Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. From the late 19th through the 20th century the Hmong have periodically risen up in armed revolt against colonial and postcolonial authorities, a response to the exploitation and hardship imposed by more dominant peoples. St. Paul, Minnesota (Culhane-Pera, Vawter, Xiong, Babitt and Solberg, 2003) (Lee and Pfeifer, 2005). 919 North Court St. Clan leaders will typically settle any dispute between two Hmong persons or between different clans. It refers to the area that extends from the superior margin of the forehead to the chin, and from one ear to another. For example, the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Wat Resettlement Working Group convened by Congresswoman Betty McCollums Office located in Minnesota, is one of the councils that helped seek political asylum for Hmong refugees. Hmong families in the US average 6.51 persons compared to 3.14 persons overall US families. Hmong veterans continue to struggle with the lack of equal recognition and benefits for their sacrifices compared to U.S. vets, Vang said, which has become a "long-standing fight and struggle . A married daughter and son in-law has a different house and ancestor spirits; therefore two sets of different spirits could never live under the same roof. Since the late 18th century, the Hmong alone among the Miao groups have slowly migrated out of the southern provinces of China, where about 2.7 million still remain. Hostile spirits, spells, curses and a violation of taboos are other factors believed to cause illness. Watch for a taboo sign outside the front of the house indicating the family should not be disturbed because the house is being protected from evil spirits. Credit: Nicolas Ma. If that fails, the next level of the hierarchy will take over. An adult male is expected to have full knowledge of traditional values passed from his father or male relative. Dictionary Entries near facial features. The new tool genotypes 41 markers for eye, hair, and skin color, 17 unique to skin. To avoid misinterpretations, a male should keep a distance between himself and a female when in conversation or in any type of encounter. 2222 Catalpa Road. (Mote, 2004). However, the U.S. did not fully acknowledge the Hmong role in the war until the early 1980s. Although male children are desired and given greater spiritual responsibilities in the family, this does not mean that daughters are given less affection. Older Hmong females may feel helpless because they are uneducated, do not have job skills, experience a language barrier, and therefore are unable to earn enough income to support their children and family. For instance, if the first child is a boy, it is said that the daughter in-law/wife has brought good fortune. This issue creates challenges for adults in communicating with children who are more acculturated and in searching for and maintaining jobs. (Vue, L. & Lor, K ., 2006), In Hmong culture, mothers and mothers-in-law help at the birth, which often occurs in the squatting position, with the husband helping to cut the cord and wash the newborn infant. Here is the translation and the Hmong word for facial features: ntsej muag nta Edit. Traditionally, it is considered inappropriate for the opposite genders to sit too close to one another when conversing. The larger the clan the more services it is able to offer its members including help finding jobs and apartments. In the United States, Hmong men often wait to marry until their late teens or early twenties when they are finished with their education, though it is still relatively common for girls to marry in their middle teens. Hmong families rely mainly on traditional healers and shamans for prevention and treatment of mild to life-threatening illnesses. (Culhane-Pera,et.al., 2003). Traditionally, Hmong use home therapies for common aliments. The head of the household in a Hmong family is usually the father, though the mother also has a highly respected role at home and in some ways, especially in child rearing and daily household affairs, she is the leader of the family. A identified a case in which the likely source of lead exposure in a young child in the U.S. was a traditional amulet made in Cambodia with leaded beads that was worn by the child. Fifty-six percent of Hmong are under the age of 18 compared to twenty-five percent of the entire US population. New Year celebrations are still a time of courtship and result in many marriages. Traditional animists may be more willing to attend Christian rituals than their Christian counterparts are willing to attend animist rituals. According to geneticists, there is a particular Hmong blond gene that it is completely different from the Caucasian one. Among Christian Hmong, prayer is also used to seek healing. Traditionally, during family feasts, males ate first. Dylan belongs to the Hmong, a community of war refugees and their descendants who . Clans offer security. Disclaimer:EthnoMedis designed for educational purposes only and is not rendering medical advice or professional services. The groom enlists the help of his male clan relatives to raise the dowry. The Hmong also cultivated hemp, which they used to make clothing. Traditionally, the engagement follows a strict protocol of negotiations held between the brides parents and the groom, with the support of his male relatives. According to the 2000 Census, the largest population of Hmong in the U.S. numbers more than 65,000 in California; followed by 41,800 in Minnesota; 33, 791 in Wisconsin; 7,093 in North Carolina; 5383 in Michigan; 3000 in Colorado; 2101 in Oregon; 1468 in Georgia; 1294 in Washington; and 1127 in Massachusetts. Critical health issues for Hmong people in the US include diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney problems, hepatitis A, and mental health. Three days after a child is born, an important elder man or woman in the community conducts a ceremony to call the childs soul into their body, to welcome the child to the family and to thank the fairy godmother (Niam Nkauj Kab Yeeb) that is believed to have sent the child to earth. Extended families often live together under the same roof, though may separate to different dwellings as siblings marry and have children. However, in relation to the overall Hmong population across the US there are few resources available to preserve Hmong language due to barriers in planning and funding language and cultural classes. Otherwise, the family will stop eating and will talk to the guest until he or she leaves. 1 pt. Some Hmong remained in the Thai camps, while many resettled in other parts of the world. Many homes have a family member specializing in healing herbs. Phone: (202) 463-2118, Lao Family Community, Inc. of Tulare County Members of a shared ceremonial family those who can trace common ancestors between them, rather than people belonging to a clan or sub-clan by virtue of a shared name can die and have funerals in one anothers house. Cha, D. (2003). The traditional wedding itself can last days, with chant readings and feasting. The ceremony is an occasion for naming the child and for relatives and community members to offer blessings and words of wisdom to the child. Rice is usually eaten at every meal, along with everyday dishes of meats, fish and vegetables, grilled, fried boiled and spiced. See: Consider Lead and Other Heavy Metal Toxicities in the Evaluation of Nonspecific Symptoms.). In the Hmong culture, one must respect and try to consider what the parents are saying no matter how old he/she is. In Laos, the Hmong lived more closely to each other and learned to communicate and understand each other across the dialects. This negative image continues to taint families in the US. In addition, Hmong is mono-syllabic so one syllable represents one word or meaning. Every person has a number of souls who may wander away from the body or be trapped by evil spirits, causing illness, and it is the shamans job to diagnose this and to retrieve the soul (see shamanism; soul loss). A Fresno Journal article by Patricia Leigh Brown, , describes how members of the Hmong American Writers Circle are addressing a new kind of coming of age in America, as the first generation to grow up with a written language rather than the traditional spoken word. The CIA coordinated efforts against Laotian Communists, the Pathet Lao, in partnership with Hmong military leader General Vang Pao and the Royal Lao Government. A person is thought to have been allotted time on earth by God and to have been given several souls. People greet each other verbally and men shake hands. If there is a strong interest to explore indulgence in Hmong, the word needs to be defined carefully in order to guide discussion. Rice is a staple in Hmong cuisine. In the early 1990s many UN refugee camps in Thailand were closed and Hmong who remained there were forced to move to a non-UN camp at the Thai Buddhist temple Wat Tham Krabok, where suffering continued, especially isolation from not being allowed to go outside of the camp. Within some families, divisions have resulted when some members have converted to Christianity and others have not. Pregnancy is considered sacred and especially fragile in the first trimester. (Culhane-Pera, et. After the feasts, the community would have one single New Year celebration lasting several dayswith activities of ball tossing and chanting poetic songs, boys seeking brides and girls seeking potential husbands. In 1975, many Hmong-Lao fled to Thailand as refugees, escaping the persecution and retaliation of the Lao communist government. Hmong people are traditionally not individualistically oriented, but identify the self as a member of the family, clan and community. Secondly, she gains status by having lots of sons. Many women continue making tradition-derived needlework that finds its way to market, usually through fairs or the Pike Place Market. The men in the family may consult traditional healers for advice about health care decisions. People converted for various reasons to please their Christian resettlement sponsors, to qualify for private school scholarships or in response to the difficulty of performing traditional rituals. (Hmong Cultural Center, 2000), Traumatic experiences of war and its aftermath leave an impact on health. The two main cultural divisions of the Hmong in Southeast Asia are the White Hmong and the Green Hmong, which may refer to the colour of womens clothing. The Annamite Mountains form an eastern border with Vietnam. Chinese text suggests the Hmong originated in 2300 B.C. Neck stringing is generally done to promote good health. Hmong culture is based on agrarian religious beliefs. He is someone who knows all the rules and norms of the culture. In the homeland, there was no fence to separate one persons farm from anothers farm and still, there was no theft issue. The year 2006 marks the relocation of Hmong out of Wat Tham Krabok to a more isolated place in Thailand where many Hmong are deprived access to join families in the U.S., and where they continue to fear for their own lives. Their month calendar counts 30 days per month. With proper guidance from Hmong musical performers during the funeral rituals, Hmong believe that the souls of the deceased will come back to their ancestors for reincarnation, and that the new bodies of their relatives will come back as new members of Hmong families. Though a minority language in China, Hmong may have influenced spoken Chinese. Traditionally, the clans provided any social services required of their members. A shaman is the supreme spiritual healer whose primary means of patient care is to travel to the spirit world. Human Anatomy Fundamentals: Basics of the Face Human Anatomy Fundamentals: Mastering Facial Expressions Often boys and girls would use a secret form of language to communicate with one another. In addition, due to lack of medical knowledge, the gender of the infant is said to be due to the faith (luck) of the women. Medical examinations of the breast or private parts are sensitive issues in the Hmong community (as well as other ethnicities not used to Western medical practices). This is an on-line learning module, but you can download the module as a PDF and print the cultural profile by filling out a short survey. 2245 Florin Road Sacramento, CA 95822 Personal communication. The main material of the Hmong traditional costume is flax. Growing flax to weave cloth and make clothes is a very hard and sophisticated job, requiring the ingenuity and perseverance . In the modern day, specifically in the US, as many children and parents become independent, there is tendency to live in separate houses. Of the current population, about 26.4% arrived between 1985-1989; 28% arrived 1990-1994; and an estimated 5% have arrived between 2002-2006. Donnelly, N. (2006). During the period of French colonialism in SE Asia, the French relied on the Hmong for their skills in weaponry and military service. al., 2003). This is still practiced by some clan members. A comment such as your child is cute is not appreciated. (Cha, 2003). Having a youthful-looking face a babyface, as it were is desirable. It is traditional and good manners to send guests away from a meal with food, leftovers, to take home with them. Traditionally, Hmong believe the placenta is required for reincarnation and bury it at the place of birth, under the house. Hmong believe that if a bad spirit hears such comments, it might come and take the childs soul away. This is a dish common for many adults and elder people, even in the US today. A community estimate puts the total number of Hmong living in the U.S. at a much higher number, 283,239. Only the ancestors who were parents become spirits that are feared and revered, because they can bring harm to the living descendants. The first Hmong refugees began arriving in the US in late 1975, mostly sponsored by religious groups and non-profit organizations. During traditional Hmong weddings, wine and/or beer are offered each time a negotiation is made or when a new conversation takes place between a member of the bride and grooms family members. Within a lineage, there is an elder man, usually the oldest living descendant, who is the head leader, assuming major responsibilities over his lineage, resolving problems and conducting group ceremonies. If the ancestors are pleased, they will protect the believers descendants from illness and natural disasters. For more unusual or serious problems people seek help from folk medicine doctors, ritual healers, and shamans. The soul caller moves from the place where the soul was lost to the patients spirit door in their home, holding a live chicken and enticing the soul home with sweet chanting, incense, liquor and food. Menopause is not discussed in the community. Elders may be less respected and feel depressed about their lesser place in the family. In Laos, infants were carried on their mothers backs. The New Year, which starts on the 30th day of the 12th lunar month, is a time for honouring the familys ancestral and household spirits, and for the family to remain together, but also for visiting other villages and playing communal games. Spirits of nature include mountains, trees, streams, valleys, caves, ponds, and winds. The dialects take their names from the differences in style and color of men and womens traditional clothing. (Keown-Bomar, 2004). Two neighborhood activities that thrive are the New Year celebrationswhere people would travel from afar to join the event and family feasts (for example, to change a married mans name to an adult name) where relatives who still share common values would come together to support each other. Clans bridge the broad cultural divisions that are thought to reflect the migration of different groups of Hmong from central China. Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Association Coalition (SEAMAAC) The Hmong parents are to help look after the sons children (their grandchildren), except in the case when the parents are not able due to very old age or medical condition. The amount symbolizes family status, bride integrity, new relationship between the families, the brides value in her own family, and promised security of marriage. By playing a small mouth harp they could approximate human speech. More than 170,000 live in the United States and nearly 20,000 more in France (15,000), Australia (2,000), French Guiana (1,500), Canada (600), and Argentina (600). Daughters marry into their husbands clan and even if divorced or widowed are not allowed to return to the clan of their birth. The Hmong people relocated throughout their history, maintaining a strong sense of cultural identity and independence. To foster understanding of the medical exams or diagnosis, visual aids of the human body part related to health condition must be used to accompany the information. Difficulties included living in apartments without access to outside yards for performing rituals, as well as outsiders suspicion of animal sacrifices and intolerance of loud chanting. Since the late 18th century, the Hmong alone among the Miao groups have slowly migrated out of the southern provinces of China, where about 2.7 million still remain. In Laos, a suitor would play the mouth harp outside the house of the girl he was interested in. Retrieved September 19, 2006, from http://www.arts.wa.gov/folk-arts/hmong.shtml, Hmong Cultural Center. For several thousand years, the Hmong lived relatively independently while paying tribute to the Chinese government. It was somewhat common in Laos and Thailand for a younger woman to marry an older man. Upon observing this sign, do not knock or enter the house. In general, Hmong believe a couple is ready for marriage when they are able to handle the responsibilities, socially and economically, of having a family. The symptoms of soul loss include weakness, tiredness, fever and headache, loss of appetite with extra thirst, insomnia or dreams of being in a strange place with a stranger. (Culhane-Pera, et.al., 2003). Updates? The Hmong dog is a new dog breed that is rapidly gaining popularity; it is originally from Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam. Hmong women may refuse vaginal examinations, especially by male doctors. The Hmong living in highland Laos practiced slash and burn agriculture on the fertile, shallow, mountaintop soil. There may be resistance to vaccines and problems of adherence to treatments that require long-term sustained use of medicine. In both ceremonies, animals are sacrificed in thanks for the child and his/her souls. Medicinal plants are grown in home gardens or imported from Thailand, and are administered in teas and ointments. More people speak White Hmong. Refrain from quickly saying No. Their religious practices include sacrificing animals such as pigs and chickens. As mentioned above, traditionally, infants and toddlers in many Southeast Asian countries have worn amulets or protection strings around their necks, wrists, or waists. In the United States, less-assimilated Hmong may have a limited English vocabulary; it is helpful to use simple terminology whether by telephone, in person, or through an interpreter. In Face Processing, 2006. Eventually, the clan became included in the name. After a general anesthetic, it may be necessary to perform a soul calling ceremony in the operating room. Abusive use of opium leads to family poverty and causes a bad family name. Hmong society is organized through a number of patrilineal clans with Chinese surnames such as Li, Wang, and Yang. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press. Elder people are highly respected, and its expected they will be taken care of by the younger generation. Marriage between members of the same clan no matter how distant the relationship is strictly forbidden. In Laos, men may marry multiple wives, but due to the custom of bride price, polygamy has been mostly restricted to wealthy men. In the US, having drinks during family meals is similar to American meals. Though often treated badly by fellow countrymen, the Hmong excelled in government service positions and as liaisons with the representatives of the French government. The Hmong society remains one of the most structured social groupings in the world. Human Anatomy Fundamentals: Advanced Facial Features Joumana Medlej Last updated May 9, 2014 23 likes Read Time: 16 min Illustration Drawing Human Anatomy Facial Features Art This post is part of a series called Human Anatomy Fundamentals. Food and Drug Administration. For example, White Hmong women traditionally wore white skirts on special occasions while Green Hmong women wore blue/black skirts died with colorful indigo. In addition, they have a longer and wider face, which gives a bigger view of the eyes making them to one of the prominent features on their faces. Hmong rituals usually revolve around the practices that their ancestors passed onto them. From 1790-1860, the Hmong fled south from Chinese persecution into Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. A soul calling ceremony is required to cure the sick person. Families eat together around the table, using utensils both in Laos and in the US. (Culhane-Pera, et.al., 2003). A couple may elope if the girl is trying to avoid an unwanted union or when the parents do not consent to the union of a couple who wish to be together. Contributor(s): Long Vue, MPH, Health Educator A funeral consists of 5 days of ceremony including speeches, drumming, hours-long chants to guide spirits home to Heaven, and ritualized crying a way of declaring love for the person. Hmong are restricted from marrying someone in their same clan. From 1963-1975 during the Vietnam War and the CIAs secret war in Laos, the Hmong were recruited for their military skill and trained and fought on the side of the United States. In this ceremony, animals such as a pig or a cow are sacrificed in thanks for the child and his/her souls. The facial features of Grass Hmong is found fairly close to KamTai populations. (Hmong Cultural Center, 2000). Spirits of nature can cause physical and psychological harm to Hmong in the guise of illness, nightmares, and even death. The newborn may therefore be greeted by expressions such as you are ugly in order to fool the spirits and protect the baby. Hmong Association of Oregon Wri tten Hmong using the RPA script is not universally accepted or understood and may not be the most effective way to communicate. Unmarried daughters were referred to as other peoples women since they married and became part of the husbands family. Economics/jobs: Many parents must both work in order to earn a living or to pursue their economic goals, leaving many teenage kids home alone. Youth/Generational conflicts: Children raised in the US have more understanding of the English language, American history and values portrayed by the media. New Year (traditionally marking the end of one agricultural year and start of next) is a time for family reunions, community gatherings and meeting prospective mates/partners. There is a belief that drinking cold water or failing to eat properly can lead to having wrinkles or skin rashes, or walking bent over in old age. At all levels, the Hmong are communitarian in nature, surviving on relationships. The Hmong Community: From Laos to the Puget Sound. If no one in the household is able to call the soul, a revered soul caller is consulted. The combinations identify 3 eye colors, 4 hair colors, and 5 skin color categories, which the researchers. The differences between White and Green Hmong can be compared to the kinds that exist between British and American English. Traditional families may have just had a shaman perform a ritual when a woman has given birth, or a ritual to get rid of bad spirits. That has been true for many cultures, but it is especially hard for the Hmong as they are the most recent refugees and have to survive in this modernized country. In Southeast Asia rows of unmarried boys and girls play catch with a cloth ball, while in China there is the beating back and forth of a feather shuttlecock. Retrieved September 19, 2006, Hmong National Development, Inc. & Hmong Cultural Resource Center (2003). For a shaman, the altar is the sacred place where the shaman spirits dwell. Some Christian Hmong label traditional animist practices as sinful. In their newlywed role, the couple gives their parents decorated pieces of cloth to work against the day of the parents deaths, a ritualized way the couple wishes the parents long life and good health. Some efforts are made (mainly in states with high concentration of Hmong such as California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) to stem the loss by offering language classes to younger people and preserving language in writing. On the other hand, some Hmong believe it is dangerous for everyone when Christian members of the household disrespect the spirits by not performing the traditional rituals. Hmong, ethnic group living chiefly in China and Southeast Asia and speaking Hmong, one of the Hmong-Mien languages (also known as Miao-Yao languages). People may be hesitant to say much or respond to questions asked by the police, being afraid of saying the wrong things due to their limited English ability. Chan, S. (1994). Shamans perform divination procedures for diagnosis, and trance rituals for curing and further protection. The share of the population ages 16 and older who are not employed differs from the unemployment rate because . The fathers naming ceremony and the naming ceremony for the child is combined for Green Hmong, while White Hmong usually do two separate ceremonies. Refugee arrivals peaked at 27,000 in 1980. Ancestral spirits include any deceased member of the family. Traditionally, Hmong men receive their adult names after the first child is born. People may perceive they are receiving sub-par care because they are poor, lack insurance, are seen for so little time by the doctor, or feel the doctors impatience. The first Hmong refugees began arriving in the US in late 1975, mostly sponsored by religious groups and non-profit organizations. They sold opium to itinerant traders, usually Chinese, in return for silver. The reputations of care providers, those trusted and those not trusted, are shared in the community. Queensland Health, Community Health Profile Hmong. One solution to minimize the challenge of family feud for both Hmong parents and children is to encourage parents to teach family values and secure funding to teach Hmong history/values so children raised in the US could better live in both worlds Hmong and Western cultures. Many families were split apart in these resettlements. Distinctions among various kinds of rice are found in Hmong language new rice, sweet rice, purple rice, sticky rice, rice in field, harvested rice. Several Hmong families have established truck farms near Woodinville, selling vegetables and flowers in the Pike Place Market in Seattle. A decrease in extended families living together has led to loss of social support for elderly parents. He may not necessarily be the most educated but is someone who holds the respect of others because he cares for the people and is just and fair. Some elderly Hmong might consult with relatives or the clan leader or a community member with knowledge of the legal system before permitting the police to enter their home. While having a big family is valued, it does not necessarily lead to higher status.