Making it Chin
Sustaining Chin Identity in the U.S.
Through Everyday Designs
Van Thang
Designer
Van Thang
Van Thang is a Chin-American artist and graphic designer who grew up in the beautiful natural surroundings of Chin State, Myanmar, where he was raised in a close-knit farming and hunting community. When he was 13, Van and his family fled the Burmese government’s political and religious oppression of the Chin people, seeking refuge first in Malaysia, then in Amarillo, Texas. In Spring 2022, Van earned a BFA in Visual Art and Graphic Design from Eastern New Mexico University. In the Design MFA program at UT Austin, he designed everyday objects to help Chin-Americans sustain their language, traditions, and identity.
Take a Glance
About the Project
Project Overview
Chin Americans, a minority immigrant community in the USA, face significant challenges in sustaining our cultural identity. This report explores how art and everyday objects can help sustain Chin culture in the USA for current and future generations, addressing the urgent need for cultural continuity and community in a foreign land. As a Chin-American designer, I have drawn on the unique history, traditions, and faith of the Chin people to create traditional games, faith-based home decor, culturally inspired dining rituals, wearables, a national flag, and educational tools that celebrate, embody, and help maintain Chin values, heritage, traditions, and identity in the USA. This work highlights the importance of everyday artifacts in maintaining traditional languages and cultural practices.
Goal
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Identify barriers to cultural preservation in the USA, such as language attrition, lack of culturally relevant resources, and the dominance of other cultures in education and social practices.
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Redesign and promote Chin cultural games, Chin language and faith-based home decor and housewares, printed patterns for wearables, and educational resources for homes, churches, and educational settings that promote, celebrate, and maintain Chin language, aesthetics, culture, and faith in the USA.
Outcome
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A proposal for a new Chin national flag
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A design for the traditional Chin game Rualdih, with Chin-language instructions and a carrying case featuring Chin forms and ornament
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A Chin-language planner and wall calendar with Chin holidays and proverbs, based on the traditional Chin calendar whose seasons and months correlate to agricultural and hunting activities.
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Printed textiles that resemble, but are less expensive than, Chin embroidery
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Chin-language home decor and housewares featuring traditional motifs and proverbs
External Resources
Links to your thesis/presentation……
Featured Items
Rualdih!
Reviving a Traditional Chin Game
A design for the traditional Chin game Rualdih!, with Chin-language instructions and a carrying case featuring Chin forms and ornament, to promote language retention and intergenerational interaction.
Proposal for a Chin National Flag
Creating A Symbol of Unity and Identity
To address the lack of a clear, unifying symbol of the Chin people, I am proposing a new national flag design that incorporates symbols, colors, and motifs that all Chin people can unite behind.
Chin Planner-Notebook
Integrating Language, Culture, and Faith into Daily Life
A Chin planner-notebook that integrates Chin language, traditional wisdom, faith, and aesthetics into the daily routines of Chin-Americans.
Chin Patterns in Print
Bringing Chin Patterns into Everyday Use
Handmade woven Chin textiles are too expensive for daily use, so I designed printed patterns that echo the look of woven textiles but are less expensive.
Chin-Inspired Tabletop and Wall Calendars
Wall Decor as Cultural Expression
Bilingual tabletop and wall calendars that celebrate Chin cultural identity and faith through traditional imagery, native flowers, Bible verses, and Chin language: transforming everyday decor into meaningful expressions of heritage in the diaspora.
1. Chin National Flag
One barrier to preserving Chin identity in the USA is the absence of a single, unified national flag. One of the primary efforts the Chin people have made to maintain our heritage in the US is through cultural events and the celebration of Chin National Day, during which the Chin flag is commonly displayed, both in Chin State and across the global diaspora. However, the existence of multiple flag designs complicates this effort. When asked about the Chin national flag, many Chin people are uncertain which design to claim as the official flag. Some Chin-Americans even hesitate to display a flag during cultural celebrations simply because they don’t know which one to choose or have difficulty accessing one. The lack of a clear, unifying symbol of the Chin people is part of the larger challenge of sustaining Chin heritage in the diaspora, as it hinders efforts to create a cohesive cultural identity that can unite Chin communities around the world.
Rather than attempting to repurpose an existing political or ethnic flag to represent all Chin people, I am proposing a new national flag design that incorporates symbols, colors, and motifs that all Chin people can unite behind. This flag is my personal proposal for a unifying national symbol, created to honor and include every Chin community. My approach includes retaining familiar elements from existing Chin flags, along with a few other key symbols that are significant to the Chin people. The new flag design embodies shared Chin values, faith, resilience, and aspirations, offering a symbol that can be embraced across all regions and by the global Chin diaspora.
2. Rualdih!
Traditional games and activities play a crucial role in preserving culture, identity, and values, offering an interactive and experiential way for younger generations to connect with their roots. However, while some traditional Chin activities, such as Lai Paih (Chin wrestling) and Lailam (Chin traditional dances), still exist, they are typically confined to special cultural events and are not part of everyday life for Chin Americans, especially women: historically, women were not even allowed to enter the wrestling ring. And while Chin communities regularly engage in inclusive group sports like soccer and volleyball, they do little to reinforce Chin language and culture.
To address the lack of games that are both culturally meaningful and inclusive, I redesigned the traditional Chin game, Rualdih!, emphasizing Chin language, history, geography, and decorative patterns. By choosing the original Chin name Rualdih! (meaning "finished stacking"), rather than the Burmese-derived name Ttinbi, the game actively promotes linguistic identity and cultural authenticity. The game instructions are primarily in Laiholh (Hakha Chin), with English translations included to accommodate younger generations and non-Chin players, while retaining key terms like tomte (a cloth ball) and lungrual (wooden stacking pieces symbolizing unity). Visually, the game incorporates cultural symbolism: nine wooden pieces represent Chin State’s original townships, with colors reflecting the new Chin flag and four black pieces symbolizing sacred mountains. Stacked together, they form a cross atop a mountain, symbolizing faith and resilience, a motif repeated in the game's logo. Additionally, traditional Chin textile patterns adorn the game's components, including the cloth ball and carrying case, further celebrating Chin craftsmanship and heritage.
Playtesting
Rualdih!, introducing and playtesting with the Chin Revival Church at a Chin cultural event, Irving, TX, 2023.
Introducing and playtesting Rualdih! with the Amarillo Chin Christian Church Youth Department, Amarillo, TX, 2024.
Introducing and playtesting Rualdih! with young Chin-Americans who speak mostly Chin and some English, Indiana Bethel Baptist Church Youth and Children department, Indianapolis, IN, 2023,
Introducing and playtesting Rualdih! with the mixed-nationality English-speaking MFA in Design graduate students, Austin, TX, 2024, picture by Edward McFarland-Catalan.
Introducing and playtesting Rualdih! with the mixed-nationality English-speaking MFA in Studio Art cohort, Austin, TX, 2024.
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3. Chin Planners
To support daily engagement with Chin heritage, I designed a dual-language planner-notebook that integrates Chin language, traditional wisdom, Christian faith, and cultural aesthetics into everyday routines. This planner prioritizes Chin as the primary language, complemented by English translations, and includes culturally significant holidays, Christian and Jewish observances, and major U.S. events. Its features—such as Chin proverbs, idioms, and Bible verses—encourage regular interaction with the Chin language, fostering meaningful conversations between generations and promoting cultural literacy among younger Chin-Americans.
Visually, each notebook-planner highlights Chin heritage through illustrations of culturally revered flowers like the Bingbir and Chokhlei (rhododendron), symbolizing hope, strength, and resilience. These illustrations and accompanying proverbs embody traditional wisdom, reminding users of their ancestral values, moral teachings, and collective identity. It also features carefully selected Bible verses in Chin for each month, reflecting the centrality of religion and faith in Chin culture, reinforcing spiritual discipline, and encouraging language use in religious contexts. Through consistent daily use, the planner-notebook not only aids in organizing schedules but actively reinforces Chin identity, traditions, and spiritual heritage, helping Chin individuals stay connected and grounded in their cultural roots.
4. Chin Patterns
One of the most visible and meaningful expressions of Chin culture lies in our traditional patterns and textiles. However, these designs are often treated as items reserved only for special occasions—weddings, festivals, and church events—because they are labor-intensive to create and often expensive to purchase. As a result, many Chin people rarely see these beautiful, meaningful patterns in their daily lives. But this should not be the case.
We need to make Chin patterns part of everyday life. These designs represent our stories, our heritage, and our identity. When they are only brought out for rare events, their cultural significance becomes distant and ceremonial, rather than lived and familiar. Integrating these patterns into accessible, everyday items such as clothing, home textiles, stationery, and wall decor would allow them to become regular features of daily life. By reimagining how we use and see traditional patterns, we can ensure that they remain alive, relevant, and meaningful in the context of modern “Everyday design."
5. Chin Calendar
In Chin culture, what is displayed on the walls has long served as a reflection of identity and values. In the past, Chin families in the homeland showcased hunting trophies, tools, and symbols of strength and skill. With the arrival of Christianity, these displays often shifted to Bible verses and faith-based imagery. Today, meaningful wall decor remains important, as Chin families continue to express who they are through what they choose to display in their homes.
To support this tradition, I designed a dual-language tabletop and wall calendar that brings Chin culture into everyday spaces. The tabletop version features seasonal flowers native to Chin State, labeled with their Chin names, and accompanied by traditional patterns, cultural holidays, and U.S. observances. With travel to Chin State currently unsafe, community members helped contribute photographs to visually connect families in the diaspora to their homeland. The wall calendar expands on this by showcasing landscapes and scenes of rural Chin life, with months and days labeled in the Chin language alongside monthly Bible verses. Together, these calendars serve not only as practical tools but as culturally rich, faith-affirming decor that strengthens identity and keeps Chin heritage visible and alive.
Process
Background Research
I am a Chin-American myself, and I am active in Chin church and community groups, so I regularly interact with Chin-Americans of different villages and dialects. When we visit other congregations, I have paid attention to what those spaces look like, what is on the walls, what teaching materials they have for Sunday School, and how they set their tables for meals. What I’ve noticed is that despite how hard Chin-Americans work to sustain their cultural identity in the USA, they lack the kinds of instructional materials and everyday items that would make it easier for them to pass on their language and culture to younger generations. I started making some of the things I wish I had, and posted images on social media, and many other Chin-Americans who have seen those posts have asked me if I could make things for them. It became clear to me that there was a desire, even a longing, for everyday items that reflected our language, our holidays, our national symbols, and our aesthetics.
BBC Sunday School classroom with handwritten English Bible-quote posters on the wall, Dallas, TX, 2024.
ICBC Sunday School classroom wall with Bible-quote posters in English, Indianapolis, IN, 2024. Photo by Angela Par.
Chin Sunday School attendees writing sympathy cards in English on blank printer paper, Amarillo, TX, 2024. Photo by Sarah Par.
Chin Sunday School attendee taking notes in a blank notebook, Amarillo, TX, 2024. Photo by ACCC media group.
Chin kid playing with plastic building blocks, Indianapolis, IN, 2024.
What's Next
Conclusion
The works presented in this thesis reflect a deep commitment to preserving and promoting Chin culture, language, and faith within the diaspora. Through the creation of a Chin national flag, a traditional game, Chin-language planners and calendars, printed Chin cultural-inspired fabric, and everyday items like plate designs and coasters, I aim to bridge the gap between cultural heritage and contemporary life for Chin-Americans. These designs go beyond being decorative or functional; they are tools for cultural reinforcement, encouraging daily engagement with Chin language, faith, values, and traditions.
Next Steps
Moving forward, my goal is to increase access to my designs. In particular, I would like to distribute the Rualdih! game to Chin communities across the U.S. To further expand its influence, I plan to host workshops and organize Rualdih! competitions in more Chin communities, organizations, and churches.
I also aim to introduce the new Chin flag design to Chin communities in the U.S. and eventually to Chin people worldwide. I plan to accomplish this by making the flag available on my website and promoting it through social media, particularly Facebook, where many Chin people connect globally.