[Lao Classic Legends] Horse-Face Keo

Over at the archives in Northern Illinois University they have a number of very rough translations of Lao classic folktales there. Among them is Kaew Na Ma, although I prefer the spelling Keo Na Ma, or Horse-Face Keo.  You can find iterations in Khmer, Thai and many other Southeast Asian storytelling traditions. This should NOT be confused with the North Korean song of the Excellent Horse-Like Lady.

Horse-Faced Keo raises some great questions about bravery, valor, and beauty in Lao culture. I particularly like the aspect that her end goal isn't to stop having her 'horse-faced' form. When a Lao woman pregnant with triplets can defeat a demon army, that's worth a look. She's also a weather forecaster: Able to predict the weather, but not apparently able to change it.

Often, this legend is played for comedy in other cultures. I think it would be interesting to see the subject addressed through the lens of high fantasy, and even horror, considering the prominence of demon armies in this case.

The NIU translation of the story goes three generations to her grandchildren, so there's room for further adventures, and if you read it all of the way, I think you can see there's plenty of room for side-adventures as well.

There's dispute over whether it's a fully 'Lao' story, but I would argue it's been a part of our tradition for long enough that we should still embrace it and build upon it as only Lao writers and artists can. It begins like so:

"King Phuwadon and Queen Nantha of Mithila City had a handsome son named Pinthong. At about the same time, an old couple who lived outside of the capital city had a daughter who looked like a horse. She was called Kaew Na Ma or Horse-faced Kaew. When this girl grew up, she was able to forecast the weather. Her parents and her neighbors loved her in spite of her unattractive appearance...”

Manikab: Program planning for Year of the Horse, 2557

With less than half a year away from the end of Year of the Snake, Lao community organizers should begin to decide for themselves how they want to celebrate the arrival of Year of the Horse in April.

2014, or 2557 will specifically be the Year of the Wood Horse, and horses aren't the first thing you connect to Laos in most cases, but they do play a part in both the mythic and historic sense of our country. Tragically, our sense of the equestrian has largely slipped away from most Lao in the US almost to the point of abstraction. Most people will tell you they think of Lao riding buffaloes, donkeys and if you're lucky, elephants. Once in a while you find someone post up a video of horse riding in Laos. But not often.

Let's face it, horses in Laos don't capture the imagination the way it did for Genghis Khan and the Mongols. I might suggest we turn our eyes to the legend of the flying steed Manikab for hints of how to do this in style.

Lao myths have a legendary flying horse by the name of Manikab, or Manikap, or ມະນີກາບ, who appears in numerous epics including Phra Lak Phra Lam, and Kalaket, and is certainly available to appear in new tales of the Lao if we so chose.

Within Lao myth, Manikab appears typically as a gift from the god, Phra In, or the Lao parallel to Indra. He is usually referred to with honorifics such as splendid, marvelous, or wondrous. He plays a role in a number of key scenes. It is Manikab Phra Lam rides into the many epic battles against the Nyak and armies of darkness.

The roots of the Manikab do not appear strictly influenced by the Greek myths but more by other Asian myths, particularly Hinduism. The key myth is Uchchaisravas, the seven-headed "horse" who is part of the class of divine mounts, a vahana who primarily serves gods and demi-gods. When the gods of Hindu legend were churning the cosmos into being from the great ocean of 'milk' Uchchaihshravas was one of the treasures who came forth.

Lao legends prefer Manikab to be a flying steed. It may be possible that it was further influenced by the legends of the Qilin or Ki-Rin from Chinese and Japanese mythology. The character of the Qilin might be one many Lao could relate to. It is typically a gentle being whose step doesn't even trample a blade of grass, and it can walk on water without making a ripple. It doesn't eat flesh and never walks or harms any living thing. The Qilin only punishes the wicked and only appears where there is a wise and benevolent leader. The Qilin are thought to be a protective symbol of prosperity and long life, and in the mythology serve as the pets of the gods.The Chinese have a dance in the style of the Qilin characterized by high energy movements, particularly with the head mimicking that of a divine horse.

For the Lao culture, the Fon Manikab might take a similar approach, but hopefully not simply the 'horse dance,' although I'm sure we'll see plenty of that during the New Years around the country.Let's raise our expectations for the new year!

Representing in Redshirts: The Game, and other notes

A little over a year ago, I backed a scrappy indie game company's kickstarter: Redshirts Deluxe Edition, a "lighthearted game of space exploration, betrayal and murder."

It finally arrived this month, and so far, I've been delighted with it. The team at Weaselpants Productions put a lot of love into the game, which, thankfully is fun to play. (In this industry, it's great when those two elements come together.)

I used to love the old role-playing game Paranoia in the 1980s, so the humor of Redshirts was right up my alley.

As one might expect, it's filled with nods to many popular science fiction shows of the last century or so. (Safely within the protected realm of parody! We swear!)

It's easy to understand the rules, set-up, and then get down to the business of bumping off your crewmen while preventing others from bumping off theirs. It's up there with Kill Dr. Lucky as a great, solid game that plays quickly with a lot of laughs.

Thankfully, it arrived just in time for the holiday season so this will keep me and the nieces and nephews very, very entertained. Although in the first test-runs, it seems they went out of their way to kill off their uncle. I'll have to keep an eye on them in the future, clearly.

I backed it at the Lieutenant Commander level, which means this also sets a neat precedent: It's the first space card game to feature Lao American characters. (Horror on the Orient Express from Chaoisum will also feature a certain Lao American poet you can play as you face dark cosmic horrors, but it's still in production, and will probably arrive next year.) Besides myself, Dr. Ketmani Kouanchao also appears as a bonus card. We're still debating who gives you better benefits on an away mission.

Granted, you'll be working overtime to bump us off, but hey, everyone's getting bumped off here.

The art was done by the award-winning David Reddick, who brought a great sense of humor to the project. He is the creator of various popular comic strips such as "Legend of Bill," The Trek Life at CBS/ STARTREK.COM, Gene's Journal and Rod & Barry at Roddenberry.com. He is also a full-time cartoonist at Paws, Inc., where he works on the Garfield worldwide property.

I also encouraged them to add in the dreaded Astronecronomicon and the Alien Poetry Slam, naturally. And to include a helpful robodachshund modeled after my dog Sadee. These particular cards are only available to a certain backers who participated in the kickstarter, and not the main edition you'll find in the stores right now. But who knows. Maybe next edition.

Overall, a big thanks to Skippy and David Reddick for making this a fun experience, and I'd certainly back other projects of theirs in the future. Now, back to our regularly scheduled zaniness.

I Want the Wide American Earth: Los Angeles

I went to go see my poem "Evolve" on display at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. They're showcasing the Smithsonian's traveling exhibit, "I Want the Wide American Earth," which was previously at the National American History Museum in Washington D.C.

As the exhibit explains:

For decades, “Asian in America” was not the same as “Asian American.” While the earliest immigrants struggled to be legally recognized as citizens, their descendants fought to be seen as “true” Americans. Additionally, Asian Pacific Americans have played key roles in some of the nation’s most important moments—from the long stretches of the Transcontinental Railroad to the toughest battles of World War II to the streets of Oakland to Washington D.C. Alongside some of history’s greatest names, they campaigned for civil rights and social justice—both for themselves and others.

I'm honored to see my poem a part of the exhibit, as both a transcultural adoptee and as a Laotian American. I was also delighted to see several of my peers and students reflected in the exhibit, as well. They did an excellent job selecting a variety of artifacts from the Japanese American National Museum to accompany this exhibit that really helped to build an understanding of how the local can affect the global.

"Evolve" first appeared in the groundbreaking anthology Outsiders Within, from Southend Press. It broke ground as a text examining the jouney of transcultural adoptees in our own words, on our own terms. I gave a reading of "Evolve" during the launch party in Minneapolis, November 18th, 2006:

The Japanese American National Museum is a beautiful space to host the exhibit. The Japanese American National Museum is the largest museum in the United States dedicated to sharing the experience of Americans of Japanese ancestry. The founding of the Museum is considered "a story of high hopes, remarkable achievements, frustration, and ultimately, success."

I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story was created by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and curated by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center Initiative Coordinator Lawrence-Minh Bùi Davis. The exhibition is supported by a generous grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and is a collaborative initiative with Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES).

It will be available to visit until October 27th.