Introduction and Afterword

Abstract

Hip K’Sor is a refugee from the central highlands of Vietnam, a member of the ethnic minority population that was known as “the montagnards” (or, affectionately, “the ‘yards”) during the Vietnam War. He now lives in North Carolina. The first time I visited his home I noticed how he had turned the stereo-television cabinet in his living room into a kind of Christian altar. He had covered the top surface with a large piece of white lace on which he had arranged several framed illustrations of the Virgin Mary. Carved religious statues were displayed there too, and several crucifixes. There were a couple of electric candles, and two or three framed depictions of Jesus as well—one in which he herds sheep through an ancient arched gate, and another in which he points to his bleeding heart wrapped in thorns.