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ED 206 7,6 AUTHOR V Understanding Laotian People DOCU5ANT RESUME ED 206 7,6 OD 021 678 AUTHOR V Harmon, Roger E. and Culture. TITLE Understanding Laotian People, Language, Bilingual Education ResourceSeries. INSTITUTION Washington Office of the StateSuperintendent of Public Instruction, Olympia. SPONS AGENCY Office of Education (DREW)Washington, D.C. PUB.DATE (79) NOTE 38p. ERRS PRICE MF11/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *adjustment (to Environment): AsianHistory: Bilingual Education; Comparative Education;*Cultural Influences: Elementary SecondaryEducation; English (Second Language): *Laotians: *Refugees;*Second Language Instruction ABSTRACT This is a guide for teachersand administrators to familiarize them with the Laotianpeople, language and culture. The first section contains a brief geographyand history of Laos, a discussion of the ethnic and lingustic grpupsof Laos, and information on the economic andreligious life of these groups. Section two describes the Laotianrefugee experience and considers life in the some of the adjustmentsLaotians must make for their new United States. This section alsoexplains elements of the international, national and local supportsystems which assist Indochinese refugees. Sectionthree gives a brief history ofthe educational system in Laos, andthe implications for educational Suggestions for needs of Laotians nowresiding in the United States. working with Laotianp in'the schoolsand some potential problem areas of the are ale) covered. Thelast section presents an analysis Laotian language. Emphasis isplaced on the problems Laotianshave with English, and suggestions aremade for overcoming these difficulties. A brief bibliographyis included. (Author/APH ************************************************************************ Reproductions supplied by tORS arethe best that can be made * * * from the original document. *********************************************************************** UNDERSTANDINGLAOTIANPEOPLE LANGUAGESAND CULTURE Prepared for theSuperintendent of Public Instruction by Roger E. Harmon,Ph.D. Seattle, Washington Mona H. Bailey.Assistant Superintendent Special and EqualEducation Programs Coordinator UEL DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Keith Crosbie, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION Bilingual Education EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 40he document has been reproduced as received from the person or argent/awn milionN4 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Fronts of view or opinions stated in this docu ment do not necessarily represent official NIE position or policy supported in is the subjectof this report was The activity which of Education, Departmentof whole or in part bythe U.S. Office However, the opinionsexpressed Health, Education,and Welfare. the position orpolicy of the herein do notnecessarily reflect official endorsementby the U.S. U.S. Office ofEducation, and no Office of EducatiOnshould be inferred. "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRtNTED BY F. $remAi \e.t U3P6%% (AFC 51A1t 2 S4.19-tOf TO TIM EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." FOREWORD The Bilingual Education ResourceSeries represents an effort to provide teachers and administratorswith simple, concise infor- mation about some of the otherlanguages and cultures commonly fund among students in our classrooms. ' It seems likely that Washington Statewill be receiving a sharp inc-ease in the number of Laotian studentsenrolled in our schools. This booklet Attempts to provide basicinformation on the language, culture, and broad values of thesestudents. As most teachers of Laa:ians have discovered,relattvely. little is available in the bookstores by way of printed materials. Itis our hope that this brief document will be useful tothose who work with Laotian students. Wa are indebted to Doctor RogerHarmon, who is a consultant with the Indochinese American Resettlement and JobProgram, Seattle, for his perceptive ability to produce a paperthat is neither too long nor in too technical. Dr. Harmon has lived and worked for many years Laos and Thailand as an anthropologist. The Bilingual Education ResourceSeries is a continuing project and we expect to cover themain languages commonly found among the mem- bers of our pluralistic family. Keith Crosbie Coordinator, Bilingual Education Office of Superintendent of PublicInstruction 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 , 3 1. GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY AND THE PEOPLES OF LAOS Peoples of Laos 5 The Lao 6 The (bong and Yao 7 Lad Tai and Lao Theung 8 Other Ethnic Groups 9 Social Change 9 10 2. THE REFUGEE EXPERIENCE Life in the Camps 11 15 3. LAOTIAN EDUCATION AND LAOTIANS INAMERICAN SCHOOLS Education in Laos 15 Laotians in American Schools 19 Interaction With Parents 22 Visiting Laotian Homes 24 25 4. LAOTIAN LANGUAGES AND ESL INSTRUCTION 26 La, and Hmong Languages 28 LJo Sentenc3s 30 Hmong Language ESL Methods 31 13 5. BIBLIOGRAPHY 4 . UNDERSTANDING LAOTIAN PEOPLE, LANGUAGE AND CULTURE INTRODUCTION Laotians are new to Washington State and its schools. From April 1975 to June 1979 an estimated 650 Laotians have resettled here. We can expect the number of Laotians in the state to continue to increase over the next several years. At the time of this writing(June 1979) there are more than 130,000 Laotian refugees in camps in Thailand waiting for resettlement in other countries. Not all will come to the United States or to Washington State. However, in the next several years, probably 300 to 500 Laotians per year willresettle in the state. The majority will be of school age and will enter the public schools. As of June 1979, 360 Laotians (approximately 80 households) re- side in Seattle-King County. The only other major concentration of Laotians in the state is in Spokane, where there are about 30 families. Approximately 10 families live in the Tacoma-Gig Harbor-BreMerton area, and there are one or two families in Centralia, Wenatchee, Longview, Ellensberg, and in the Pasco-Richland area. Over time, the Laotian communities in these locales probably will increase slowly, and other areas will receive Laotian families. To many Americans, the people from Laos have not been dis- tinguished from refugees coming from Vietnam and Cambodia. This is changing, as more Laotians have entered the state (especially since 1978); and as we are becoming more aware of differences between the various Indochinese peoples.' Many teachers and administrators already know that people from Laos--for whom we reserve the general term, "Laotians "--areactually divided into numerous ethnic and linguistic groups.In addition to the dominant political group, the Lao, there are various minority peoples residing in Laos, many of whom are represented in the Laotian population a -riving in the U.S. Among the groups Americans are be- coming familiar with are the "Hmong," "Yao," and "ethnicChinese." Some of the cultural and linguistic similarities and differences of these various peoples will be discussed in the pages which follow. However, the diversity of peoples means that we cannot attempt a discussion of each of the groups. Where possible, we will emphasize the common characteristics and experience of Laotians, and list source materials for those who wish to explore the varietyrepresented in the Laotian population. 5 2 The booklet isarranged in four sections. The first contains a brief geography and history of Laos.It also includes a discussion of the ethnic and linguistic groupsof Laos, and contains information on the economic andreligious life of these various groups.Section two describes the traumaticexperiences Laotians have undergone )ei refugees, and considers some of theadjustments Laotians must make as they begin a new life inthe U.S. The section explains elements of the international, nationaland local support system which assists Indochinese refugees.It is hoped that this section will make clear the fact that theschools are one of numerous institu- tions assisting refugees, andthat schools can tut;to various agencies for assistance in serving Laotians.Section three'is a description of the educational system of Laosprior t&1975, that is, prior to the communist takeover in that country.This section also includes a discussion of the limited access toeducation in Laos, and the impli- cations for educators, ofdifferences in educational approaches used in Laos and the UnitedStates. Suggestions for working withLaotians in the schools and somepotential problem areas are discussed.The ast section de with language. Emphasis isplaced on the problems otians have iThh English, andcontains suggestions for overcoming these problems. A briefbibliography is included. One additional personal note is inorder.; I have been working with Laotian refugees in WashingtonState for over a year. Prior to this time I lived in several countries-inAsia, including one year in Laos where I taught English as asecond language, and three years in Thailand where I taughtand conducted anthropologicalresearch. During this time I have seen thatthe war in Indochina and the on- shattering impact on the lives of all going turmoil there has had a 9 Laotians.For many Laotians, the yearsof war have been followed by as many as four years inrefugee camps in Thailand which havebeen physically and emotionally exhausting andfrustrating.Laotian refugees arriving in the U.S. carrywith them ties to and longing for family and loved ones still inthe camps or in Laos.Yet, it is not their pain which Laotians make mostobvious to us; rather, it is their gratefulness for a chance to start a newlife in the U.S. Laotians have much of beauty tosNewith interested and
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