My Great Endeavors : Hmong

Introduction
They have a long rich history. The Hmong language is a member of Sino-Tibetan language family. They have a wonderful and amazing culture. A lot of Hmong people live in United States. They had great success and face several challenges in the states.

History
Ancient: Their ancestors lived near the Yangtze River about 4500 years ago. Their kingdom was taken over and they became different tribes. The members of the Han tribe called them the Jui Li and they had 9 clans. They made clothes out of hemp.

The Han may have learned civilization from the Jui Li. There were many battles between the Han and the Jui Li, but the Han won in the end and took over the land. The Jui Li moved south to avoid them, but later on they had to fight them again. Whenever the Han would defeat the Jui Li they would relocate. That happened quite a bit. It's like they were being bullied.

The Xia dynasty mistreated the Jui Li as well. The Jui Li got along with the Shang dynasty, but were attacked by the Chou. The Jui Li and the Han joined forces to defeat the Mongols during the Yuan dynasty. After that, the Jui Li was mistreated again by the Ming dynasty.

Their society had an internal and external organizations. The internal dealt with socioeconomic issues and laws. The external dealt with military, defense, and protection. There was a religious organization that had drum festivals and they sacrificed buffalos. They were swidden and rice farmers and bean growers. They also had pigs, oxen, and chicken.

Leaving China: The Hmong were oppressed by Qing dynasty, in response to this they rebelled a lot. Qing massacred and enslaved a lot of Hmong people, so in the 19th century many of them left China and moved into Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. But, 2.7 million Hmong or more still live in China.

Language
Their language is tonal. This language is spoken by 4 million people! Over 200,000 people speak it in the U.S. There are various dialects of Hmong. Red and Black Hmong is spoken by half of them. The 2 that are spoken in the states is White and Green Hmong. The Hmong had written language in the past; but the Qing made it illegal for them to write it, because of that they forgot it after that. In 1959 Shong Lue Yang created Pahawh. It is a written language 4 Hmong. Other scripts have been used for the them as well. They were Chinese, Lao, Thai, Vietnamese, and Russian.

Culture
Clans: There are 18 of them. A child is a member of their father's clan. The clans provide 'legal authority, social support, and economic security.' People in the same clan can't marry each other.

Marriages: After women marry they become a part of their husband clan. After she dies she is worshipped by her husband's children. They have arranged marriages, but b4 someone get married they can have sex with whoever they like. That's amazing!!!!!! Men marry women when they get them pregnant. A groom family give the bride family animals and silver. It's called a dowry. Women should never be objectified!!!!!! Most people get married when they're teenagers. Most of them are monogamous, but sum are polygamous. They big on polygeny. If the husband dies the wife is married off to his oldest brother; if he don't want her another clan member marries her. The wedding takes place in the bride's house and than the groom's house. Sometimes women are kidnapped and forced into marriage, but not a lot.

Funeral: When someone dies their soul breaks up into 3 parts. One part says in the grave, one part protects the home, and another part joins the ancestors. The deceased are cremated and the funeral last 3 days. Men from the deceased household go to the funeral. Songs help the guide the spirit to the to the afterlife. 13 days after the person died a ceremony is held so that soul can protect the house.

Gender Roles: Women take care of all the household duties and farming taks. Men have farming tasks as well. The mother-in-law tells the wife what to do. The life of a wife can be tough. Men tend to get drunk and smoke opium. Some women encourage their husbands to get another wife, so they can help with the duties. The women are great making textiles and clothes!!!

Family: Most households have 11 people in them. In Laos a son moves out when he is married. In other countries son stay in the house until they are financially stable. Fathers help raise the children. Kids help out in farming. Boys are taught hunting and customs. Girls are taught weaving, singing, and more by their moms. The Hmong don't go to school in Southeast Asia.

Shamanism: Hmong spiritual practices are similar to the Siberians. Shamans cure people of illnesses caused by spirits. They do this by going into a trance. They have a magickal horse they can ride. There is a leader to upper world that shaman can climb. Their chants help them get cures from spirits in the upper world. Shamans make sure a spirits of the deceased don't become evil. Spirits of the deceased can aid in curing diseases.

Art: The women make great textiles. Sum of which are called story cloths.

Music: Many of their songs have poetry in it. The have possession songs, weeping songs, invocation songs, invitation songs, wishing songs, and storytelling songs. They also have love songs, bride songs, wedding songs, orhapan songs, and separation songs. The bride's song is about her sadness of leaving her family after marriage. Sum their musical instruments are reed pipes, jaw harps, and banana leaves.

Clothing: Different clans wear different colored clothes. The Black Hmong wear hemp clothing that has indigo dye on it. The Flower Hmong wear bright colors. The Hmong have embroidered patterns that remind me of Adinkra symbols!!!!

Festivals: New Year-They wear traditional clothing; and they sing, dance, bull fight, and eat traditional food. Girls and boys play a ball game. Spirits of wealth and the home are venerated. This celebration last 4 three days. Each day there are 10 different dishes. This is a great holiday!!!!!!!!!

Cuisine: There food has a lot of herbs and spices. They eat meat, vegetables, and rice. They love hot sauce!!!! My people do too. They make deserts 4 special occasions and their food is healthy.

Hmong in the U.S. (include challenges)
Over 200,000 of them live in the U.S. They were least Westernized Southeast Asian refugees, but they may be the most successful! They were illiterate when they got to the U.S., now they are professors, doctors, and lawyers. They own many restaurants in Michigan, farms in Southern U.S., music studios, malls, etc.

Sum Hmong still practice their old traditions, which sometimes lead to legal problems. Some shamans practice rituals @ the hospital 4 Hmong patients. The Hmong don't like surgery, blood transfusion, and anesthesia because it goes against their beliefs. Hmong hunters and white hunters clashed in the past.

Some of them were impoverished and engaged in gang warfare. Some of them became homicidal and/or suicidal. They have most mental illness among Southeast Asians in the U.S. This is because they came from a very traditional society.

Conclusion
I love Hmong!!!!! They have a rich history and a complex culture. They have become very successful in the U.S. There problems in the states come from culture shock and lack of economic opportunities.