Nhia Yia Heu
Hmong basket weaver
Renton, WA
Nhia Yia Heu of Renton left his native Laos with his family in 1975 and settled in a refugee camp in Thailand. A member of the White Hmong Tribe of mountain people, he began weaving traditional bamboo baskets at the age of eight, learning from a village elder. He also learned stories, songs and flute tunes of his people, in addition, he learned the craft of making traditional flutes. While in the refugee camp, he kept this heritage alive, bringing it with him to the Seattle area in 1980. Today he is both a respected elder in the Hmong-American community and a renowned teacher among non-Hmong people who practice basketweaving as an artistic pursuit. Since his arrival in the United States, he has taught basketweaving in California, Hawaii, and Washington. His baskets and flutes are important links to the homeland for his people in the New World, as are the music he performs and the stories he tells at Hmong festivities.