What's now showing in the East-West Center Gallery, John A. Burns Hall, 1601 East West Road.

Exhibition: May 13 - September 9, 2012

Guest Curator: Victoria Vorreiter
Installation: Lynne Najita & Michael Schuster, Ph.D.
Photographs and films: Victoria Vorreiter
Guest cultural experts/musicians: Aju Jupoh (Akha) & Chi Suwichan (Karen)

In the foothills of the Himalayas where Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand once knew no boundaries, lies a region of Southeast Asia evocatively known as the Golden Triangle. the rugged, often impenetrable mountains, rivers, and forests have formed natural barriers that create a dramatic terrain with little arable land. Home to some of the world’s oldest civilizations, this expanse has proved through the millennia to be a cultural and historical crossroads of ancient migrations from the highlands of China and Tibet, trade routes connecting India and Mongolia, and passages along the great rivers of Asia.

Yet for all the movement and interchange, this region harbors a staggering number and variety of peoples living in remote hill villages, which have effectively safeguarded their individuality. numbering over one hundred and thirty groups and subgroups, each tribe represents an extraordinary world, unique in its language, customs, arts, religion, dress, and features.

Prominent among this multiplicity are the Hmong, Mien, Lahu, Akha, Lisu, and Karen, six distinct peoples who originally migrated through China, converging in the mountain ranges that sweep the region. each group maintains an ancient,multifaceted musical heritage, exceptional in melody, rhythm, and signature style, which represents a living archive of centuries of accumulated culture, history, and tenets of faith, providing the eternal link between those who have gone before with those who will follow.

This exhibition features a wide array of musical instruments, traditional dress, and jewelry, augmented by fascinating photographs and video clips of rituals and performances.

For more details, click here to view the pdf file of the exhibit handout.

Free group tours are available to school and community groups. Performance demonstrations by top artists from the Asia Pacific are offered as well. For details contact Eric Chang, 808-944-7584.