Hyleigh Pan collection of digital photographs of Lao ephemera
Owning Institution: UC Irvine, Libraries, Southeast Asian Archive
About this Collection
A description of the collection from the donor, Hyleigh Pan:
"The Laotian community in the United States, made up of nearly 250,000 people, has limited representation in literature and art. The aftermath of the Secret War in Laos led many to flee the country, leaving only a few stories and scraps of paper behind. With the aim of preserving the past, I initiated a project to gather photographic evidence of items that are important to the Laotian Diaspora. While most collectors concentrate on famous items, I made a deliberate effort to locate objects that were often overlooked or undervalued, but still held significant cultural significance. This allowed me to document a unique and meaningful aspect of the Laotian community's heritage. History and major world events has always been a passion of mine. This interest took on a more personal meaning when my brother and I started spending summers with our grandparents in Winfield, Kansas, where they owned a small Laotian grocery store for over three decades.
The Laotian community in Winfield, Kansas created a scrapbook comprised of various old newspaper clippings about their community, which was put together by several influential members, such as Kong Kora (grandfather), Robert Vayphat (family friend), and Glenda Schmidt (a resident of Winfield). I knew of Khambang Sibounheuang through a mutual friend, he is the owner of the military uniform and a Tennessee resident. Prior to his retirement, he attended law school, military school, and worked as a high school teacher. Additionally, the collection features several items belonging to Bryan Worra, a highly regarded community activist that I have known for the past five years through a group of artists. I started collecting items for the project in the summer of 2018 and aim to enlarge the collection in the future." View collection guide.
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