ASB214 - Magic, Witchcraft and Healing: An Introduction to Comparative Religion

Exposes the struggle of Hmong refugees in America. This classic documentary traces the lives of three Hmong families displaced thousands of miles from their villages in Northern Laos and alienated in American cities.

This poignant film shows a shaman's struggle to maintain his ancient traditions as his children embrace American culture. The evocative narrative captures the daily struggle of Paja Thao's family between two worlds.

Through the traditional, year-long process of transforming the bark of hemp plants into cloth the complex relationships of men and women are revealed. Women produce the cloth and clothing as the men perform healing ceremonies, settle marriage agreements, and conduct funeral rights. The ready availability of mass produced, inexpensive cloth combined with the fact that the cultivation of hemp (marijuana) is now illegal has brought the continuation of this traditional practice into question. This film is of great interest to the study of gender and kinship, textiles, traditional crafts, shamanism and social change. In Hmong with English subtitles and narration.

In the highlands of North Vietnam lies the remote town of Sapa, home to a mosaic of colourful hill tribes. Sapa opened to tourism in the late 1990s, and now roughly 200 hill tribe girls aged 7 - 18 years live independently on the streets of Sapa selling embroidery.