An Analysis of the Hmong New Year in Minnesota and Wisconsin

Department of History University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Shaping Identities for Hmong Americans: An Analysis of the Hmong New Year in Minnesota and Wisconsin By: Panhia Xiong History 489 Research Capstone Professor: Oscar Chamberlain Cooperating Professor: Charles C. Vue Copyright for this work is owned by the author. This digital version is published by McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire with the consent of the author. December 18, 2014 1 Table of Contents Abstract……..……………………………………………………………………………………..3 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..4 Historiography…………………………………………………………………………………….5 Hmong New Year: Shamanism and the Festival………………………………………………….7 The Assimilation Theory………………………………………………………………………...10 Hmong New Year Activities in Laos…………………………………………………………….13 Competitions, Pageants, and the Night Party…………………………………………………….16 Language Barriers: Hmong and English…………………………………………………………19 The Traditional Attire……………………………………………………………………………22 A Modern Twist in Clothing…………………………………………………………………......24 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….27 Appendix………………………………………………………………………………………....31 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………..35 2 Abstract Hmong Americans have resided in the United States for roughly 40 years after the Vietnam War. Shifting from their original way of life, Hmong Americans began to assimilate into the American lifestyle in order to survive in the new environment. The effect of assimilating Hmong Americans youth have shown some little interest in learning about the Hmong culture. For some others, the knowledge of Hmong culture is minimal knowing only the basic history of the Hmong. This has stimulated a fear amongst the older Hmong who worried that the Hmong culture will cease to exist. Thus, in order to teach the Hmong culture to Hmong American youths and non-Hmong, the older Hmong have relied on the Hmong New Year celebration as a method to maintain their ethnic identity and culture. The remnants of the Hmong culture: language, clothing, and activities are emphasized in the celebration as a way to keep the Hmong culture and history alive. 3 Introduction: The Hmong People and the Vietnam War Initially from China, the Hmong once belonged to the ethnic group known as Miao. To avoid oppression from imperial rule during the Qing dynasty, the Hmong fled the country and migrated southward living in the highlands of Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Aware that the climate was similar to that of China, many Hmong populations built villages in the highlands and lived a comfortable life. Some took the occupation of raising livestock as others became merchants and made a living selling herbs, clothes, or lumber. Once the Vietnam War started in the countries of Laos and Vietnam, it affected many of the Hmong as they became allies with the American force. The anti-communist forces United States, South Vietnam, along with the help of the Hmong people were losing heavily against communist Pathet Lao, Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Armies. After the Fall of Saigon in April of 1975, American troops fled the region as well as high Hmong officers. The Hmong who were left behind fled for their lives aware of the persecution that would come after them for alliancing with the anti-communist forces. Those who stayed were either killed or coerced into the new regime. Near the Thailand border, the large masses of Hmong refugees who crossed the Mekong River were given aid by the Thai government. The establishment of refugee camps housed thousands of Hmong refugees and quickly became overpopulated.1 The growing number of Hmong refugees concerned the Thai government due to the lack of funding to stabilize the camps. This in part also gave way to question the legality of residency of Hmong refugees. A growing number of Hmong resistance groups based in Hmong refugee camps also became a concern for Thailand who wanted to remain neutral.2 Eventually, the inability to support such a 1 The Split Horn, Produced by Taggart Siegel and Jim McSilver, feating Paja Thao and his family (PBS, 2001), accessed December 6, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LnvuMyUvfI. 2 Laos Diplomatic Handbook, Ibp Usa, (International Business Publications, 2007), 61, 76, accessed December 6, 2014, http://books.google.com/books?id=LJ8LdXbNzssC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false. 4 huge population called for a closure of camps. On the other side of the globe, the Refugee Act of 1980 was passed in the United States which stated that individuals who were “unable” or “unwilling” to return to his or her home based on the fear of persecution and in search of asylum were granted the option of resettlement.3 Hmong refugees were given the chance to move and start a new life spreading worldwide residing in countries such as China, France, the United States and others who agreed to accept the asylum seekers. In the United States, Hmong Americans migrated to areas in California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin where their families were highly concentrated. Hmong dialects spoken were either White Hmong or Green Hmong/Mong Leng which also signified subgroups based on their clothing to clarify any confusion. To understand the usage of Green Hmong and Mong Leng, some preferred to be identified by Mong Leng based on historical folklore but both share the same dialect and clothing. Hence in most writings, White Hmong and Green Hmong/Mong Leng are recorded with as written. Historiography Scholars who have researched the Hmong people based on their involvement in the Vietnam War looked at their experiences and lifestyle. The guerilla tactics done by Hmong soldiers and their experiences after the war have been recorded in many books describing their military experience and outlook on the war. The extensive research on Hmong soldiers and their role in the war have shed light on their perspective of the event but lacked the understanding of their everyday lifestyle before the war leading some researchers to turn their interest in learning about who the Hmong people are and how they have come to address the social changes of war. Paul and Elaine Lewis, as an example, examined the culture and lifestyle of the Hmong in 3 US Congress, Refugee Act of 1980, 96th Cong., 1. 5 Southeast Asia in the 1980s. In their photographic book called, Peoples of the Golden Triangle, the Lewis’ focused on the minority groups in Thailand taking photographs of the different ethnic groups’ clothing, lifestyle, and ceremonial rituals. Their approach to exploring the lifestyle of those particular minority groups especially the Hmong through vivid photographs allowed for a new perspective on approaching historical artifacts and live subjects. The book has illustrated the Hmong culture post-war and brought forth a new approach on Hmong history which will be further discussed. The Lewis’ exploration of the Hmong culture using photography was similarly approached by researcher Annette Lynch. Focused on gender and identity, Lynch expressed the ideas of assimilation through clothing. Lynch’s use of photography enabled her to capture the transition of the traditional Hmong clothing to a style of modernity that emphasized glitter and sequins arguing that the ideas and opinions of the individuals wearing the clothes were influenced of combining both elements of traditional and modern, thus displaying their dual identity of being both Hmong and an American. An example she presented was the comparison of the traditional, simplistic clothes versus the modern, brightly-patterned Hmong clothes; the modern clothing had glitter and sequin embellishments on tops and bottoms compared to the traditional outfit that lacked these additional aspects. The decision of adding different elements onto the traditional clothing represented a move against the cultural norm assisting a new change for Hmong Americans. Likewise, activities seen and performed at Hmong New Years were adapted. The illegality of obtaining bulls and watching bull fights called for new activities for Hmong and non-Hmong spectators alike to enjoy while immersed themselves in the Hmong culture. Western activities present at Hmong American New Year celebrations were accepted as part of a 6 tournament special along with dance and singing competitions. Gary Yia Lee and Nicholas Tapp both compared Hmong New Year activities celebrated back in Laos to those of the celebrations here in the United States. Lee and Tapp raised valid points that the cultural shift such as items being sold at multiple Hmong New Year celebrations became mass produced for profit purposes losing the meaning of the handiwork and its producer for example.4 This book shed light on the traditional values of the Hmong New Year and compared it to the adaptation of Hmong New Years in the United States detailing the significant changes and the outcomes due to those changes. In Mother of Writing, written by William A. Smalley, Chia Koua Vang, and Gnia Yee Yang, they explored and introduced the writer of the Hmong language Shong Lue Yang. Before the Hmong were able to write their own histories, ethnographers and missionaries have already researched and documented the lives of Hmong people through teaching the Hmong Roman Phonetic Alphabet (RPA). This book differed from other sources because it focused on the life of Shong Lue Yang and how he came to spread the teachings of Pahawh Hmong which is considered the original Hmong written language. Today, both the RPA and Pahawh Hmong are widely used among the Hmong communities. Hmong New Year: Shamanism and the Festival Due to the widespread migration of the Hmong after the Refugee Act of 1980, the lives of the Hmong individuals changed drastically from their original slash-and-burn tactics to obtaining entry-level positions. The daily clothes that were suited for the mild temperature in 4 Gary Yia Lee and Nicholas Tapp, Culture and Customs of the Hmong (Santa Barbara: Greenwood Press, 2010), 184. 7 Laos were substituted for thicker jackets to protect their bodies from the cold Minnesota and Wisconsin seasons of fall and winter. However, what remained the same was the celebration of the Hmong New Year festival.

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