Hmong Archives is a repository for collecting and

preserving Hmong materials, reflecting the history of

our people. With over 223,676 items, our mission is to

document the story of the Hmong communities in

Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, as well as

those around the world. Materials we collect are varied

and significant. It includes documents, books,

photographs, videos, sound recordings, brochures,

newspapers, periodicals, cards, maps, and cultural

objects such as musical instruments and paj ntaub.

Together they create a representation and record of

Hmong history and culture.

The origin of Hmong Archives is a story of a deep sense

of responsibility to the community. In 1998, residents of

Saint Paul and Minneapolis were called together by

Yuepheng Xiong to discuss what actions they could

take to actively preserve Hmong history. Those present

were historians, scholars, and business people who

recognized that the preservation of Hmong heritage is

important to communicating our history to the world.

They were concerned that there had not been a

targeted effort to collect and preserve Hmong materials

by themselves, the larger Hmong community, or the

community at large. From this conversation, the idea of

Hmong Archives (Hmong Nationality Archives until

2004) was formed. Through generous donors and

volunteers, the Archives became a reality and has been

collecting and preserving donations of cultural materials

since incorporating as a 501 (c) 3 Nonprofit on

February 10, 1999.