Nuag Reh:

Stories from a Karenni Elder

 

 

Nuag Reh is a ninety-four year old man from Karenni state in Burma.  Like most of his people, he grew up in a small village in rural Burma with little practical exposure to the outside world.  When the Burmese government began a campaign to suppress ethnic identity and seize lands, he and others like him were driven from their homes and eventually fled to the relative safety of camps in Thailand.  Not many of his people have lived as long as he has and fewer still have come to the United States at his age.  He thus has a wealth of unique memories to share of the times prior to fleeing Burma---including conflict between the Chinese and Japanese, experiences of the Asian warfront of World War II literally happening around him as British and Japanese troops fought across their land, and early struggles between Burmese and Paku Karen.  I am very pleased to have captured some of these stories on video to offer to Nuag Reh as a memory to leave with his grandchildren, and he has granted to share these with others as well.

>