them to join me here, and the immigration system (or the Visa center),
they approved my application – they even called them for interview, but my children,
they are so small so I cannot take them out safely, so I don’t want to expose them in
danger because they are too young. So they are entirely dependent, so when they grow up
or when there is a possibility to take them out they will come and join him.
HWE: How old are your children?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: The boy is ten and the girl is eight.
HWE: What are you most proud of, in terms of having come here?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[57:42]
SGGI: He said I am proud to be here because this country is a big country, and there is a lot of
opportunities if you think hard and work hard you can do whatever you want to do: you
can go to school – you can work and go to school. So the only thing you need to do here
is just work hard and think hard, and you just do whatever you want to do; you can reach
your dreams.
HWE: What are your dreams for the future?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.] [High pitched feedback noise begins 58:29]
SGGI: He saying when we come here I need to learn – so he was going to school [??] for four
months; and now he is going to the English school. So he his plans now is to work in the
daytime and go to school in the evening in order to improve his life.
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HWE: What, specifically, would you like to have change in your life after you learn English?
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.] [High pitched feedback ends 59:45]
[60:00]
SGGI: Yeah, I never went to school when I was back home, so I didn’t have education
background. So the reason I am going to school now is I don’t want to be illiterate,
because I will try to read and do his stuff on his own. And when his children show up (or
when they come to the United States) he just wants to help them [high pitched feedback
noise begins 60:20 when they are in school and other stuff, because he needs to learn the
language. If he don’t know the language, he cannot help his own.
HWE: I think that might be about it; do you guys have anything you want to ask? [To other
fieldworkers] No? Okay. Is there anything that we haven’t asked you that you think we
should know? [to interviewee]
HWEI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.] [end feedback noise 61:34, begins again at 61:47 and
continues to end]
[End part 1 of 2 – 62:05]
[Part 2 of 2 – 00:01]
[high pitched feedback noise from beginning]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: He saying when they come to the United States when they are in Malta, they gave them
three days course how the United States government works and everything. And they told
them, “If you guys are married, your family will follow you here between six to eight
months. If you are not married, [end feedback noise at 00:37] and if you plan to come
back some countries can get married and take them to the United States, if better if you
become a citizenship, then it will be easier.” But his wife is in Ethiopia now, his children
are in Eritrea, but his wife is in Ethiopia; she did an interview a year ago, but she is still
waiting for the flight in Ethiopia. It has been more than two years since he has been here
and it has been more than a year since she did the interview; she is just waiting for the
flight. So there was some kind of misunderstanding. The way they tell them in Malta, and
the way things are going here – they are not the same.
HWE: Okay. I think this concludes our interview. Thanks for agreeing to meet with me. And we
do have like a release form to put the interview into the Archives at USU, and also, I
Cache
Valley
Refugee
Oral
History
Project:
Seltene
Gebreselasie
Gebretinsa
Page
21
think, [high pitched feedback noise begins 01:40 and continues to end] for it to be used in
our online exhibit, and also for– like we are going to have a community event on
Thursday that I will tell you more about.
HWEI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
SGG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
SGGI: Yeah, no problem; he will sign your paper.
[End part 2 of 2 – 02:25]
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
transcripts;
application/pdf;
160911 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/101
Language
A language of the resource
tir; eng;
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
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
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 65
Subject
The topic of the resource
Eritrea; Eritreans; Families; Refugees; Immigration; Immigrants; Malta; Logan, UT; Culture; Tigrinya; English; Education; International Refugee Commission; Refugee Camps; Work; Holidays; Eritrea-- Food; Seltene Gebrelasie Gebretinsa-- Interviews
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Seltene Gebretinsa in Logan, Utah, 2015 May 16
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/610c4ca1584a512b8ffd68ebc00b529f.mp3
042d074c99dded32b7e423a1258ca96d
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Van de Water, Wes 1988
Van de Water, Wesley; 1988
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Karen; Thailand; Salt Lake City
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Snay Tun 1994
Hanks, Bethany
N/A
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-19
Description
An account of the resource
The interview took place in Snay Tun's family home in Logan. Snay Tun is a young Karen man in his early twenties. The interview occurred on the floor of his living room where we spoke for about an hour regarding his life as a refugee, moving to the US, school, and his passion for the sport Takraw.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
oral histories (document genre);
audio/mp3
39427997 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/88
Language
A language of the resource
ENG
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67616
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 66
Subject
The topic of the resource
Karen; Refugees; Karen Refugees; Religion; Sports; Takraw; Cache Valley; Cache Valley Refugees; College; School; Utah State; Utah State University; Burma; Thailand; Refugee Camps
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Snay Tun on May 19, 2015
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/13d15933efea477c3e67f367145f5697.jpg
e1ca2ce05876d6c327916d8231342e02
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Utah; Logan, Utah; Cache Valley, Utah;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Mar, 1988-;
Dilg, Cami, 1986-;
Giles, David, 1986-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-15
Description
An account of the resource
Photograph of Ka Mar and wife Sa De Da and daughter Ma Se Ma in the front room of Ka Mar's apartment. We took several photos of of Ka Mar and his wife and daughter in this pose. Ma Se Ma decided to gesture in the way you see here for the photograph. There is no information what she means by this gesture. On the wall behind them is a Muslim religious poster.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs
image/jpeg;
1186774 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/126
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67611
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 61
Title
A name given to the resource
Ka Mar and wife Sa Da De and daughter Ma Se Ma, Logan, Utah, May 15, 2015
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/26986ce93497db7bcdc7e3fbfc017441.jpg
baba3adee564726577832f5e063a1a07
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Utah; Logan, Utah; Cache Valley, Utah;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Mar, 1988-;
Dilg, Cami, 1986-;
Giles, David, 1986-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-15
Description
An account of the resource
Photograph of Ka Mar and wife Sa De Da and daughter Ma Se Ma in the front room of Ka Mar's apartment. On the wall behind them is a Muslim religious poster.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs
image/jpeg;
1110062 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/132
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67609
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 59
Title
A name given to the resource
Ka Mar and wife Sa Da De and daughter Ma Se Ma, Logan, Utah, May 15, 2015 (1 of 2)
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/a7f3526772777dc80cc6688a7b42cca3.jpg
495cfcab553801d4c460b3db16d26252
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Utah; Logan, Utah; Cache Valley, Utah;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Mar, 1988-;
Dilg, Cami, 1986-;
Giles, David, 1986-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-15
Description
An account of the resource
Photograph of Ka Mar and wife Sa De Da and daughter Ma Se Ma in the front room of Ka Mar's apartment. Ma Se Ma is moving in her father's arms. On the wall behind them is a Muslim religious poster.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs
image/jpeg;
1241034 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/133
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67610
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 60
Title
A name given to the resource
Ka Mar and wife Sa Da De and daughter Ma Se Ma, Logan, Utah, May 15, 2015 (2 of 2)
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/cabb9cb997889901a21599210ca044df.jpg
10b00fd3c7c4bd5b3cc9d51286c956ff
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Utah; Logan, Utah; Cache Valley, Utah;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Mar, 1988-;
Dilg, Cami, 1986-;
Giles, David, 1986-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-15
Description
An account of the resource
Ka Mar holds his daughter Ma Se Ma as he poses with one of several award certificates.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs
image/jpeg;
1148046 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/127
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67617
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 67
Title
A name given to the resource
Ka Mar holds his daughter Ma Se Ma as he poses with one of several award certificates, Logan, Utah, May 15, 2015
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/635b53ff5174b3771f05ab3b3d8779f4.jpg
8d5b75805fbed5183d9976c866e71d63
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Utah; Logan, Utah; Cache Valley, Utah;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Mar, 1988-;
Dilg, Cami, 1986-;
Giles, David, 1986-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-15
Description
An account of the resource
Ka Mar holds Thanaka while his daughter Ma Se Ma applies some Thanaka to her face. I had asked Ka Mar what the designs were on the youth and his wife's face when we arrived at the apartment. The youth, including Ma Se Ma, had applied a swirl on each cheek, one on her forhead, and a dot on her nose. Ka Mar's wife, Sa De Da had a square on each cheek. Ka Mar brought out this Thanaka to try to describe it to us. Thanaka is used for beauty, to cool the skin, and some sources say as a sunscreen. I did not make this connection until we interviewed our translator Har Be Bar. Unfortunately the youth and adults wearing the Thanaka rubbed it off when they entered the house. Likely because they saw us and we, I would think, would be considered foreign to their community.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs
image/jpeg;
989729 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/128
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67618
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 68
Title
A name given to the resource
Ka Mar holds Thanaka while his daughter Ma Se Ma applies some Thanaka to her face, Logan, Utah, May 15, 2015
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/efedaac11fff8831a48bc662377f4a48.mp3
4bed41e5d57d93f7bdb5c8310c010cbe
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allred, Deanna, 1965
Har Be Bar, 1995-;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma, Thailand
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Mar, 1988
Dilg, Cami 1986
Giles, David 1986
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-15
Description
An account of the resource
Interview with Ka Mar, a Burmese Muslim refugee on May 15, 2015. Also present, Ka Mar's mom, Khin Mar Cho, his wife and daughter. We are at their apartment in Logan, Utah.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
oral histories (document genres);
audio/mp3;
54526464 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/106
Language
A language of the resource
bur, mya, eng
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67612
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 62
Subject
The topic of the resource
Burmese Muslim Refugees
Title
A name given to the resource
Ka Mar Interview
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/bcd0445f2fdd796ada82c2b478e8830d.jpg
238a038c64ca5a850957d06d60c5b664
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Utah; Logan, Utah; Cache Valley, Utah;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Mar, 1988-;
Dilg, Cami, 1986-;
Giles, David, 1986-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-15
Description
An account of the resource
Ka Mar's daughter Ma Se Ma poses in front of her father Ka Mar and mother Sa Da De. Ma Se Ma is four years old. Her mother Sa Da De is seen here wearing the traditional htamein. Her father is holding his car keys in one of his hands.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs
image/jpeg;
1067701 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/134
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67612
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 62
Title
A name given to the resource
Ka Mar's daughter Ma Se Ma poses in front of her father Ka Mar and mother Sa Da De, Logan, Utah, May 15, 2015
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/70013ee5b4685f41f052912a18baee82.jpg
a274c8de80f9556c61728a39c3a77092
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Utah; Logan, Utah; Cache Valley, Utah;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Mar, 1988-;
Dilg, Cami, 1986-;
Giles, David, 1986-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-15
Description
An account of the resource
Photograph of Ka Mar interview. This photograph was taken at the conclusion of Ka Mar's interview for the Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley field school project. Also present are David Giles (recordist), Deanna Allred (interviewer), Har Be Bar (translator), and Cami Dilg (photgrapher).
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs
image/jpeg;
1318763 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/135
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 58
Title
A name given to the resource
Ka Mar's interview for the Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley field school project concludes, Logan, Utah, May 15, 2015
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/2e1dc05af3e2f271cb446def972ca741.jpg
2a77cb195b79dd591c62bf081ea0177e
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Utah; Logan, Utah; Cache Valley, Utah
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Sin, 1967-;
Dilg, Cami, 1986-;
Har Be Bar, 1995-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-17
Description
An account of the resource
Ka Sin's interview concludes for the Voices: Refugees In Cache Valley field school project. He is joined by two of his four children. Deanna Allred, the interviewer, looks on, as does David Giles, the recordist. Also present are Har Be Bar, the translator, Ka Sin's daughter Pan Phue, and his youngest son Zat No.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs
image/jpeg;
1269524 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/141
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67609
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 59
Title
A name given to the resource
Ka Sin and his children with his interviewers, May 17, 2015
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/8e64b042c763f9d9c69f054eb5f929ce.jpg
8f032b78750c4a8af2637ec1cad8e81a
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Utah; Logan, Utah; Cache Valley, Utah
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Sin, 1967-;
Dilg, Cami, 1986-;
Har Be Bar, 1995-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-17
Description
An account of the resource
Ka Sin signs a release form to Utah State University for the audio and visual material gathered during our interview. Deanna Allred, the interviewer, looks on, while Har Be Bar, the translator, goes through an English version of the release form. Also present are Ka Sin's daughter Pan Phue, and his youngest son Zat No.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs
image/jpeg;
917227 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/140
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 58
Title
A name given to the resource
Ka Sin during his interview, May 17, 2015
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/ae6c2618e7a66f6450f76f0e68359113.jpg
138171102b1efd6615b548eeb05b52ff
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Utah; Logan, Utah; Cache Valley, Utah
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Sin, 1967-;
Dilg, Cami, 1986-;
Har Be Bar, 1995-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-17
Description
An account of the resource
Ka Sin smiles. This photograph was taken in Ka Sin's front room after the conclusion of the iterview. Present in the background are Ka Sin's daughter Pan Phue, his youngest son Zat No, and Har Be Bar, the translator.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs
image/jpeg;
1253565 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/142
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67610
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 60
Title
A name given to the resource
Ka Sin smiles, May 17, 2015
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/b7053ba384b9139ba0f04969f3bc5a98.jpg
7610e7c12b663d1a574eb0a3fc007a46
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Utah; Logan, Utah; Cache Valley, Utah
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Sin, 1967-;
Dilg, Cami, 1986-;
Har Be Bar, 1995-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-17
Description
An account of the resource
Ka Sin's interview concludes for the Voices: Refugees In Cache Valley field school project. Also present are Deanna Allred (interviewer), David Giles (recordist), Har Be Bar (translator), Ka Sin's daugher Pan Phu wearing htamein, and Ka Sin's youngest son Zat No. Har Be Bar is visiting with Zat No in this photograph, while Ka Sin and Pan Phu listen; the interviewer and recordist are packing up the recording equipment. On the east wall of the front room you can see a map of the United States, a map of Utah, a poster of the Utah State University men's basketball team, and a Utah State University women's basketball team (signed by the players). There are also some certificates, papers, and photographs. You can also see part of the south side of the front room. It is furnished with a Television, DVD and VHS player, a Nintendo 64, Video games and DVDs, the complete set of Harry Potter books (Zat No's), a computer with webcam, and a face clock and framed (perhaps religious) image above the face clock. There are two windows in the front room, one of which is visible here, thus there is more light in the room. There are also a couple potted plants on this side of the room. There is a toy vehicle next to Pan Phue. Visible, too, is the plastic, floral patterned mat that is in every Burmese Muslim home.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs
image/jpeg;
1110685 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/146
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67614
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 64
Title
A name given to the resource
Ka Sin talking with translator Har Be Bar while interviewers pack away equipment, May 17, 2015
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/56802d4c8f74d202bc61fa4253729d20.jpg
a4975623154eb0b4b026c60aa6f66930
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Utah; Logan, Utah; Cache Valley, Utah
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Sin, 1967-;
Dilg, Cami, 1986-;
Har Be Bar, 1995-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-17
Description
An account of the resource
This photo was taken in Ka Sin's front room after the conclusion of the interview.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs
image/jpeg;
966271 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/143
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67611
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 61
Title
A name given to the resource
Ka Sin, May 17, 2015 (1 of 2)
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/9e5f53e762343d1e3b6afd498f20b8e1.jpg
62c531c4c6d8d00011d80501fb585dd0
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Utah; Logan, Utah; Cache Valley, Utah
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Sin, 1967-;
Dilg, Cami, 1986-;
Har Be Bar, 1995-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-17
Description
An account of the resource
This photo was taken in Ka Sin's front room after the conclusion of the interview.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs
image/jpeg;
875383 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/144
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67612
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 62
Title
A name given to the resource
Ka Sin, May 17, 2015 (2 of 2)
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/8095747213f5d28be0347aa6f559be21.jpg
9a8eb246d3c6b240794e46ce6610e473
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Utah; Logan, Utah; Cache Valley, Utah
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ka Sin, 1967-;
Dilg, Cami, 1986-;
Har Be Bar, 1995-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-17
Description
An account of the resource
Ka Sin's interview concludes for the Voices: Refugees In Cache Valley field school project. Also present are Deanna Allred (interviewer), David Giles (recordist), Har Be Bar (translator), and Ka Sin's youngest son Zat No. Har Be Bar is visiting with Zat No in this photograph; the interviewer and recordist are packing up the recording equipment. On the east wall of the front room you can see a map of the United States, a map of Utah, a poster of the Utah State University men's basketball team, and a Utah State University women's basketball team (signed by the players). You can see part of the south side of the front room. It is furnished with a Television, DVD and VHS player, a Nintendo 64, Video games and DVDs, the complete set of Harry Potter books (Zat No's), a computer with webcam, and a face clock and framed image above the face clock. There are two windows in the front room, one of which is visible here, thus there is more light in the room. There are also a couple potted plants on this side of the room. Visible, too, is the plastic, floral patterned mat that is in every Burmese Muslim home.
Format
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photographs
image/jpeg;
1015802 Bytes
Identifier
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http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/145
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67613
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 63
Title
A name given to the resource
Ka Sin's interview group packing away the equipment, May 17, 2015
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/5e528aaaae96a8bc1c22be935ff8c1d4.jpg
cbfde734ccfa802d8519e6f711128982
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
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Gross, Susan
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Eritrea; Ethiopia; Frankfurt, Germany; Maryland, United States;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Gebremedhin, Kahsay Berhe, 1971-
Warner-Evans, Hilary, 1994-
Abraha, Berhane Debesai, 1980-
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-23
Description
An account of the resource
Kahsay Berhe Gebremedhin and Berhane Debesai Abraha are pictured. It appears that Berhane is talking, probably translating something Kahsay said, as Kahsay sits quietly. Magen Olsen's hand can be seen holding a pen.
Format
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Photographs;
image/jpeg;; image/jpeg;
1083446 Bytes
Identifier
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http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/183
Language
A language of the resource
tir; eng
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 58
Subject
The topic of the resource
Refugees; Eritrea; Logan, UT; Logan Public Library; Kahsay Berhe Gebremedhin-- Photographs; Interviews
Title
A name given to the resource
Kahsay and Berhane During the Interview
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image; Still Image;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/e0e970e01033e3462a46203b1c3523a1.jpg
22492f1445f0547973f8598e939e2e8a
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Gross, Susan
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Eritrea; Ethiopia; Frankfurt, Germany; Maryland, United States;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Gebremedhin, Kahsay Berhe, 1971-
Warner-Evans, Hilary, 1994-
Abraha, Berhane Debesai, 1980-
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-23
Description
An account of the resource
This picture was taken from directly behind Magen Olsen. Kahsay Berhe Gebremedhin has his arms folded. Neither man looks like they're speaking.
Format
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Photographs;
image/jpeg;; image/jpeg;
931368 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/177
Language
A language of the resource
tir; eng
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 58
Subject
The topic of the resource
Refugees; Eritrea; Logan, UT; Logan Public Library; Kahsay Berhe Gebremedhin-- Photographs; Interviews
Title
A name given to the resource
Kahsay and Berhane During the Interview, Shot Taken from Directly behind Magen
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image; Still Image;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/841b16f6fdcd0e6a57395ddc31374e30.mp3
d7900a21f9cffd93fec6e0e02c43ef1c
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Kahsay Berhe Gebremedhin clip 1; Kahsay Gebremedhin interview, May 23, 2015
Subject
The topic of the resource
Eritrea; Refugees; Ethiopia; Cache Valley (Utah); Africa; Farming; Holiday celebrations;
Description
An account of the resource
Clip from: Interview conducted with Kahsay Gebremedhin by Magen Olsen on May 23, 2015. Translated by Berhane Debesai. Discussion on Eritrea farming practices, Ethiopian refugee camps, etc.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kahsay Berhe Gebremedhin
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/06cbb6e2bb71c356ed2ba28736b8cd24.mp3
a051deab1d24f0f672578ad02c578cb6
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Kahsay Berhe Gebremedhin clip 2
Description
An account of the resource
Kahsay Berhe Gebremedhin talks about the problems with buying meat in the US. Part of the interview with Kahsay Berhe Gebremedhin on May 23, 2015 in Logan, UT.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kahsay Berhe Gebremedhin
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015/29/05
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/84608db4f1b2441adfe6a90c79473220.pdf
54d0ca5f414bd5b90b5812fa7afc95ec
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Olsen, Magen, 1986-;
Gross, Susan;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Eritrea; Ethiopia; Germany; Maryland; Salt Lake, Utah;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kahsay Gebremedhin, 1971-;
Warner-Evans, Hilary, 1994-;
Berhane Debesai, 1980-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-23
Description
An account of the resource
Interview conducted with Kahsay Gebremedhin by Magen Olsen on May 23, 2015. Translated by Berhane Debesai. Discussion on Eritrea farming practices, Ethiopian refugee camps, etc.
Cache
Valley
Refugee
Oral
History
Project:
Kahsaoy
Berhe
Gebremedhin
Page
1
CACHE VALLEY REFUGEE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
TRANSCRIPTION COVER SHEET
Interviewee(s): Kahsaoy Berhe Gebremedhin
Present: Magen Olsen, Kahsaoy Berhe Gebremedhin, Berhane, Hilary Warner-
Evans, Heidi Williams
Place of Interview:
Date of Interview: May 23, 2015
Language(s): Tigrinya
Translation:
Interviewer: Magen Olsen
Interpreter: Berhane
Recordist: Heidi Williams
Photographer: Hilary Warner-Evans
Recording Equipment: Tascam DR-100mk11 linear PCM recorder; Senal ENG-18RL
broadcast-quality omnidirectional dynamic microphone
Transcription Equipment: Express Scribe with PowerPlayer foot pedal.
Transcribed by: Susan Gross, May 26, 2015
Transcript Proofed by:
Brief Description of Contents: Mr. Kahsaoy Berhe Gebremedhin talks about his life in Eritrea,
his family, and escaping to Ethiopia as a refugee. He talks about his time spent at Shimelba
refugee camp in Ethiopia, and the process he followed to come to the United States as a refugee.
He discusses life in America, his current job and his dream to have a farm.
Reference: MO = Magen Olsen
MOI = Magen Olsen’s words interpreted by translator
KG = Kahsaoy Berhe Gebremedhin
KGI = Kahsaoy Berhe Gebremedhin’s words interpreted by translator
NOTE: [You will have to modify this as appropriate—whether using CommGap or in-person
interpreter.] The interview was conducted with CommGap Interpretive Services; the interpreter
joined the interview via a cell phone. False starts, pauses, or transitions in dialogue such as “uh”
and starts and stops in conversations are not included in transcript. All additions and added
information to transcript are noted with brackets.
TAPE TRANSCRIPTION
Cache
Valley
Refugee
Oral
History
Project:
Kahsaoy
Berhe
Gebremedhin
Page
2
[Part 1 of 2 – 00:01]
MO: Alright; we are here, it is – of course we are here – it is Saturday [laughing], ten o’clock
in the morning, May 23rd, 2015. It’s raining today for about the 100th day –
??: In a row.
MO: [Laughing] It seems like it’s been rainy every, single day. We are here with Kahsaoy,
right?
KG: Yes.
MO: Who is a refugee from Eritrea; translating for him is Berhane. We have Hilary Warner-
Evans on the photography end of things, and Heidi Williams is recording and taking
some notes. And we’re going to go ahead and start.
So how are you doing today?
KG: Good.
MO: Good, good. Thanks for meeting with us, and for being willing to talk with us and share
some things about your experiences as a refugee, living in the United States.
MOI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
KG: Thank you.
MO: So we’ll start with the first question is what is your full name and birth year?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: His name is Kahsaoy Berhe Gebremedhin; he was born in 1971.
MO: Okay. What languages do you speak?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: Tigrinya.
MO: That’s it?
KGI: He speaks Tigrinya.
Cache
Valley
Refugee
Oral
History
Project:
Kahsaoy
Berhe
Gebremedhin
Page
3
KG: Yes.
MO: Perfect. And tell me about your family?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Okay. [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: I have three children here, in America, and I got five more back in Eritrea. I have one
brother here, in America, and I have six siblings back home.
MO: So do they – your family members – they all live here (who are in America)?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah, yeah.
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah, three of them they are here (the youngest ones) –
KG: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KGI: But he got five more in Africa, two of them are in the Ethiopia refugee camp – the rest
three are in Eritrea.
[03:28]
MO: So that’s got to be hard, being all over?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah, it’s still hard because people are everywhere; even it’s hard for me – some of them,
they are in the refugee camp, there is nothing over there – I have to send them money to
support family there. It’s kind of hard.
MO: What religion are you?
Cache
Valley
Refugee
Oral
History
Project:
Kahsaoy
Berhe
Gebremedhin
Page
4
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: He is Eritrean Orthodox Church.
MO: Okay, good. Can you tell me a bit about Eritrea, where you’re from?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Eritrea is a good place to live, but there is some problem – [speaking in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah; he says it’s harder to [??] stuff it has to do with farming, and we don’t have a lot
and we don’t know anything about the life in the cities. So generally, the economy [??]
MO: Did you grow up on a farm then?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah, they are all from –
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Farmer.
MO: What did you grow – animals, grain?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[06:20]
KGI: We raise grains – we don’t have any technology, we plow the field by oxes; and when it
comes to harvesting season, we harvest it manually and with the help of animals. And we
also have animal harvest[??].
MO: Okay. So did you live in the – Berhane has talked about highlands and lowlands – did
you live in the highlands or the lowlands?
Cache
Valley
Refugee
Oral
History
Project:
Kahsaoy
Berhe
Gebremedhin
Page
5
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: He was living in the lowlands.
MO: Cool. How long did you live there? So how long have you been in the U.S., I guess?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: He has been in American almost a year and eight months.
MO: Good.
KG: 2013.
KGI: He came here on 2013.
MO: Cool. Why did you leave Eritrea?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: I was in the National Service [??] army, and I have a lot of children – nobody supporting
them behind me, and he is not getting anything. Finally he get frustrated and left Eritrea
with the refugee camp in Ethiopia.
MO: And when did you do that?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: Refugee – 2007.
KGI: 2007.
KG: Yeah.
MO: So six years in Ethiopia?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
Cache
Valley
Refugee
Oral
History
Project:
Kahsaoy
Berhe
Gebremedhin
Page
6
KGI: Yeah, six years and some couple of months.
KG: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah, he went there on July 15, 2007 – [speaking in Tigrinya to the interviewee]
[09:20]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.] 2013 –
KGI: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
And he came here on September 2013.
KG: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KGI: On the 18th of September, 2013. So, do your calc –
[Laughter]
MO: I will once –
KGI: It’s easier to do once –
MO: Yeah, if you’re already there –
[Laughing]
So you’re in science, and we’re all in [laughs] folklore.
KG: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah, six years two months and three days.
MO: Perfect.
KGI: [??]
[Laughter]
MO: Two months, three days.
So what was the experience like in leaving?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
Cache
Valley
Refugee
Oral
History
Project:
Kahsaoy
Berhe
Gebremedhin
Page
7
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah, I don’t have any problem because I was born there, I know the whole land and we
got farms in between. There was army soldiers in the trench, but sometimes they just
don’t care because we go back and forth for our animals and farms; and he went to his
brother and didn’t get any problem – he just crossed.
MO: It’s hard for other people then, right (usually)?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: For me it was easy because I was raised in the rural areas, and we got animals so we cross
all over the place (because our animals for food and water to the animals). But for some
people who came from the capital or from the highlands – they didn’t know the area,
even we are raised differently (maybe they cannot hike a lot). Sometimes they don’t
know the land, they just go directly to the army, they get captured, and god knows what
they do with them. But for me it was easy; but for some people it’s a lot harder.
MO: That makes sense. So you relocated first to Ethiopia, right?
[12:37]
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah, from Eritrea he relocated to the Shimelba refugee camps in Ethiopia – the camp
name is Shimelba. Do you want to spell?
MO: Yeah.
[Laughter]
KGI: S-H-I-M-L-B-A. Shimelba. So he relocated from Eritrea to the refugee camp in Ethiopia.
MO: And then did you go to any other refugee camps?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: From that refugee camp he directly came to the United States.
MO: Okay. What was your experience like in that camp?
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MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: It was kind of okay for me because I was raised in rural area, and that place was a rural
area. And since I was raised working with my family, in that refugee camp I was allowed
to work; I was working, earning money. So for me it was not [??]; it was kind of okay.
MO: But it would be hard for people from the capital, maybe?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[15:43]
KGI: For some people it was hard because we were getting only 15 kilos of weight (around 30
pounds), and I was raised in a rural area around that area, so it was okay for me – I can go
and work, communicate with the people because they got the same behavior[??]. But the
refugee in the [??], they tend not to leave the camp – if you leave the camp it’s all your
responsibility if something happens, so some people they get scared; but for me, it’s okay
just leave and work – clear my mind and then come back. So some people they don’t
want to leave the camp, some people they don’t know how to work in the farm. So you
can’t [??] with the 15 kilos of weight; if you are lucky, if you have families in the U.S. or
England, they ask for money or for help. But there were a lot of people struggling in that
camp.
MO: Did they have small houses for you, or how was the living situation?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah most of the times they don’t give us houses; for his case he get a plot of land – most
of the time they give them a plot of land, you have to make your own house. Even for
him they didn’t give him a plot of land, there was some of his friends (they have their
own plot of land, they give it to him – he build his own house. He don’t know if they
made houses for the first arrival refugees (because the refugee camp starts a couple of
years before he arrived). He hears they help some women if they got problems, maybe
children or other stuff; but if you are a man, they don’t give you anything – they just give
you a plot of land: you have to make your own house.
MO: So did you arrive by yourself and then some of your family came after?
[18:38]
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MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: I cross the border with my brother – he has three children here – he met a woman over
there, he get married with her in the refugee camp, and then she came here.
MO: Okay.
KGI: Only he made his house –
KG: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KGI: And now they are not even married, they are friends.
MO: Okay. Is she still there, or is she here?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: She is here.
MO: Okay, good. Were you assigned a job, or did you kind of find one on your own?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: In my case I was going out to the farmers near the camp, and ask the job from them –
they can give you farm work, or construction – not big construction, but he just make
some building walls and things like that – I do whatever I find. But there are some people
they are educated [??] they work with [??] the camp, or something with the refugee
administration. But for him, he was going to farmers and ask for a job.
MO: Okay. How did you celebrate holidays in your camp?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[21:39]
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KGI: Because it’s the same culture, so we have everything what we can have in Eritrea; with
whatever we got we make injera, we make soya (soya is a local drink in Eritrea), and we
kill a goat, and we celebrate.
MO: Is it easier – it’s probably easier, I shouldn’t even be asking this – it’s probably easier to
celebrate in the camp, then (your holidays), rather than in the U.S., right?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah he said in American you can find anything at the shopping centers, but some people
– they have money, they can afford it; but there are lot of them who cannot afford it. So it
is easier here in American than in the camp.
MO: Okay. Because you can’t go to Wal-Mart and buy a goat or a sheep [laughs].
MOI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah you can buy meat over there.
[Laughter]
MO: That’s true. Well but we have farms, too, that you can go to and buy animals, right?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: Yeah [responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah there is an old man and a woman somewhere in this 600 South, they sell sheeps,
chickens – I always go there and buy goats. [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: And they got a place, and he kills a goat and takes the meat and sells it fresh over there.
MO: Good. They’re not worried about that or anything?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: They got a place for killing the sheep –
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MO: Um-hmm?
KGI: Even they show up, “Hey, you want to kill it – go kill it over there,” (to kill fresh stuff).
MO: Nice! That’s a good deal.
KG: Um-hmm [speaking in Tigrinya].
KGI: And they know us – when they see us they say, “Ah, it’s the guys who kill the goats.”
[Laughter]
KG: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KGI: I know they don’t like us to kill the sheeps because they show us the place and they run
away to their apartment.
[Laughter]
[25:02]
MO: Yeah, I think it’s alarming for Americans to think that they would have to kill their own
animals; we just like to pretend that we’re not eating animals, I think.
KGI: Yeah. [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
[Laughter]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: I understand that.
[Laughter]
MO: I feel like the weird one, because it makes sense to take care of your own food like that.
MOI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: So he said for us it’s very [??]: we want to take care of our own food, we feel comfortable
when we kill our sheep or goat. Sometimes it’s kind of hard to go to the shop and buy a
meat because you don’t know who killed the sheep. We are kind of strict in our religion
orthodox: you have to kill it yourself, you have to say, “By the name of God, Son, and the
Holy Spirit;” and we feel comfortable. Most of the time we eat only sheep or goat, so if
it’s other animal, hmm, we don’t feel comfortable (because we don’t eat pork).
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MO: That’s typically a Muslim –
KGI: If it’s Muslim they don’t eat it before we kill it.
MO: Oh, okay. But I mean that’s Old Law, right?
KGI: Yeah, it come from the Jews.
MO: Right.
KGI: Then the Muslim and the Christian, they are branches.
MO: Because I know with like Catholics and Protestants – they don’t have any problem eating
pork.
MOI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[28:22]
KGI: Yeah, Islam – they have their own way; they are different from us. But if I go to Wal-
Mart and buy meat, I don’t know whether it’s a sheep’s meat, or it’s a donkey’s meat: it’s
just a meat, we don’t know. But according the way we are raised, and according to our
religion – if I kill it, I know it’s a sheep or a goat. So we feel comfortable if we kill our
sheep and goat (or other animals), and we know what we are killing, and we blessed it by
saying, “In the name of God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” So we feel comfortable if we
kill our own animals, rather than going to Wal-Mart and buying meat we don’t know.
MO: Do you feel safe in the camp?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: For me, I was not scared for my safety; I always go out of the camp, work in the field,
even sometime there are nights I spend my nights in the field. I am not a city boy – I was
raised in farm and all our thing is doing the fields and spending the nights with the
animals. So I didn’t have any problem, and I wasn’t scared because I don’t have any
crime, I don’t have [??]. But there might be some people, even I remember one person
who died in the fields – nobody knows who killed him; still nobody knows what
happened to that guy.
MO: Hmm. Did you feel welcomed by the Ethiopians? Because I know that you’re very
closely related.
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MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
[31:20]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: As long as I was over there I don’t have any problem. Even I don’t have any problem,
they always tell us not to leave the camp; if you leave the camp you are responsible for
what happen to you – and they are right, they cannot protect you out of the camp. But
with the people who are just going together, going along – we don’t have any problem.
But I heard when I come here there was some fight in the camp.
MO: Hmm. How did you learn about the U.S. refugee program?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: When I was crossing the border from Eritrea to Ethiopia, I didn’t have any idea about the
U.S. refugee program, I just knew I wanted when I went to the refugee camp.
KG: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah, when we crossed (me and my brother), we don’t know what was the refugee
program over there (even we didn’t know there was a camp). So when they crossed the
border, the people who give them – after they crossed Ethiopia they were talking to [??]
Amharic[?], but he don’t know Amharic[?], his brother knows a little bit of Hamari –
they were telling them, “You guys are going to Shimelba refugee camp, there are other
Eritreans over there. You guys will go to America.” And [??] says what is Amharic
talking about; but when they took them the refugee camp there were lots of Eritreans, and
they knew the refugee program to the United States from the other Eritreans who were in
the camp before them.
MO: Did they help you apply – because it sounds like they told you, you were going to go?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[36:22]
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KGI: Okay. When he crossed first the border the Ethiopian army, when they caught you they
took you to some place (they call it [??]), then they register, “Who are you guys? Where
do you come from?” Things like that. Then after they confirm they are from Eritrea and
things like that, they send them to Shimelba refugee camp. Then the Shimelba [??] the
refugee camp, they transfer all your paperwork with them, because these people in [??],
they ask them a lot of questions in their own office, they register them. So they send their
resume and their session papers refugee camp in Shimelba. In the Shimelba camp there
are a lot of organizations they put them. There is Ara[??], these Ara are the people who
gives them food – that means who gives them the food and other things. And there is a
UNCR – they process the papers for a refugee to United States.
[Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah, this UNCR – they process their guys to U.S., Australia and Canada. But there is
not a lot of obligations things to do if you are in the country on the border, they put in
paperwork, the Ethiopian army or police [??] – they transfer all their papers Shimelba
refugee camp; after that you just wait for interview.
MO: So the process took six years? When did you interview?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[38:37]
KGI: Yeah, he is not sure about the months, but the interview was around 2010.
KG: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KGI: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
He said I don’t remember the exact month, but I have my own record so maybe it’s in my
cards.
MO: It will be important for your kids and grandkids one day.
MOI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
KG: Yeah.
MO: Tell me about coming to the U.S. – what was it like?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
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KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[Conversation back and forth between Kahsaoy and Berhane in Tigrinya.]
[42:12]
KGI: Yeah, he said when they come here they got a problem transit in Germany –
[Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Transit in Frankfurt – so when they leave the airplane the IOM people (they are the
people who help with them with the airplane tickets, because they have to pay it back) –
one of the IOM came he took other people, but for us he told us, “Just number 57.” And
he said I don’t know anything about airports, even I don’t know anything about city life
so I don’t know where to find number 57. But finally I just found it, but when I go over
there I don’t know who to ask and I don’t know what to do. And we were struggling and
stressed out in that airport; finally I saw an Ethiopian guy (he speaks some Amharic), and
I talk to him. Then he went inside and he check with the airplane reservation things, and
he told him to wait for some time. And we don’t have any money or we don’t have any
dollar with us; and my daughter was crying because she was so hungry and she was
crying so loud. The trip was okay, but we have a problem in Germany and nobody can
help us.
MO: Did you come to Salt Lake – were you assigned to Salt Lake?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: We were in Maryland.
MO: And then from Maryland to Salt Lake?
KG: We were assigned in Maryland.
MO: So you haven’t transferred, or you’re still technically assigned?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: They were assigned in Maryland, then they moved to Utah.
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MO: That’s a big difference.
MOI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
KG: Yeah.
[Laughter]
MO: You’re probably more comfortable here because we have so much farming, and
Maryland doesn’t have anything?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: He said I like this place.
MO: Yeah, I think I like it a lot more too.
[Laughter]
KG: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KGI: I like agriculture, so I was happy when I moved to this place.
MO: Good. How long were you in Maryland?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: I was in Maryland for eight months and some days.
MO: What did you do for work?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: He was working in Lancaster Food Company – they were packing vegetables.
MO: Okay. And did you come to Utah because you heard about JBS?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
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[46:18]
KGI: Okay. I heard about JBS, even I had that work that company he was working in
Lancaster, it’s all the way in Utah (he didn’t know exactly where), but it’s somewhere
around here. And besides that, they told me this is kind of rural area, not big metropolitan
city like Maryland. Since I was raised on a farm I try to be close to farm, so that’s why I
moved here.
MO: Okay. There was something I was going to ask – I have to remember it. Oh, I am curious
about what you thought living in Eritrea, what the expectation is of what Americans are
like, and how did that change?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: When I was in Eritrea, I didn’t know enough about America (I just know America is a
good place to live and a great country). When I come I was worried because as far as I
figured America in my brain it was just big metropolitan area – I didn’t even know
America has farmlands and rural areas. And when I come first, the first city I saw was big
so many buildings on it; I was worried, “What I’m going to do in this country? How I’m
going to live?” I don’t know any language, I don’t have education. But when I saw it’s
okay, I can survive and the [??] has everything. But my expectation and what I found is
so different; I was thinking about big buildings and metropolitan areas, but there are a lot
of rural and farm areas too.
MO: That’s good; it’s good that we have farms.
[Laughter]
MOI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[50:22]
KGI: He say we are processing a lot of [??] in our brain because we are told this is hard
country to live – even people will tell you that you can get lost inside America and
nobody is going to find you. Even when I was coming from Maryland to Utah some
people told me, “You’re going to get lost,” even I was scared I might get lost in between,
so nobody is going to find me. But everything is [??] I’m told about in America – even if
I get lost if I got some offices they come bring me a translator. So it’s a good country and
everything is arranged.
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MO: Good, because I think a lot of Americans want to get lost, but we don’t feel like we can
because our government keeps pretty good track of us.
[Laughter]
MOI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: They don’t get lost.
[Laughter]
MO: I’m not worried about you – if you can live on a farm, you deserve the right of being in
the U.S. I think.
MOI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Now I can figure it out, even I cannot get lost in big cities because there are ways he can
communicate with others.
MO: Absolutely. So when you moved from Maryland to Utah, did the government help you in
any way?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah, when he moved he didn’t get any help. He just worked and he paid his travel
expense with the money we saved. But when he was moving he took the agency who
helped them, because he had so many medical papers (he got surgery on his) –
[Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: He got surgery on his left eye, so they collected all his paperwork and other medical
records. And they gave all their paperwork to him, and he just moved with his own
money.
MO: Did you know anyone in Logan, or did you just sort of come in and find a place to live
and work?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
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KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah there were some people I know who live here; even my girlfriend – she first moved
here because she got her brothers here, and then I just followed her. If we don’t know
anyone we cannot move, because we cannot move in a place we don’t know anything.
MO: Um-hmm. So you have a lot of friends, and even relatives here – do you feel included by
the rest of the community?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[55:37]
KGI: I don’t feel isolated from the community because they help us with anything we ask of
them, even sometimes when we come first I just have the address in my hand but I cannot
look at my apartment – I ask them, “Hey, do you know where this address is?” Some of
them they just show me, but there are some good people that just took me until I reached
the address I am looking for. So these people are loving people and they are good people.
MO: Is there anything that we could do to help you feel more at home?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: I can’t ask for more because there is work opportunity, other stuff, but I prefer to have a
farmland to make my own farm – I don’t want to work in JBS forever because I have eye
problem sometimes it’s kind of hard for me to work the whole day. I have nowhere to
ask, but if possible I would like to have a farm and do my own farm.
MO: That’s the American Dream.
MOI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
MO: Every American wants to have a farm [laughing].
MOI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: It’s a good dream; even I want to have a farm – that’s my field.
MO: Yeah, I think it makes you a good American [laughing] to have that dream.
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MOI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
[Laughter]
MO: So you have five kids still in Africa?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah, they are in Africa.
MO: Are you going to try to bring them to the United States?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[59:30]
KGI: Yeah, I would love to bring them here, but the problem is how can they leave Eritrea?
We cross the border, but they are too young to cross the border – they might have a lot of
problems, they need an adult to take them out. The older one and his younger brother,
they are already out in the refugee camp, but for the rest of them: they are too young to
cross the border. So he is trying to figure out how they can retrieve them, get Visas for
them.
MO: The three you have here, are they in school or are they too young?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: The younger one is younger (he was just born in United States) –
KG: [Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KGI: The older one, she goes to KG[??] here – I don’t know but he was telling me the school
somewhere around 300 North 300 West?
MO: Okay.
KGI: She goes there – the older one of the three; but the younger one is only two months old.
MO: So not even talking yet? [Laughs]
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MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: The youngest is too young – not talking, but the other one is older –
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: He is an American before I am.
[Laughter]
MO: Speaks English and everything?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[Laughter]
KGI: Yeah, he talks English.
[Laughter]
MO: Good. How are the experiences with your landlord? Are you in an apartment?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah.
[Speaking in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah, he lives in an apartment and he doesn’t have any problem with his landlord.
MO: What would you like people in Logan to know about you and your community?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
[End part 1 of 2 – 62:06]
[Part 2 of 2 – 00:01]
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MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: He said most of us in Logan we are here from villages in Eritrea: when we come, we
came from rural areas (there are some who came from the cities). So we don’t know a lot
of stuff because we are new and we are born in farm areas and sometimes we need help –
[Phone ringing]
We need help how to figure out how things work here, and sometimes I wish if the city
can give us some farmland in something that grows because we are good in farm. I prefer
to work in a farm with some of my community [??]. And we also need education – we’ve
got children and we need education for us and for our children.
MO: Um-hmm. Are the English classes helping then? Are you able to find any other – or what
kind of education do you need?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[02:58]
KGI: There is English school – that’s good, but sometimes it’s kind of far for us (some of us
who don’t have cars), and sometimes we work in JBS this hard work all over and
spending day in JBS and going to school is kind of hard. So if possible if they do it on the
weekends it would be better, because we don’t have anything to do on the weekends – we
can go there and study.
MO: Okay; that would be a good idea.
KGI: Um-hmm.
MO: Would you ever go back home?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah, I have a lot of family over there, but I would not go over there – I don’t think I can
go there. I love living here.
MO: Okay. What are you most proud of?
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MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: I am proud I can work and even myself because it’s not good to ask help every time from
other people or other organizations. And I’m proud I am healthy, except I have problems
with my eye; but I can work, I am healthy. And I am proud I have children with me here
in the United States. And I am proud I am living here.
MO: To own a farm is the ultimate dream?
[05:07]
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yes, his dream is to own a farm. [Laughs]
MO: Okay, well if you have a farm in America, you have to get a cowboy hat.
MOI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
KG: Okay.
[Laughter]
MO: So that should be a dream too, to own a cowboy hat.
MOI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
[Laughter]
MO: Do you have any other dreams?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah I have a lot of dreams, but I will do it one by one; we will see in the future – for
example, I want to own my own house (I don’t want to live in apartments forever). It’s a
good idea to own house first.
MO: Um-hmm; good. Well those are all the questions I have. So do you have any questions for
us, or does anyone else have any questions?
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MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Do you guys have any questions? No?
??: Have you heard about the garden that Nelda has?
??I: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
??: The refugee garden?
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[07:40]
KGI: There were a couple of guys who talked to Nelda about farm –
??: Um-hmm?
KGI: And she send them to another lady named Jillian (he guess, or something like that). So
she got an appointment to meet somewhere and to discuss about it, but they didn’t make
it – they were mis-communicated about the appointment place or time. After that they
didn’t hear anything about that.
??: Well hopefully that can happen.
MO: That’s everything. I think we’re going to conclude this interview. We want to thank you
again for meeting with us and telling us a little bit about, I don’t know, your life.
MOI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[09:23]
KGI: Okay. I don’t know whether you guys can answer this question: but he was saying in this
country they tell us you cannot punish your child, and children – they make a lot of [??]
and a lot of [??] stuff and you cannot [??] them. If you do not [??] them, they go worse
and worse and worse. So if you don’t [??] them, how can you correct them? Back home
when children get mistakes or they do something bad, we punish them accordingly.
MO: Um-hmm?
KGI: So when we come here we don’t know anything and they told us we cannot punish our
children – they do lot of crazy stuff and nonsense stuff, and we just look at them because
we cannot punish them. So he wants to know, can we punish our children or not?
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MO: That is a great debate.
[Laughter]
If you ask my dad, you can discipline your kids – but make sure that they know that you
still love them.
MOI: [Repeating the statement in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: In Eritrea my children – Eritrea is a good country, but when my children make mistakes, I
punish them and they know why they are punished. Even if I punish them they love me
and they know I love them, because they are my children.
??: And I would suggest, because I know that my friend – because you could get in trouble
like if you – it is kind of crazy here. Like if they’re doing something naughty in the store,
she’ll take them out to her car, or she’ll take them when she gets home. So I think in your
home, then no one can say anything.
MO: You don’t want – it’s interesting; discipline in America is very different, it’s very
interesting because it is such a big debate.
MOI: [Repeating the statements in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[13:03]
KGI: Even back home we just don’t – kids, if we hit them we don’t hit them in front of other
people; we just tell them what they did mistakes and we punish accordingly (sometimes
we can take stuff they have, the stuff they play with or other things – it depends what
they got). But here is kind of hard.
MO: Well I think that’s how you should do it.
??: So you’re doing it right, if you do it.
MOI: [Repeating the statements in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: He is saying if we don’t punish our children, what are you raising – some of them they
will not go to school, some of them will be thieves or other stuff. And the worst thing I
hate is prostitution – I don’t want my children to be that. Because if I don’t [??] them, if I
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don’t talk to them they are not going to know what is right and what’s wrong. So he say I
just want to know whether I can punish and discipline my children.
MO: I say yes.
KG: [Laughs] [Responding in Tigrinya.]
[Laughter]
MO: Well we are going to at least stop the recording here, but just a final question: you are
okay if we use this and put it in the archives, and use it for educational purposes?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: Yeah, I don’t have any problem; you can put it. This is what happened to my lives, it’s a
very important thing. And I don’t have anything to hide – I tell you what the real thing is.
It’s not political; the only thing I hate is politics. So I’m okay if you guys put it in the
archive.
MO: Okay. And online too?
MOI: [Repeating the question in Tigrinya.]
KG: [Responding in Tigrinya.]
KGI: No problem.
MO: Okay; thank you.
KG: You’re welcome.
MO: Thank you, thank you.
[End part 2 of 2 – 16:28]
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
transcripts;
application/pdf;
189675 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/95
Language
A language of the resource
tir; eng;
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67610
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 60
Subject
The topic of the resource
Eritrea; Refugees; Ethiopia; Cache Valley (Utah); Africa; Farming; Holiday celebrations;
Title
A name given to the resource
Kahsay Gebremedhin interview transcript, May 23, 2015
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/2b0294b2a23de2420143c5cf793ec868.mp3
495da952f279507d5d39001989e0c0de
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Olsen, Magen, 1986-;
Gross, Susan;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Eritrea; Ethiopia; Germany; Maryland; Salt Lake, Utah;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kahsay Gebremedhin, 1971-;
Warner-Evans, Hilary, 1994-;
Berhane Debesai, 1980-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-23
Description
An account of the resource
Interview conducted with Kahsay Gebremedhin by Magen Olsen on May 23, 2015. Translated by Berhane Debesai. Discussion on Eritrea farming practices, Ethiopian refugee camps, etc.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
oral histories (document genre);
audio/mp3;
75448733 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/96
Language
A language of the resource
tir; eng;
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67611
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 61
Subject
The topic of the resource
Eritrea; Refugees; Ethiopia; Cache Valley (Utah); Africa; Farming; Holiday celebrations;
Title
A name given to the resource
Kahsay Gebremedhin interview, May 23, 2015
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/2939ea2d73b223013cca9dc06c5baeb4.jpg
854b3f5a4ae3db0c3a8dbad7bf4b2f5d
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Gross, Susan
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Eritrea; Ethiopia; Frankfurt, Germany; Maryland, United States;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Gebremedhin, Kahsay Berhe, 1971-
Warner-Evans, Hilary, 1994-
Abraha, Berhane Debesai, 1980-
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-23
Description
An account of the resource
Kahsay Berhe Gebremedhin is signing the release form while Berhane Debesai Abraha looks on.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Photographs;
image/jpeg;; image/jpeg;
860318 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/188
Language
A language of the resource
tir; eng
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 58
Subject
The topic of the resource
Refugees; Eritrea; Logan, UT; Logan Public Library; Kahsay Berhe Gebremedhin-- Photographs; Interviews
Title
A name given to the resource
Kahsay Signing the Release Form
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image; Still Image;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/e6f5e6c0c462cc631865e526bc34c575.jpg
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Hanks, Bethany
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Karen State; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Couty, Utah; United States; Logan, Cache Valley, Utah, United States;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Tun Lay, 1958-
Gill, Meagan
Chit Moe
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-16
Description
An account of the resource
Picture of Tun Lay’s Karen flag that is on his living room wall.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Photographs;
image/jpeg;
775229 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/59
Language
A language of the resource
eng; kar
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 58
Subject
The topic of the resource
Tun Lay--Photographs;
Title
A name given to the resource
Karen flag
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image; Still Image;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
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https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/7178004a4ec2b1d144e1e865e4d1a89f.jpg
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Van de Water, Wes
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Karen State, Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States; Logan, Cache Valley, Utah, United States;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Snay Tun, 1994-
Hanks, Bethany, 1989-
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-19
Description
An account of the resource
The Karen flag photographed at Snay Tun's house in Logan, Utah on May 19, 2015. The small pictures at the bottom seem to be religous. The Karen drum is in the upper-left hand side of the flag.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Photographs;
image/jpeg;
840395 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/19
Language
A language of the resource
eng;
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 58
Subject
The topic of the resource
National flag--Photographs;
Title
A name given to the resource
Karen Flag at Snay Tun's house
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image; Still Image;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Van de Water, Wes
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Karen State, Burma; Thailand; Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States; Hyrum, Cache County, Utah, United States;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Eh Htoo, 1983-
Hanks, Bethany, 1989-
Chit Moe
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-16
Description
An account of the resource
Eh Htoo's flag of Karent State, pinned on the wall of the basement of Kyaw Eh's house in Hyrum, Utah during the evening of May 16, 2015.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Photographs;
image/jpeg;
2151485 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
<a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/4">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/4</a>
Language
A language of the resource
eng; kar;
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608</a>
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 58
Subject
The topic of the resource
National Flag--photographs;
Title
A name given to the resource
Karen State flag
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image; Still Image;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
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https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/2ebae1f9c4dd8041b001a68901c09f26.png
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Karen State Flag
Description
An account of the resource
The Karen State flag
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Jolle
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
28 May 2015
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
CC; This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Jolle at the Catalan Wikipedia project. This applies worldwide.
In case this is not legally possible:
Jolle grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/3421a5bbdaba6c8b99e5aad2e7cf4a63.jpg
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kaung Lay, 1967-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-29
Description
An account of the resource
Kaung Lay holding an employee of the month certificate from JBS Miller meat processing. He is standing in his living room in Logan Utah wearing a blue shirt. In the picture, a person from JBS is presenting Kaw Lay with the certificate.
Format
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photographs;
image/jpeg;
1716478 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/164
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67620
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
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Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 70
Subject
The topic of the resource
Burmese Muslim; Refugee; Employment;
Title
A name given to the resource
Kaung Lay holding an employee of the month certificate from JBS Miller meat processing
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/65157f8950bfed5d23b39546a4681579.pdf
b28ab4a36f09120c881f65c84b2d6046
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Gross, Susan;
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
2010-2019; 21st century;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-16
Description
An account of the resource
Cache
Valley
Refugee
Oral
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CACHE VALLEY REFUGEE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
TRANSCRIPTION COVER SHEET
Interviewee(s): Kaw Lay
Present: David Giles, Cami Dilg, Deanna Allred, Kaw Lay, Har Be Bar, Khin Mar
Cho (Kaw Lay’s wife)
Place of Interview: Kaw Lay’s home, Logan, Utah
Date of Interview: May 16, 2015
Language(s): Burmese
Translation:
Interviewer: David Giles
Interpreter: Har Be Bar
Recordist: Deanna Allred
Photographer: Cami Dilg
Recording Equipment: Tascam DR-100mk11 linear PCM recorder; Senal ENG-18RL
broadcast-quality omnidirectional dynamic microphone
Transcription Equipment: Express Scribe with PowerPlayer foot pedal.
Transcribed by: Susan Gross, May 25, 2015
Transcript Proofed by:
Brief Description of Contents: Mr. Kaw Lay discusses being born in Burma, and then the
conditions during the war. He talks about his wife and children escaping to a refugee camp in
Thailand, with him following later (after having earned more money to support the trip). He talks
about the journey to the United States, and what it took to adjust and get settled in Logan, Utah.
He and his wife talk about the struggles they’ve had, as well as daily life for their family in the
United States.
Reference: DG = David Giles
DGI = David Giles’ words interpreted by translator
KL = Kaw Lay
KLI = Kaw Lay’s words interpreted by translator
DA = Deanna Allred
DAI = Deanna Allred’s words interpreted by translator
CD = Cami Dilg
CDI = Cami Dilg’s words interpreted by translator
KC = Khin Mar Cho
KC = Khin Mar Cho’s words interpreted by translator
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NOTE: [You will have to modify this as appropriate—whether using CommGap or in-person
interpreter.] The interview was conducted with CommGap Interpretive Services; the interpreter
joined the interview via a cell phone. False starts, pauses, or transitions in dialogue such as “uh”
and starts and stops in conversations are not included in transcript. All additions and added
information to transcript are noted with brackets.
TAPE TRANSCRIPTION
[00:01]
DG: Okay. This is David Giles; we are recording an interview for the “Voices: Refugees in
Cache Valley” project. Also with me we have Cami Dilg and Deanna Allred (I
completely spaced). Today is the 16th of May, and it is about one o’clock in the
afternoon. We also have Har Be Bar, who is the interpreter today, and Kaw Lay, who we
will be interviewing. Is there anything else we need to put on the tag, or is that it? Okay.
Sorry?
CD: Go ahead and ask who else is in the room –
DG: Okay.
CD: And have them be identified.
DG: Okay. Could you do me a favor and just tell us your names?
??: My name is [??]
DG: Okay. Sean[??], would you mind?
KC: My name is Khin Mar Cho, his wife.
DG: Okay.
[Inaudible discussion with folks in the room.]
DG: [??] okay.
DA: How do you spell that?
??: T-H-U-V[??]
DG: Oh, I think you were here yesterday.
??: Yeah.
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DG: Okay; alright.
DA: How do you spell your name?
KC: Khin Mar Cho: K-H-I-N space M-A-R space C-H-O.
DA: C-H--?
KC: C-H-O.
DA: C-H-O? Thank you.
DG: Okay. Now, before we start Kaw Lay, just to make sure on Har Be Bar, it’s easiest if we
just speak one or two sentences at a time, give her time to translate.
DGI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
DG: If you would like to speak in English, that’s fine; if you feel more comfortable speaking
in Burmese – that’s fine as well; just whichever you prefer.
DGI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: He will speak in English – oh, Burmese.
DG: Okay.
KLI: Yeah.
DG: Alright. So my first question: can you tell us your first name and your birth year? And
what languages do you speak?
DGI: [Repeating the questions in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: First name is Kaw and the last name is Lay; he speak Burmese. His birthday is –
KL: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KLI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KL: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KLI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
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KL: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KLI: It’s 1963.
DG: 1963, okay. Now let me see, tell us a little bit about your family – you know, how many
children do you have? And how long have you been married? That kind of thing.
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: He don’t remember exactly how long he been married. And then he has five children.
[Speaking in Burmese to interviewee.] Two girls and three boys.
DG: Okay, thank you. Let me see – can you please describe the ethnic or religious community
that you belong to? So you know, tell us about being a Burmese Muslim.
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
[04:33]
KLI: I’m kind of Muslim ethnic group.
DG: Okay, thank you. Now let me see – can you tell us a little bit more about Burma? You
know, how long you lived there, why you left?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: He was born in Burma, and then there was civil war going around, so they had to move
around in Burma. So he had to leave Burma because of the war to Thailand camp.
DG: So you went to Thailand first?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
Yeah, Thailand first.
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DG: Okay, so what was that like – having to move around, having to move to Thailand?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
[Discussion in Burmese between several people.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: Well everything was destroyed, so we have to move around. Well he have to, so it’s kind
of not good.
DG: Um-hmm.
KLI: Yeah, that’s what he try to say.
DG: Okay. Let me see – okay. So about how old were you when you had to leave to Thailand?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: Forty-four[??]
DG: Okay. And do you remember how many kids you had at that time?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
[08:23]
KLI: At that time he only have four childrens, and then in the camp she was born.
DG: Wow, okay. What was that like having little kids with you when you needed to leave?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
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KLI: Yeah, it was the worst time ever, because the whole family cannot go together. At first
his wife and two childrens went there first; and then he followed them.
DG: Wow that sounds scary.
KLI: Um-hmm.
DG: Did you have to go separately because if immigration restrictions, because of laws?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: First because their family over there in the camp – they went first – and then they support
them to get there. Yeah, he stay in Burma, work for a little bit and then get money, and
then go.
DG: I understand; okay, thank you. What was it like living in a refugee camp? What were
your experiences there?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: He don’t have much experience – he get free food, he live with the food because he don’t
work (in the camp there are no jobs).
DG: Um-hmm. So what kind of food did you get?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: Rice, beans, salt, oil, chilies.
DG: Wow, so not very much?
KLI: Not very much.
DG: Not very much. Let me see – now what kind of medical care was there in the camp?
What would you do if you got into an accident, or you got sick?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
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[13:07]
KLI: In the camp there are clinic, and then if he get sick he will go there. If the health is getting
worse, and like dying, the clinic will support him to go to a Mae Sot hospital (he will get
take care of him); he don’t have to pay for it.
DG: Okay, thank you. What kind of hospital was it?
KLI: It’s a clinic – in the camp? The clinic.
DG: Oh, well you said if they got worse then they’d go to a hospital?
KLI: Uh-huh, like in Mae Sot – in the big city.
DG: Oh, okay; alright. Let me see – now you said there wasn’t any work that you could do in
the camp, no jobs?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: No.
DG: Okay, wow; wow. Okay, now when you were in the camp did you celebrate in holy days
or any holidays?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: There are a lot of people (like Muslim people); so that way he could celebrate the Eid
(they call the Eid). First he went to the mosque and then pray, and then come back and
have fun with families.
DG: Cool. Was there a mosque in the camp?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: Yeah, they were.
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DG: Okay, wow. What was the mosque like – like what was it made out of? What did it look
like?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: It’s made of wood and bamboo tree.
DG: Okay. Was it specially decorated, or was it just you know, just a house?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
[16:12]
KLI: It’s kind of like a house, but it’s a lot bigger because a lot of people go there and kind of
decorated.
DG: Okay, thank you.
KLI: Um-hmm.
DG: Let me see – now what was it like politically? Like what was your relation – when you
were refugees, what was your relationship with Thailand?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: You don’t have a lot of like relationship with Thailand – just live in the camp, and then
their like government help.
DG: Okay, thank you. Did you feel safe in the camps?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: It’s not safe over there; the Burmese people will come and burn them, but he was afraid.
DG: That does sound scary. Thank you. Let me see – so how did you first hear about the
United States’ refugee program, and how did you apply for it?
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DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
[19:19]
KLI: There is a group that called –
[Speaking in Burmese to interviewee.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: UNHI –
[Speaking in Burmese to interviewee.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: It’s called UI – he don’t really know. And then he had to register for to come here (like a
lot of people were).
DG: Okay, thank you. Did you get any help applying?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: Yeah, the UI group helped with everything, because they don’t know anything. So they
helped.
DG: Okay, thank you. I have a question about the paperwork – was it all in English, or did you
have to fill it out in Burmese?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: Yeah, it’s in English, but there are translator that helped them.
DG: Wow that sounds like a nightmare.
KLI: [Laughs] Yeah.
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DG: Let me see – so what was it like coming to the U.S.? What was your experience with the
move?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: From the camp he had to go to the city, in Thailand city – he had to like stay there three
days in the church, and then he had to take the airplane (like three to four airplanes); and
he went to New York, and from New York to here.
DG: Wow.
KLI: Yeah.
DG: Wow.
KLI: It’s a long way.
DG: Um-hmm. Kaw Lay’s wife has just sat down with us. Let me see – now you said when
you went to the camp you had to go – it was your wife and a couple of children, and then
you came afterwards? Did you all go at the same time to the United States, or did you
have to go twice like that?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
[22:54]
KLI: All together.
DG: All together?
KLI: Um-hmm.
DG: Okay. Let me see – so when you first got to the United States, what was it like for those
first couple months? Did anyone help you out, or were you just on your own?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: He get a little bit help with the renting and stuff, but there is a problem with his son
broken leg; yeah.
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DG: Um-hmm. So who helped you with the rent?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
[Discussion in Burmese among several folks present.]
KLI: There is a group (IRC) help pay the rent for six months.
DG: Oh, wow. That might have been the – Cache Valley group? We’ll look it up –
[Discussion in Burmese.]
You mentioned there was a problem when your son broke his leg – what happened then?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
[Discussion in Burmese among several folks present.]
KCI: They get separated – he is in the hotel, and then she is in the hospital with the broken leg
child; and then there is no phone, no number that to call. And then they don’t know how
to contact each other.
DG: Wow. And you’re saying this is Kaw Lay and his wife (for the recording)?
KCI: Um-hmm, yeah.
DG: Okay, wow; sounds very scary. Let me see – now did the hospital charge you for that?
How did you get help paying for that (the broken leg)?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: The IRC helped them to pay for it.
DG: Okay; alright, thank you. Let me see, next question – so how long have you guys been
living here, in Logan?
[27:44]
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DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
[Discussion among Kaw Lay, Har Be Bar, and Khin Mar Cho in Burmese.]
KLI: Like five to six year.
DG: Okay, let me see – what is life like here? What do you do (what kind of work do you do)?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
[Discussion among Kaw Lay, Har Be Bar, and Khin Mar Cho in Burmese.]
KLI: He work in Miller, and then he is saying that he don’t get food stamps now – so with his
money he buy food and stuff, and live like that.
DG: What specifically do you do at Miller (like what’s your job)?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: He had to do the inside of the cow’s stomach –
DG: Oh, goodness.
KLI: [Laughs] Yeah.
DG: Khin Mar Cho (is that how you?) –
KC: Khin Mar Cho.
DG: Khin Mar Cho – what do you do for work here, or do you work?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: She sew, she cook – she sew for other people like – she sew for my clothes too, and then
I pay for it.
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DG: Oh cool; awesome, thank you. Let me see – do you feel included in the Logan
community? Do you feel a part of the group here?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: Yeah, he feel like it.
DG: Good, good. Let me see – now tell us a little bit about your home here: like how is it like
the house you had back in Burma, and how is it different?
[31:13]
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
[Discussion among Kaw Lay, Har Be Bar, and Khin Mar Cho in Burmese.]
KLI: Thailand – the camp houses are like sometime missing a wall –
KL: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KL: Made with the bamboo trees.
DG: Um-hmm?
KL: And then here it’s like completely a lot better; yeah.
DG: Um-hmm; okay, thank you. Let me see – oh, have you had any problems with your
landlord, or have they been nice and helpful?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: The best landlord ever, he said, because whenever he need something he call it, and then
that person come.
DG: Okay, so the landlord is helpful then?
KLI: Yeah, it’s very helpful.
DG: Okay. Good, good; we’ve heard some stories where that wasn’t the case.
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KLI: Um-hmm.
DG: If you could translate that.
DGI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: The others are not that helpful. Yeah.
DG: Okay; wow, it sounds like you got lucky [laughs].
DGI: Um-hmm. [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.] Very, very.
DG: Um-hmm. Now let me see – so what would you like people in Logan to know about you
and your family?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
[34:44]
KLI: If they’re interested in them, they can come and ask about it; yeah [laughs].
DG: Okay. Alright, let me see – now if you could, would you like to go back to Burma?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: He would like to go back because he have like a lot of friends. And then if he goes
somewhere else (like in the jungle) he is happy to live in there, because he feel like it’s
his place – and here he don’t feel like it’s own place. And then his child would not go
back because they live here, they feel like it’s their place. So yeah, he would like to go
back.
DG: Okay. I’m sorry – what was your name again?
KC: Khin Mar Cho.
DG: Khin Mar Cho – would you like to go back?
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DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: She doesn’t like to go back because there are still problems and then she doesn’t want to
like get problem anymore – she just want to get free.
DG: Um-hmm.
KCI: Yeah.
DG: Okay. Now let me see – I’d like to go back and ask about the move to the United States.
Is there anything that you think that people could do to make that move easier, to make
that transition?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
[Discussion among Kaw Lay, Har Be Bar, and Khin Mar Cho in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
[38:25]
KLI: He want to get like easiest way that he could, if he can – but he had to go around because
– [speaking in Burmese to interviewee]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: It’s the traveling stuff, so –
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: Yeah, he cannot just go straight –
DG: Are you talking about he would have liked to have flown into Salt Lake –
KLI: Uh-huh.
DG: Instead of going to New York and back?
KLI: Um-hmm, yeah.
DG: Okay. Okay now let me see – now just a couple more questions. So what are you most
proud of?
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DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: He is very proud that he could come here, and then like his childrens can go to school
free. Yeah.
DG: Good. Now Khin Mar Cho – what are you most proud of?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
[Laughter]
KCI: She said nothing because she can’t speak English until now.
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: Yeah, she wants to like speak English and then get better health.
DG: Get better health?
KCI: Um-hmm.
DG: Okay. Are you having medical problems right now?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KC: [Responding in Burmese – crying.]
KCI: Yeah, she is having with medical; she want to have medical care.
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: Yeah, they don’t help.
DG: They don’t help?
KCI: Um-hmm.
DG: Okay. I’m not sure –
DA: Where does she go to get medical help?
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KCI: She just go to the hospital, but she has insurance in the JBS, but the JBS didn’t help them
much; so, yeah.
[41:27]
DA: For her specific problem?
KCI: Um-hmm.
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: The thing is that they could pay, but they did not pay. And then there is like a lot of
paperworks come, and then she don’t know how to read and stuff.
DG: Would you like us to see if we can help with that?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: Yeah, she would like you to.
DG: Okay, alright. I don’t know how much we can do, but I’ll ask and see if there is someone
who can help.
DA: It sounds like there’s just a translation problem. Is it more than just a translation problem?
DG: Yeah, it sounds like a problem with the insurance.
KCI: Yeah, with the insurance – and then she don’t get the medical care from the government.
DA: Okay.
DG: If you could tell her we will try and help, but –
KC: [Speaking in Burmese.]
[Discussion among Kaw Lay, Har Be Bar, and Khin Mar Cho in Burmese.]
KCI: There is still a problem with his son leg, and that he had to go every year and then he
cannot go because of the medical problem that nobody problem.
DG: Okay. Can you tell her we’ll talk to some people and see if there is something we can do
– if there is some way we can help.
DGI: [Repeating the question.]
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KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: She doesn’t want any food stamps or stuff, she just want the medical care.
DA: She doesn’t the what?
KCI: The food stamps.
DA: Yes, um-hmm.
DG: Yeah, we’ll try to help. I don’t know much about –
KC: [Speaking in Burmese.]
DG: Okay, we’ll see what we can do.
DGI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
DG: Now just a couple more questions. What are your dreams for yourself and for your
children? We’ve already talked about medical care –
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: She wants her youngest daughter to be a doctor – she really wants –
DG: Um-hmm.
KC: [Speaking in Burmese.]
[Laughter]
DA: Is that you?
??: Yeah.
DG: Yeah, that would be very good.
DA: That would be wonderful.
DG: Now Kaw Lay, what are your dreams – for yourself and for your children?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
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KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
[45:44]
KLI: He don’t have a dream for himself, but for his daughter and son – he don’t to be like him
(like working hard), he just want like their lives to get better and better. That’s his dream.
DG: Okay. Now let me see – is there anything else (this question is for both of you) – is there
anything else you’d like to talk about that we haven’t asked?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: Nothing.
DG: Okay. Now those are all the questions that I have, but do either of you have questions?
DA: I have some questions. If there were English classes available, do you have transportation
to get there? Do you know if there are English classes?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KC: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KCI: There is people that come her house and like teach her English, but she don’t get it
because of problem with the brain, I don’t know.
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: Yeah, she don’t learn anything.
DG: I’m sorry –
KC: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KCI: When they teach she get at first, and then later she forgot all.
DG: That’s kind of how it is for us too, actually [laughs]. Like in the classes that we’re taking
for school, we need to learn things over and over. So, yeah.
DGI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
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DG: Okay, any other questions.
DA: I do have a question: when you were in the hospital with your son right after you got
here, and you were at home – how did you find each other? How did you get back
together your family?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: They take a weeks, then the IRC come and then they find a way –
DA: To get them all back together?
KCI: Um-hmm, yeah.
DA: They were separated for weeks?
KCI: Um-hmm, yeah.
DA: Because they couldn’t get back together?
KCI: Um-hmm. That’s crazy [laughs].
DA: That is crazy.
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: Yeah, the IRC take –
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: The IRC took them to the hospital.
DA: Okay.
KL: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KLI: Yeah, from hotel they rent and then once he got the home, and then they took him to the
hospital.
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DA: Um-hmm; okay.
[49:47]
DG: Okay, wow.
KC: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KCI: They can only drink water because they couldn’t eat the American food.
DA: I’m sure; I’m sure it was very different – yeah.
DG: And hospital food isn’t good anyways.
DA: Yeah [laughs].
DGI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
KL: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KC: [Speaking in Burmese.]
DA: Is there any American food you like now?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: Like pizza.
[Laughter]
DA: Yeah, pizza [laughing].
DG: Okay. Now Cami, do you have a question?
CD: Were you finished?
DA: I’m done, thank you.
CD: Um-hmm. I guess to follow up with the food question, where do you purchase your food?
Do you do that here in the valley, or do you travel somewhere to get the food that you do
eat?
CDI: Now?
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CD: Um-hmm.
CDI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: Yeah, from Salt Lake – they get from Salt Lake.
DG: Wow.
CD: How often do you make the trip down there?
CDI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: Once a month.
KL: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KLI: There is not a lot of Asians food in here, so they have to go to Salt Lake and once a
month buy a lot of food.
DA: Um-hmm.
DG: Um-hmm.
[52:05]
CD: How do you get down there? Do you go with a family? Do you drive? Do you take public
transportation?
CDI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: They go as a family because he don’t know how to drive, so he had to take his older son.
DG: Is his son [??]
KLI: Yeah [??]
DA: [??]
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KLI: Um-hmm.
DG: Okay.
CD: What is the traditional role of male or female, or father – or say husband and wife – in
your culture?
CDI: What is the traditional –
CD: The traditional role – does the wife play certain roles, the husband play certain roles?
CDI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: There is no traditional role, specifically, that they do; they just go to work, she just stay
home; that’s it every day.
DG: Okay.
CD: I’ve got one or two more questions.
DG: Okay, sorry [laughs].
CD: If someone wanted to learn more about your community (so someone from Logan), are
there events or, you know, gatherings that they could attend to learn more about your
community or to meet people from Burma?
CDI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
[54:41]
KLI: Yeah, they could come like when the Eid (the holiday) come – we cook, and then
everyone like around the community come and eat.
DG: Okay. When is Eid?
DGI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
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KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: Next month is the Ramadan –
DA: Uh-huh.
KLI: That we have to fast; and then after Ramadan is the Eid.
DA: After Ramadan?
KLI: Yeah.
[Discussion among Kaw Lay, Har Be Bar, and Khin Mar Cho in Burmese.]
KLI: It’s April 6th – [speaking in Burmese], like the 18th.
DG: Okay, thank you.
KLI: No, it’s June –
DG: [Laughs]
KLI: Sorry [laughs].
KL: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KLI: Yeah, June 20th or the 18th.
DG: Okay.
CD: And then last question – on the reverse side (or the flip side), are there certain events that
take place in the community (American events, I guess) that you participate in – or
maybe just in general – are there things that you do outside of the home? I know you’re
busy with work and taking care of the family – what are some things that you like to do
outside?
CDI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KL: [Speaking in Burmese.]
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KLI: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KL: [Laughs] [Speaking in Burmese.]
[Discussion among Kaw Lay, Har Be Bar, and Khin Mar Cho in Burmese.]
[Doorbell rings]
[57:48]
KLI: Like they would like to go other people houses and visit – that’s what they like to do.
DG: Okay; so they like to go to other people’s homes, and they like to visit?
KLI: Um-hmm, yeah.
DG: Okay.
KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: They also like to go to Americans [??] houses, but they don’t know how to speak so –
yeah, if they invite, they would like to go.
DG: Okay.
DA: Oh, well we can do that.
CD: That can be arranged.
[Laughter]
DA: She can come visit us.
KC: [Speaking in Burmese.]
KCI: Yeah, they usually stay home because of like problems speaking English; and they don’t
even go to the parent-teacher conferences.
CD: Would they attend school events, or something like that (parent-teacher conference) if
they had someone to translate?
CDI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
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KC: [Responding in Burmese.]
KCI: Yeah.
DG: Okay; alright, any other questions? Okay – if you could translate this for me –
DGI: Um-hmm.
DG: We are done with the interview now. We are going to transcribe this interview (we’re
going to write it down), and we can also burn you a CD of what we talked about today.
DGI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
DG: This interview that we’ve had today – the recording and the text – will be stored in the
Utah State University Library.
DGI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
DG: And we’ll also use this information to put together an exhibit about Burmese Muslims
here, in Logan – and that will be coming up soon –
DA: At the end of the month.
DG: Do we have invitations?
DA: Yes, I do.
CD: We do, and we’d like you to attend – your family and your friends – if you would; we’ll
give you the information.
CDI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
DG: And thank you again very much for allowing us to come and interview you.
DGI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
KL: [Responding in Burmese.]
KLI: It doesn’t cost anything?
DA: No.
DG: No. Can you do the release forms?
[Discussion among Kaw Lay, Har Be Bar, and Khin Mar Cho in Burmese.]
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DA: May I take some pictures?
DAI: Yeah.
DA: So can I take pictures of you two?
DAI: [Repeating the question in Burmese.]
DA: Thank you.
DG: Now we do have two forms: one form we’d like each of you to sign. This is just a form
giving us permission to use this interview and to, you know, store it like we’ve talked
about.
DGI: [Repeating the statement in Burmese.]
[Discussion among Kaw Lay, Har Be Bar, and Khin Mar Cho in Burmese.]
DA: Okay, I only have –
[Background discussion between the interviewers.]
[Discussion among Kaw Lay, Har Be Bar, and Khin Mar Cho in Burmese.]
[End recording – 62:06]
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
transcripts;
application/pdf;
182922 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/109
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67614
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 64
Title
A name given to the resource
Kaung Lay interview transcript, May 16, 2015
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/f7827735eb8113831fa02ec96b03e962.mp3
da8ef703eed92353c14e3abfab5ca07b
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
2010-2019; 21st century;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-16
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
oral histories (document genres);
audio/mp3;
59624476 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/108
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
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
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 65
Title
A name given to the resource
Kaung Lay interview, May 16, 2015
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/c7dd21878bca6845c11e9e75ceea740a.jpg
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kaung Lay, 1967-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-20
Description
An account of the resource
Kaung Lay, Khin Mar Cho and Thuza in their living room. Kaw Lay is holding a paper.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs;
image/jpeg;
1491559 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/155
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67611
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 61
Subject
The topic of the resource
Burmese Muslim; Family; Refugee
Title
A name given to the resource
Kaung Lay with his wife, Khin Mar Cho and their granddaughter, Thuza
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/2f9245155cc7b5345823adc105440a68.jpg
8d0e7836ba860adf09819e9c35289818
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kaung Lay, 1967-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-28
Description
An account of the resource
Black and White photo hanging in Kaung Lay's living room.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs;
image/jpeg;
1948389 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/163
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67619
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 69
Subject
The topic of the resource
Burmese Muslim; Refugee;
Title
A name given to the resource
Kaung Lay's parents in Burma
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/9003ab3a47f453dc1f64db34a68d01ec.jpg
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kaw Lay, 1967-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-19
Description
An account of the resource
Kaw Lay's family is in the firont room. Kaw Lay is on the left with his hand on Thuza's shoulder. Khin Mar Cho is next to him wewaring a white shirtand blue/green jacket. Their daugher, Ma Se Ma is next to her wearing a green shirt and Sean, (son) is on the right wearing a dark jacket. There is laundry hanging behind the family picture.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs;
image/jpeg;
1820241 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/154
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67610
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 60
Subject
The topic of the resource
Burmese Muslim; Family; Refugee
Title
A name given to the resource
Kaw Lay and his family. Khin Mar Cho (wife) Ma se Ma (daughter) Sean (son), Thuza (granddaughter)
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/6badb42aebd7422fbc51c9efe8ff27a3.jpg
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kaw Lay, 1967-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-17
Description
An account of the resource
Kaw Lay is sitting on the floor. He is wearing purple skirt and a grey button down top. He isn't smiling. The carpet is tan. Behind him are his wife's sewing storage boxes.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs;
image/jpeg;
1682268 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/152
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 58
Subject
The topic of the resource
Refugee; Burmese Muslim;
Title
A name given to the resource
Kaw Lay in his home (1 of 2)
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/8d2e8e0ec0cfcfc2e50cbed8ea24dc0e.jpg
18dd14fb1c6ce90926e5a42f2afd3748
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kaw Lay, 1967-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-18
Description
An account of the resource
Kaw Lay is sitting on the floor. He is wearing purple skirt and a grey button down top. He isn't smiling. The carpet is tan. Behind him are his wife's sewing storage boxes.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs;
image/jpeg;
1706458 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/153
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67609
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 59
Subject
The topic of the resource
Refugee; Burmese Muslim;
Title
A name given to the resource
Kaw Lay in his home (2 of 2)
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/ac4bb6d42efd33187a5d57a6d52f425b.jpg
ef4d37fb8a2039cbac4181b3beeaa730
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kaung Lay, 1967-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-27
Description
An account of the resource
Khin Mar Cho holding a black and white blouse she sewed. It is the companion to the black and white skirt in the other photo.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs;
image/jpeg;
1968762 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/162
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67618
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 68
Subject
The topic of the resource
Burmese Muslim; Refugee; Sewing;
Title
A name given to the resource
Khin Mar Cho holding a black and white blouse she sewed
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/a8f3ee6b8bb7af54c0d1cc2291a3fdd7.jpg
3617d3e736156ac3827c35c354896dd4
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kaung Lay, 1967-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-26
Description
An account of the resource
Khin Mar Cho holding a black and white skirt she sewed. The photo makes the skirt look a little yellow.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs;
image/jpeg;
1993912 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/161
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67617
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 67
Subject
The topic of the resource
Burmese Muslim; Refugee; Sewing;
Title
A name given to the resource
Khin Mar Cho holding a Black and White skirt she sewed
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/1ff13eb9cb0e082f5739f0595433d0cf.jpg
6eb26ff650d6f3b22c416104a56ef689
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kaung Lay, 1967-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-25
Description
An account of the resource
Khin Mar Cho holding a pink and white blouse she made. A companion to the skirt in the other photo.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs;
image/jpeg;
1752225 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/160
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67616
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 66
Subject
The topic of the resource
Burmese Muslim; Refugee; Sewing;
Title
A name given to the resource
Khin Mar Cho holding a pink and white blouse she sewed
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/fc31fc3e5442f8f21f211f5b47ddeb90.jpg
d26c161d9510ee4081e7fccf22daaf64
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kaung Lay, 1967-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-24
Description
An account of the resource
Khin Mar Cho holding a pink and white polka dot skirt she made with embroidery on the hem.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs;
image/jpeg;
1916733 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/159
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
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
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 65
Subject
The topic of the resource
Burmese Muslim; Refugee; Sewing;
Title
A name given to the resource
Khin Mar Cho holding a pink and white polka dot skirt she made with embroidery
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
-
https://exhibits.usu.edu/files/original/da0c4be53aedad670c024097f9cbce0d.jpg
c90db8f98d86e038b7330b33e9d0158a
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Cache Valley, Utah is the home of Burmese Muslim, Karen, and Eritrean refugees. Documenting and preserving their stories is an important goal of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives (FFA). In May 2015, USU’s FFA and Folklore Program, with help from the Karen community, hosted a Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation: “Voices: Refugees in Cache Valley.” Field school students worked to document Cache Valley’s recent refugee communities. This collection, <a href="http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67608">Folk Coll 58: Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project</a>, houses the physical recordings and associated materials of the interviews which took place during this field school.<br /><br />You can see the original collection at: <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16944coll14</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Burma; Thailand;
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Kaung Lay, 1967-;
Allred, Deanna, 1965-;
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-23
Description
An account of the resource
Khin Mar Cho holding a black and white dress she sewed.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
photographs;
image/jpeg;
1743021 Bytes
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll14/id/158
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Digitized by : Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library
Relation
A related resource
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project
An inventory for this collection can be found at : http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv67614
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project Digital Collection
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
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;
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, FOLK COLL 64
Subject
The topic of the resource
Burmese Muslim; Refugee; Sewing;
Title
A name given to the resource
Khin Mar Cho Holding Black and White Dress
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image;StillImage;
Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project