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What is a Hmong 1.0

kaonoux1 | May 18, 2011 |

1 Comments | Rating: 1

What is a Hmong?

You’ve seen the movie and now you may ask yourself, “What is a Hmong?” The movie Gran Torino directed by and starring Clint Eastwood introduced the American viewer to an unknown and mysterious people called the Hmong.

Where did they come from?

Most of the Hmong people in the United States are from Laos, a small and low-key country in Southeast Asia. However, the Hmong people are originally from what is now known as southwest China. During the Vietnam War, the Hmong people fought against the rising Communist regime in Laos alongside the Americans. Unfortunately, democracy did not prevail and the Communist party took over Vietnam as well as Laos. Once the Americans left Southeast Asia, Hmong people began fleeing to refugee camps in Thailand for safety. Then just as explained in Gran Torino, the Hmong people migrated to the United States with the sponsorship of Lutherans.

What language do they speak?

Hmong people speak Hmong and yes, you do pronounce that “H” in the word Hmong so it is not a silent “H”. It is a tonal language much like Cantonese or Mandarin. For example, if you say “ba!” as compared to “baaa”, you just said two completely different words, the first word meaning “flower” and the second word meaning “help”.

What is their religion?

The Hmong people believe in what some may call Animism or Shamanism. During their ceremonies, a Shaman calls upon ancestors and spirits to protect an individual or a family. An animal such as a chicken, pig or cow is usually sacrificed as well.

Where may I encounter a Hmong person?

The majority of the Hmong people still reside in Southwest China and Southeast Asia. However, you will most likely encounter a Hmong person in the Central Valley in California, Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin. So if you meet an Asian person in those areas, instead of asking if they are Chinese or Japanese, try asking them if they are Hmong and you may actually be right!