Hmong Culture

Hmong Culture

The Hmong people were the first people that were identified as occupying the yellow river valley in china. In the early 1800s the Hmong people began to move into Indochina and then began crossing the borders of China about 10 years later into Northern Laos (mountain areas that allow for safe cover). The Hmong people migrated to these regions as they were trying to avoid oppression. The Hmong lived in villages that consisted of about 10 to 20 bamboo dwellings that were situated just below the mountain summits. In 1954 Laos gains their independence and became a member of the United States. Once Laos was a member of the United States, military soldiers came in to train the Hmong to fight against the communists. The Hmong were involved in several secret wars and even joined forces with the U.S between 1961-1973, when the Vietnam War was being fought. The Hmong joined the United States in this war and when the U.S pulled its troops out the Hmong people were targeted and many were massacred. Those that were not massacred escaped and found refuge in the refugee camps in Thailand. The Hmong then began to immigrate to the U.S. in 1976. The Hmong are very supernatural people and feel that it is supernatural cause that brings disease, death and misfortune. They believe that the spirits of their ancestors, nature, evil and their house are what is responsible for anything going wrong with the family when this being is angered. One of the most dynamic importances in the Hmong community is the sense of family. They feel that the well being and welfare of the community is much more important than the individual person themselves. They have a strong bond and there are many generations that share the same home and they solve problems within the home by the male elders that keep the family strong and provide the intervention to the family. The Hmong people hold different values and goals than those of the American culture. Where Americans hold individual goals and...

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