The shaman welcomes the baby soul to the world," said Changvang Her, a Hmong translator. A traditional Hmong altar. First the shaman, May Yang, and her husband prepare an altar with offerings of eggs, ...

Shoppers look for pleated skirts and other clothing for Hmong New Year for sale at the stall of Elisa Her, left, in the Hmong Village covered market in St. Paul, Minn., on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023.

Mee Vang Yang holds her father's shaman bells in front of the altar in her living room in St. Paul, Minnesota, Nov. 17, 2023. Vang Yang carried them across the Mekong River as the family fled the ...

Hlee Xiong Lee discusses her challenging journey to shaman practice at the Hmong Cultural Center in St. Paul, Minn., on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — For the annual fall renewal of her shaman spirit, Mee Vang Yang will soon ritually redecorate the tall altar in her living room where she keeps her father’s ring-shaped ...

Mee Vang Yang holds her father's ring-shaped shaman bells in front of the altar in her living room in St. Paul, Minn., on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023.

The majority of the approximately 300,000 Hmong in the United States believe that spirits live throughout the physical world. ST. PAUL, Minn. — For the annual fall renewal of her shaman spirit ...