From Laos to Legos: Vadnais Heights man uses toy bricks to share Hmong culture

VADNAIS HEIGHTS, Minnesota (FOX 9) – For Greg Rhodes, Legos are the building blocks for recreating his favorite moments from a galaxy far, far away. Today, he uses his lifelong love of small bricks to tap into the tapestry of the Hmong experience.

“I’m amazed by the stories Legos can tell,” Rhodes said.

Background

For decades, storycloths have incorporated Hmong culture and history into works of art.

Hmong women living in refugee camps in Thailand after the Vietnam War began creating hand-embroidered textiles and selling them to earn money for their families.

“It just tells the story of how we escaped when Laos fell in 1975 and how we crossed the Mekong River into Thailand, where eventually you found a refugee camp and stayed there until that you are sponsored and can go to a refugee camp like the United States,” said Pang Voua, Rhodes’ wife, who is Hmong.

For community elders, stories are a way to pass on legends, traditions and folklore to younger generations.

“It’s an heirloom and most families would like their children to have one for later, just as part of their history,” Pang Voua said.

What are they doing?

When Rhodes completed his last large-scale Star Wars Lego set, his wife inspired his next project.

“She said, ‘What if you made a story?’ and all of a sudden my eyes lit up because I always loved them It was actually the first gift my then girlfriend, now wife, gave me, it was a small one. fabric to tell a story Then I ordered pieces until 3 a.m.

For the next six and a half weeks, Rhodes created his own story out of Legos.

The 3D diorama details how the Hmong fought with the Viet Cong, fled for their lives, and arrived in Thai camps before reaching the United States.

Rhodes custom-made several special pieces and even created traditional Hmong clothing for the figurines in the scenes.

“To my knowledge, no one else has ever made Hmong minifigs. I can’t find anything online about it and people just loved seeing themselves in the Legos,” Rhodes said.

Reaction

When Rhodes posted photos of her paj ntaub, as the story cloths are called, on social media, they went viral, generating thousands of views.

He has since hosted a handful of story-making workshops to help members of the Hmong community share their own stories through popular toys.

“I had an older lady. They were watching it. I was explaining it. And then she pointed to one of the people crossing the river on bamboo, and she said, ‘That was me.’ crossed with bamboo under her arms,” Rhodes said.

Rhodes says his Lego stories have been embraced by grandparents and grandchildren alike.

“I’ve heard people say, ‘I actually didn’t hear my parents talk about this traumatic event. But seeing the paj ntaub, the paj ntaub Lego helped them tell the story again.’ so is probably the most beautiful piece of “, said Pang Voua.

What’s next?

Rhodes’ latest creation is a Lego version of the Hmong New Year celebration at St Paul Rivercentre.

It’s even more elaborate than the last one, with 200 figurines and everything from food vendors to performance stages to traditional Hmong games. There are also mini versions of Olympic gold medalist and St. Paul native Suni Lee and Union Hmong Kitchen chef Yia Vang, as well as Rhodes and his wife with their story.

“I had a little extra space. I thought it would be kind of cute. It’s kind of like how some artists paint themselves into their work. I incorporated myself into my work,” Rhodes said.

Rhodes also launched an online store called Hmong Bricks that sells Hmong-inspired figurines and clothing that he designed himself. In this way, members of the Hmong community can continue to lay the foundation for a more inclusive future.

“I hope they see themselves in these works and, in some way, as a result, affirm them and affirm their lives, affirm the things that are important to them,” Rhodes said.

If you’d like to see Rhodes’ Lego creations for yourself, they’ll be on display this weekend at Brick Fest Live at the Minneapolis Convention Center.