This story was originally published here in 2014. Now updated with new artwork in 2026.
Here is another Hmong folktale called Nraug Ntsuag and Ntxawm. There are many versions of stories about an orphan boy named Nraug Ntsuag and Ntxawm, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy village headman. This particular version tells the story of how Nraug Ntsuag loses his wife, only to use his cleverness and determination to win her back.
Nraug Ntsuag and Ntxawm have not been married for very long when the hemp harvest season arrives. Nraug Ntsuag sends Ntxawm to her parents' village to help them process hemp into thread and cloth.
Halfway through their journey, Ntxawm suddenly tells Nraug Ntsuag that she can see her parents' village in the distance. She says that she can even hear the familiar sounds of rice pounders clicking and clanking.
