Folk Arts - Master Artist - Chia Xeng Cha

Chia Xeng Cha. Photo by Fritz Dent.

Master artist Chia Xeng Cha grew up in a traditional Hmong village in Laos, where spiritual practices are still meaningful to the people. Hmong shamans act as liaisons with the spiritual world, using songs, prayers, and music to perform rituals and healing practices. At the age of fifteen, Cha apprenticed with his grandfather, a renowned shaman, and learned the chants and sacred practices.
In Hmong culture, marriage chanting is highly regarded. It is part of the ceremony and must be performed by a trained leader in order for the ceremony to be validated. Hmong weddings are elaborate affairs, lasting for three days. They include negotiations over a ‘bride price," or gifts from the groom’s family to the family of the bride. Wedding chants are sung throughout the duration, and are filled with advice and lessons for life.

As a recipient of a 1995 Apprenticeship grant, Cha taught Zong Cha and Chong Cha Hmong wedding chants and songs.