Cultural+Traditions

Cultural Traditions
"Until the end of the 19th century the Hmong had no written language. A high value was and still is placed on the oral tradition. Hmong folktales are used not only to instruct and entertain, but to convey the values and beliefs of the community, as well as to explain the world's mysteries, such as "The Origin of the Shaman" and "Why Animals Cannot Talk."- http://www.pbs.org/splithorn/hmong.html



Here is a link to resources of all things Hmong. http://hmonglessons.com/the-hmong-resources/hmong-resources/

=**Hmong Culture**= http://www.laofamily.org/sites/laofamily.org/files/Hmong_Culture.pdf __Houses__ Each time a village moved, families had to build new houses. A traditional Hmong village had about 20 houses. There were no ceremonial or public buildings or shops of any kind. Each house was built on the ground with a dirt floor and no windows. A stove or open fire pit sat in the middle of the main room. Family bedrooms were along the wall and guests slept on a simple bamboo platform located at the end of the main room. The Hmong followed strict rules when building their houses. Every house was built so that the family living in it could see a distant mountain from either the front or back door. Before a house was built, a small hole was dug. Grains of rice were placed in the hole, one grain for each member of the family. The hole was covered for the night. If spirits moved the rice grains during the night, another location had to be found for the house. Four spirits were important to each household. Xwm Kab (Sou Kah) was the protective house spirit. At each New Year Festival a special ceremony was held to honor this spirit who protected members of the household from illness and bad luck. Xwm Kab also helped the families' animals. The spirit of the door was honored each year, especially when a new house was built. Bad luck might come upon a family who ignored this spirit. The central post spirit was also honored with a special ceremony held every three years. This spirit protected the Hmong from bad luck or bad health. The spirit of the fireplace was honored when a house was being abandoned and a new one was being built. The walls and roof of the house were made of bamboo poles and tall grass. The tough, flexible poles gave the home strength. The thick grass kept out the wind and rain. Chickens, cows, and pigs were kept in a nearby pen to protect them from the wild animals living in the surrounding forests.

__Holidays and Celebrations__
Traditionally, the Hmong do not have free weekends, vacation time, or days off. Ceremonies are held to honor birth, death, and spirits, but the only holiday was New Year, which celebrated the harvest.

__Hmong New Year__
In Laos, the New Year festival was the longest and most popular of the Hmong holidays.It lasted about two weeks and was celebrated in December when the moon was darkest and the rice had been harvested. The celebration was held to thank all the gods and ancestors who had helped throughout the year. Everyone in the village, from the youngest to the oldest, was involved. There were games, dances, and plenty of food. Top spinning and stick and sword dances were favorite activities of the boys. The Hmong ball toss game was one of the most colorful New Year activities. It was played by older boys and girls who were planning to be married. The boys and girls lined up in two rows facing each other. The lines were from 20 to 50 feet apart. The players threw a soft black ball back and forth to each other. The ball was thrown so that the

other player could catch it with one hand. If the throw was good and the other player dropped the ball, he or she had to sing a traditional Hmong song or give up a piece of silver or a belt from his or her costume. Every unmarried girl tried to make a new dress, especially for the ball game. During their spare moments from working at home or in the fields, the girls embroidered special designs on their costumes. The boys, too, wore their best new clothes. Each player wore at least one silver collar. The New Year festival remains one of the principal Hmong celebrations. Dances, ball toss games, beautiful clothes, bull fights, cock fights, and special foods continue to make the Hmong New Year a colorful and exciting celebration. It continues to be celebrated in St. Paul, Minnesota at the River Centre on Thanksgiving weekend.

__Education and Language__
The Hmong language is tonal and related to the Sino-Tibetan language family. The various dialects of Hmong are: Stripe Hmong, Green or Blue Hmong and White Hmong. The dialects are mutually intelligible but do differ considerably. The Hmong language, folktales, and traditions were passed along to each generation by word of mouth for thousands of years. The Hmong language was not written down until the late 20th century. There were no schools in the mountains of Laos. The elders taught the children what they needed to know. Those who lived in larger villages had few schools. Some mountain Hmong children were sent to live in town so they could get a formal education. They learned to speak, read and write other languages such as Lao, Thai and French. The Hmong alphabet was designed in the early 1950s by Catholic and Protestant missionaries using the Roman alphabet. Most of the Hmong Catholics and a few of the young Hmong may be able to read and write Hmong. Those who are between 25 and 50 years of age may also read and write Lao. A movement has begun to develop a specific Hmong alphabet and teach basic literacy skills to Hmong Americans in their native language. Many Hmong had their first educational experience here in the U.S. That is, their first attempt at writing or reading is in a language with which they have no familiarity. Many of the adults who enter our English Education program have never before seen a calendar, read time off a clock, or made and kept appointments. Most of them have never before held a pencil or kept a paper for later reference. One Hmong leader stated that the distance between life in Laos and Minnesota is comparable to Minnesotans adjusting to life on the moon. All the rules for living, indeed for survival, are changed.

**Hmong culture in the U.S.**
By Mariah Davis of Arlington High School, [|ThreeSixty] July 19, 2009 A box of red, white and blue cupcakes is set on the table. In broken English and heavy accents the group of Hmong elders at the Hmong American Partnership sing “Happy 73rd Birthday” to Kia Vang.

http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/article/2009/07/07/many-fear-hmong-culture-fading-away.html

Since arriving in the U.S in the 1970s the Hmong have attempted to adapt to western culture. They have encouraged the younger generation to learn English, go to college and even run for political office. But at the same time, some fear that their traditions are fading away with each generation.
 * || The Twin Cities become a more diverse metropolis every day. The 15 students who participated in ThreeSixty’s Intermediate Journalism camp in June reflect that change themselves. And they investigated it, sifting through the layers of immigrants’ influence on the Twin Cities like prospectors mining for golden nuggets, and emerged from camp rich with intriguing stories. ||  ||

Seated with her friends, Kia Vang said she is happy about opportunities for education in America – especially for women. But she worries that young people are forgetting their language and traditions.

“We wish that America accommodated to our traditions but we like the American way of doing things … It’s simpler,” the woman said through an interpreter. The Hmong came to the United States as refugees from Thailand, Laos and China after the Vietnam War. Roughly 180,000 Hmong live mostly in California, Wisconsin and Minnesota. About 27,000 Hmong live in Minnesota, with the vast majority in the Twin Cities.

In Laos, people had very low education levels, and girls were not permitted to go to school. Men were the leaders; women stayed home, were more submissive and had almost no authority. Bao Vang, executive director of the Hmong American Partnership, said she was not allowed to go to school as a child in her homeland, but her brothers could. But now, America has blurred the lines of possibilities for Hmong men and women, said Ka Vang, diversity programs director for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Hmong women are going to school, getting jobs and heading toward careers. Some men stay home to take care of the children and don’t have the leadership roles they had in their homeland. Hmong parents are now pushing education on all of their children so they can have a better life here. State Sen. Mee Moua, DFL-St. Paul, came to United States from Laos when she was nine. Trained in public policy and law, Moua is the nation’s first Hmong-American legislator. Moua described her parents as “traditional but very liberal.”

“[They] made sure children knew the food and language [of their culture]…” Moua said. “[They] had a preference to keep culture in the family but [have been] growing more into the American lifestyle.” Her parents pushed her to pursue high education as a child, but did not expect for her to become a senator. However, the elders and youth of the Hmong community feel that the more Americanized the people become, the more their culture is dying. “The longer you live here, a piece of your culture will die,” Bao Vang said. Hmong traditions include eating rice, vegetables and meat at every meal. Weddings are elaborate, three-day celebrations with dowries and ethnic gifts. Funerals are three-day ceremonies with animal sacrifices and prayers to ancestors.

Some of the elders at the Hmong American Partnership said it’s not as easy to maintain these rituals and traditions now that the Hmong live in America. For example, some families must get traditional Hmong clothing from Thailand or Laos for various celebrations or rituals. Aprill Moua, 17 and a senior at Arlington High School in St. Paul, is very adamant about making sure that she keeps Hmong culture and traditions. “I’m so scared that my culture is dying,” Moua said. “If I don’t keep up with my culture it’s all going to die.” Moua, an honors student, said she loves being a Hmong woman, but at the same time, she doesn’t let that get in the way of new opportunities America has to offer, including college. She said she feels pressure to keep up with Hmong traditions. She is active in the community, attends weddings and funerals, and knows how to cook traditional foods. She speaks English and Hmong, but chooses to speak Hmong at every opportunity whether it’s at home, school or with other Hmong friends.

The traditional Hmong belief structure is based primarily on animism (the belief that all natural objects and individuals have multiple souls), ancestral worship, and reincarnation. Hmong spiritual beliefs are strongly connected to their sense of health and well-being. Hmong may view illnesses as having a natural or a spiritual cause, with the latter resulting from a “loss of souls” or actions or misdeeds that may have offended an ancestor’s spirit (California Department of Health Services, 2004). A common Hmong belief is that a soul can separate from its body and may be unable to find its way back home. The Hmong also may believe that an illness is caused by a combination of natural and supernatural causes. Other causes of illness are believed to stem from spells or curses, violation of taboos, accidents, fright, and infectious diseases (Queensland Health, 2004). Traditional healing practices rely on certain individuals to diagnose and treat ailments; these include shamans, herbalists, magical healers, and others. Each practitioner has a specialty for which he or she is used. A Hmong youth in Laos in a community For instance, a shaman is used for spiritual healing, while an vocational program. Products are sold to herbalist diagnoses illness and dispenses herbal medicines. tourists, and the income benefits his school. Because of these differences, the identified cause of an illness © 2002 Myles F. Elledge. Courtesy of will influence which healing practices are sought (Culhane- Photoshare. Pera et al., 2004). Hmong Christians may not believe in soul loss or other traditional beliefs, but may maintain their belief in fright-illness (ceeb), or symptoms or illnesses that occur after a frightening event. For traditionally religious Hmong, fright illness is usually treated with traditional massage techniques, followed by a soul-calling ceremony conducted by a shaman. Christian Hmong who believe in fright illness may use the traditional massage technique for treatment, but substitute prayer for a soul-calling ceremony (Capps, 1999).
 * http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/guidestoolkits/EthnographicGuides/Hmong/chapters/chapter2.pdf ||