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| Mai Lee Vang Vue and her daughter Pachia Vue |
Kwv txhiaj, (pronounced kuetsia) is improvised sung poetry that tells Hmong stories about history, love, and struggles through verse requiring extremely polished command of the Hmong language. Born on a farm in Laos, Mai Lee Vang Vue was taught as a child to sing kwv txhiaj by her mother and grandmother, who were well known for their excellent voices. Now living in Long beach, Mai Lee is called upon to sing kwv txhiaj for Hmong New Year. Three years ago she started teaching her own daughter, Pachia Vue, now 11 years old, so that she will eventually have a good enough command of the language to be able to create her own songs in this popular traditional art form that plays an important role in courtship and funerals.
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