Hmong

The Hmong are an ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.

Learn more about the Hmong

History and Immigration

Early historical accounts indicate that the Hmong fled their communities in China to escape slavery and preserve their culture. They moved into the mountainous regions of Laos in search of fertile lands and their freedom. In the mid 1960s, the American government enlisted approximately 30,000 Hmong individuals to fight against the Vietnam communists. Thousands of Hmong soldiers and civilians died as a result of the war. Many of those that survived were persecuted by the Vietnamese after the war had ended due to their involvement in the war. The Vietnamese imprisoned many Hmong in concentration camps. Approximately 100,000 Hmong were killed, but many of them successfully fled to Thailand where they resided in refugee camps for years. During the 1970s, many Hmong resettled in western countries, including the United States.

Demographics

• Population in Asia

• China –4,500,000

• Vietnam –558,000

• Laos –316,000

• Thailand –124,000

• Burma –2,656

Religion

It is estimated that approximately 70% of Hmong residents in the U.S. practice the traditional Animism and Shamanism. Followers of these religions believe in a spirit world that coexists with the physical one. Shamans are individuals believed to communicate between the two worlds. Many rituals and ceremonies are performed in order to satisfy or pacify the spirits. This includes animal sacrifice, which is often necessary to cure certain illnesses. Followers of these religions also believe in reincarnation.

Culture

Family and Gender

Hmong view marriage as a coming together of two entire clans, not just two families. A clan provides social support and economic assistance. When one wants to speak to a family, he or she should request to speak with the head of the household, this person is typically the father.

Perceptions of Healthcare

The Hmong that follow the traditional religion believe that illness can be caused naturally (from the environment or old age), from spirits, or from curses casted onto wrongdoers by the insulted. The spirits include ancestor, nature, and evil spirits. Ancestor and nature spirits only cause harm or illness if they have been offended in some way. Shamans are the ones trusted to diagnose and treat the cause of the illness. Hmong also believe that 12 souls dwell in the human body, and all must be intact in order for an individual to feel healthy.

Many Western medical practices conflict with Hmong beliefs. For example, many Hmong do not believe in surgery as it may allow for evil spirits to enter the body and hinder reincarnation. For the same reasons, autopsies are not often requested by Hmong. Traditional Hmong believe that each individual is connected to his or her placenta for life. At death, a person travels back to where his or her placenta was once buried (under the parents’ bed, if it was a girl; under the main post of the house, if it was a boy) so that he or she may wear it on his or her journey back to the spiritual origin and subsequently be reincarnated. Proper burial and worship of the deceased directly affects a Hmong family’s health, safety, and prosperity. This often involves many days of ritual (animal sacrifice, for example) and ceremonial song. Hmong often use methods of cupping, spooning, and coining to treat ailments such as headaches and colds.

Helpful Resources

Internet:

• Building Bridges: Teaching about the Hmong in our Communities Presentation

• Hmong Cultural Center

• Hmong Studies Internet Resource Center

• Hmong Homepage

• Hmong Archives: Preserving the Hmong Heritage

• Hmong Culture