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Oral history interview with Naw Bi Tha Aye La

 Collection
Identifier: SR12264

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Naw Bi Tha Aye La was conducted by Sankar Raman on May 13, 2017. The interview was recorded for The Immigrant Story, an organization that documents and archives the stories of immigrants and refugees in the United States. In this interview, Naw Bi Tha Aye La discusses her family background and the circumstances in Myanmar (also known as Burma) that led to her family to seek refuge in the Mae Ra Moe refugee camp on the Thai-Myanmar border. She describes living conditions in the refugee camp, including the polluted water they used, raising their own food, and her education. She also talks about her Karen ethnic identity. She talks about the process of resettling in the United States, including her last day in the camp and settling in Portland, Oregon. She discusses her education in Portland, including learning English as a second language. She talks about her interest in theater, her grades, and her friends. She also talks further about her cultural and ethnic identity. She closes the interview by discussing her plans for the future.

Dates

  • Creation: 2017 May 13

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and The Immigrant Story. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/

Biographical note

Naw Bi Tha Aye La was born in a refugee camp on the border of Thailand and Myanmar (also known as Burma) in 2000. Her family was ethnically Karen and fled Myanmar a few years before her birth. In 2010, her family was approved for resettlement in the United States, and they settled in Portland, Oregon. She attended Reynolds High School in Troutdale.

Extent

37.5 Megabytes (1 online resource (1 audio file (1 hr., 21 min., 33 sec.))) : MPEG-4

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Oral history interview with Naw Bi Tha Aye La conducted by Sankar Raman on May 13, 2017, for The Immigrant Story. Naw Bi Tha Aye La was born in a refugee camp on the Thai-Myanmar border, and her family was able to resettle in the United States in 2010.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of The Immigrant Story, 2020 (Lib. Acc. RL2020-017).

Publication note

An article about Naw Bi Tha Aye La, "To see the World Outside" by Sankar Raman, was based on this interview and published on The Immigrant Story website at https://theimmigrantstory.org/the-world-outside/
Title
Guide to oral history interview with Naw Bi Tha Aye La
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by Sarah Stroman
Date
2020
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

Contact:
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240