Exploring Hoosier Heritage at Home

April 17, 2020

Due to the Covid-19 precautions, our previously scheduled Ethnic Eats: Myanmar on April 16 was postponed. Inspired by our multicultural collecting initiatives, our Ethnic Eats series began in 2017 exploring the food of the many cultures who call Indiana home. While learning together is certainly preferable to virtual gatherings, we can still learn about the culture and experiences of some of our newest neighbors from the comfort of our own homes.

For this Ethnic Eats we were planning to travel to the Burmese American Community Institute to learn more about the Burmese refugee and immigrant population of Indianapolis and the services available to help this new and growing community. Since the early 2000s, more than 25,000 individuals from the Myanmar mainland have settled in Indiana. They have been victims of persecution, genocide, injustice and war. To understand more about this ongoing conflict please review:

• Human Rights Watch | World Report 2019: Myanmar
• Refugee Council
• Myanmar Rohingya: What You Need to Know About the Crisis
• “They Call It Myanmar: Lifting the Curtain” available for free on Vudu and Tubi and to rent on iTunes. (Warning: This documentary contains mature and graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised).

More than 20,000 of these individuals have built new homes in the Southport and Greenwood area due to affordable housing, job availability, and established programs that provide resettlement services. Other populations have settled in northern Indianapolis in Nora as well as Fort Wayne, Ind. This growing community provides stability for more incoming refugees and immigrants, but the transition certainly isn’t an easy one. To learn more about some stories of Indiana resettlement please read:

• Getting to Know Our Neighbors, the Burmese Community on the South side
• A New Wave of Burmese Find Refuge in Indiana
• The Survivor: A Burmese Refugee’s Tale
• Fort Wayne Refugee Project Report, 1999 | Indiana Historical Society Collection

BACI does fantastic work for this community. Their mission is “to build a thriving, self-sufficient, and sustainable, integrated Burmese Community through advocacy, education and employment.” Starting in 2011, BACI has helped more than 9,000 individuals through its various programs and has thriving after-school programs for its youth. To learn more about how BACI assists their refugee and immigrant population check out their website and digital collections (such as newsletters, documentaries, and community integration guide) available through the Indianapolis Public Library.

With a growing international population comes new menus and markets. Check out the menus and reviews of these Burmese restaurants in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne and add them to your social distance to-go meal plan today:

• Kimu Restaurant
• The Burmese Restaurant at the Heart of “Chindianapolis”
• Best Burmese Food Outside Burma… in Fort Wayne?!?
• Yelp’s Top 10 Burmese Restaurants in Indianapolis

If you’re feeling a little more adventurous with your down time and want to explore trying some new dishes, check out these:

• Here’s What You Need to Know About Burmese Food
• 20 Scrumptious Burmese Foods
• Burmalicious by Suu

If you’re able to grab takeout or try a new recipe at home, post a photo of your favorite dish in the comments. Keep an eye out for the future rescheduled Ethnic Eats: Myanmar and other Ethnic Eats adventures.

Lauren K. Peightel is Manager of Genealogy and Cultural Programs for the Indiana Historical Society

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