Darcy Courteau

Jan 1, 2024 | commonwealmagazine.org | Darcy Courteau |Matt McManus |Marcia Chatelain |Brad East

Winter was coming. The bare oaks left ridgelines fronded with junipers, and farmers were in their fields, gleaning the last of the year’s harvest. I found my friend Vab Yang digging up sweet potatoes on her farm outside Siloam Springs, Arkansas, where the Ozark Plateau rolls into the plains, and fell in beside her. Vab (pronounced Vah) mentioned that a Hmong New Year festival was taking place nearby.