Monday, September 19, 2011

Exhibit on Cambodia’s killing fields focuses on local survivors

Dary Mien, Executive Director of the Cambodian Association of Illinois gives a tour. A small group of NIU students and faculty have spent five years recording oral histories of Killing Fields survivors in the Chicago area. The histories are now the centerpiece of an exhibit "Witnessing the Cambodian Killing Fields" at the small Cambodian American Heritage museum and Killing Fields Memorial, with an opening ceremony on Thursday, September 15, 2011 in Chicago. | Richard A. Chapman~Sun-Times

September 19, 2011
BY KARA SPAK Staff Reporter/kspak@suntimes.com
Chicago Sun-Times

IF You Go ...

“Remembering the Killing Fields” is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and by appointment on weekends. Admission is free.

Advanced reservations are appreciated. To schedule a personal or group visit, call Anneth Houy at (773) 980-4654 or e-mail anneth@cambodian-association.org.

The Cambodian American Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial is located at 2831 W. Lawrence.

Dary Mien was about 6 years old in 1975 when the Khmer Rouge took over her Cambodian homeland.

At least that’s what age her mother told her she was. The family was forced to burn all records like birth certificates as they were coerced into a cruel collective where people were murdered for any sign of holding onto an individual identity.

Children, including Mien, were separated from their families and forced to work picking up cow dung. Their parents dug ditches or worked in rice paddies. Torture, starvation and rampant disease were woven for nearly four years into the daily lives of those living under Pol Pot. An estimated 2 million died in what was later called the “Killing Fields.”


Mien and her family escaped to Chicago in 1981. Thirty years later, Mien is a driving force behind a powerful museum exhibit at the Cambodian American Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial, 2831 W. Lawrence, called “Remembering the Killing Fields.”

“This is saying we may not choose to live in the past, but the past lives in us,” said Mien, executive director of the Cambodian Association of Illinois, the 31-year-old social service group that opened the museum in 2004.

The exhibit started five years ago and 70 miles away in DeKalb. Northern Illinois University professor Judy Ledgerwood, a cultural anthropologist specializing in Cambodia, and a small group of students began compiling oral histories from Chicago-area Killing Fields survivors.

“We had to go over that there were important issues about opening up these very difficult topics,” Ledgerwood said about training the students. “It was also difficult for students to hear about some of these stories at the time.”

As that group graduated, new students stepped in, transcribing the stories, selecting quotes for exhibit displays and crafting video interviews with six survivors. Those videos now play on monitors throughout the museum exhibit.

For Lauren Bell, who was an undergraduate from Mundelein when she started working on the project, the experience changed the trajectory of her education. She added a Southeast Asian studies minor and is now in graduate school at NIU in anthropology.

“Just the things that these people survived and that they’re still telling their stories, it’s incredible,” Bell said. “It really made me rethink my own life.”

NIU grad student Shay Galto, originally from Wheaton, said the project was more powerful because of the local connections.

“So often we hear of these crimes against humanity and it’s very far away and we can’t relate,” Galto said. “When it’s a survivor living close to you, it grounds the experience.”

The Cambodian immigrant community in Chicago numbers only about 5,000 but for decades was intent on building a memorial to those who died in the Killing Fields. Under Cambodia Association of Illinois founder and president Kompha Seth, the group raised more than $1 million to open the museum and memorial, which features glass panels etched with the names of victims of the Khmer Rouge who have relatives now living in Illinois.

With the Killing Fields exhibit, a new generation of Cambodian-Americans wanted to ensure their history was heard, said Lucy Ascoli, a member of the advisory committee who did fund-raising for the museum.

“The reason this happened is because the young Cambodian-Americans wanted it,” Ascoli said. “The young adults wanted their history told.”

For Mien, focusing on the survivors’ stories was paramount. Board members discussed running a fund-raising campaign with the exhibit but ultimately decided to let the exhibit stand on its own.

“We just wanted to focus on the survivors’ voices,” she said. “This is the one time that the board of directors and staff and museum advisory committee really wanted to keep the sense of dedicating it to the more than 2 million lives lost and the voices representing some of that.”

They also strived to make the exhibit, which manages to convey the horror of the situation without being overly graphic, to be accessible to anyone, even those who could not find Cambodia on a map.

“It’s about a dialogue between a community of survivors and the general public,” Mien said.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

black cloths and tire shoes are vietcong dress. Khmer rouge are vietcong/hanoi pets

Anonymous said...

it's easy for yuons and for the world to ditribute the genocide against Khmer to polpot alone withouth any fair trial.

Anonymous said...

It looks like some one is cashing in on the KR here. I hope the money will be use wisely and benefit Khmere people.

Anonymous said...

i like the idea of keeping a museum like this about the KR period. it's interesting to learn about the KR period, etc...

Anonymous said...

Dary Mien ! don't wast your time. Look beyond the mystery day then look where will be good for Cambodia.

Anonymous said...

WHO BE HIDE POL POT REGIMES??? VIETCONGS, WHO ELSE... ANYONE KNOW?

KHMER PHNOM PENH

Anonymous said...

3:07am! who care nuch about that? Let ash how can we prevent that happen event without who behind that?

Anonymous said...

បើគ្មានអតីតកាល បច្ចុប្បន្នកាលក៏គ្មានដែរ.
នេះជាការប្រសើរណាស់ដែលនាង ដារី មៀន
បានយកសម្លៀកបំពាក់ខ្មែរក្រហមមកលាតត្រ
ដាងនូវប្រវត្តិសាស្ត្រដ៏ជូរចត់របស់ក្រុមចិត្តខ្មៅនេះ.
តើខ្មែរក្រហមជានរណា?ប្រទេសណាជាឫសកែវ
របស់ក្រុមនេះ?ហើយ នរណាដែលជាមេដឹកនាំធំ
បំផុតក្នុងក្រុមនេះ?
ខ្មែរក្រហមជាក្រុមតូចក្នុងឆ្នាំ១៩៧០ ដឹកនាំដោយ
ប៉ុល ពត កាលដើមឡើយក៏ជាជនចូលជើងជា
មួយយួនវៀតកុង។
ប្រទេសវៀតណាមជាដើម ជាឫសកែវ ជាឫស
រយាងបានកើតមានឡើងចាប់តាំងពីឆ្នាំ១៩៥១
ទូទាំងប្រទេសខ្មែរដែលមានឈ្មោះថា ខ្មែរវៀត
មិញ។ខ្មែរវៀតមិញមានក្រុមប្រចាំខេត្ត ស្រុក
ឃុំ ភូមិ ពេញប្រទេសខ្មែរ។
ប្រទេសចិនរដ្ធទី២ដែលជាមេគំនិតក្នុងឆ្នាំ១៩៦០
គាំទ្រខ្មែរក្រហមនិងខ្មែរវៀតមិញ.
សីហនុជាមេខ្មែរក្រហម ខ្មែរវៀតមិញ ខ្មែរវៀតកុង​កំពូល។វាជាមេដឹកនាំទាំងបីក្រុមមកសម្លាប់ជាតិ
ខ្មែរ ដើម្បីអំណាចនិងរាជបល្ល័ង្គរបស់វា។
ដូច្នេះ អតីតកាលជាមេរៀនសម្រាប់បច្ចុប្បន្នកាល
ទៅអនាគតកាលរបស់ជនជាតិខ្មែរ។
សូមរក្សាឯកសារនេះ ចងចាំជានិច្ចក្នុងបេះជន
ជាតិខ្មែរតទៅ។

Thank Dary Mien for recording oral
Histories of Khmer Killing Fields in Chicago,Illinois,USA.

Anonymous said...

knowledge is power! self-empowerment is also power! everything else comes and goes, but knowledge will always stay with you.