Hmong Refugees From Southeast Asia example essay topic

The Hmong Culture The Hmong Culture of South Asia is a very interesting ethnic group. Between 300,000 to 600,000 Hmong live in Southeast Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. About 8 million more live in the southern provinces of China. Since the Vietnam War ended in 1975, Hmong refugees from Southeast Asia have settled in Australia, France, Canada, and the United States. The largest Hmong refugee community lives in the United States with a population of about 110,000.

The U.S. Department of state has tried to spread Hmong refugees out across the country to reduce the impact on any one region. Because Hmong families tend to be large in numbers, the community grows rapidly. Facing considerable challenges while adapting to the American Culture, the Hmong have fought to keep their traditions and culture alive in the United States. Because of the lack of fluency in English and education, the Hmong have had trouble communicating, which complicates learning. Though their work skills are poor, some Hmong have had success starting a their own small businesses such as restaurants and grocery stores. By selling their beautiful, colorful needlework, some Hmong women make a living.

Although some of the Hmong immigrants have been successful, their children have had more success while competing in the job market. The Hmong refugees that fled from such countries as Vietnam, Laos and Thailand had some trouble adapting to the American culture. An arriving refugee and his family would probably have sold all of their worldly possessions so they could have enough money to live off of until the father got a job or the mother was able to produce some textile goods to sell. In Southeast Asia, The Hmong lived high in the mountains. The Hmong men tended to be farmers, while the women would stay in the village and tend to the household needs while also helping with the crops. They grew all of their own food, and had no farm machinery to aid in the reaping of their crop.

There was also no form of transportation except walking. This was very hard labor, so the Hmong needed a lot of help to grow food, everyone in the family helped in the household chores and working the land. The Hmong have a strong tradition in everything they do. The culture is very spiritual and they believe that all things have spirits. Shamans serve as spiritual advisors and healers.

By erecting alters in homes and placing shrines in fields and along trails, they try to drive away the evil spirits that infect their people. If a treatment from a Shaman does not work, the people do not blame the shaman. Instead, they see that the evil spirits could not be driven from the person's body. Symbols and patterns were decorating on the clothing that the Hmong women made from hemp.

These patterns and symbols were created from dyes that came from vegetables and were used to drive away evil spirits and attract friendly ones. The Hmong had trouble adapting to American life. With no driver's license or bank account, they had to make a living doing whatever they could. Not knowing the language in a foreign land doesn't help either. The Hmong women adapted much more quickly than the men did because of the fact that they interacted more with English-speaking people.

While the men were at work, the women were spending time interacting. The Hmong men also refused to change more that the women did. This shift of power caused a lot of changes in Hmong households. What even caused more of a power shift was the fact that the Hmong children learned about the culture easier than the women did. Instead of the father having control over the family like it was back in Southeast Asia, the children now had the upper edge. The children could communicate, interact and even drive with Americans.

You could see a 16-year-old Hmong girl driving her father to work because her father has no driver's license due to the fact that he refused to adapt to the new culture. Another clash of the cultures was in the field of medicine. The Hmong believed that during childbirth, the woman should be left alone in the home until the baby is born. She is given no medicine, no painkillers and remains very superstitious during her pregnancy. While the American praise cleanliness and safety while giving birth in a hospital surrounded by doctors, nurses and yes, even the father.

The Hmong do not accept the idea of taking a pill and feeling better. This remedy has nothing to do with the bad spirits that are causing the person pain. During the pregnancy, a Hmong woman would sometimes work all the way up until she went into labor, while the American culture allows time off of work and promotes comfort for the pregnant mother. The birth of a Hmong child is a huge religious and spiritual event in the Hmong community. The mother would not leave the newborn alone for more than a few minutes because it was thought that the spirits would think that the new child was not appreciated and the evil spirits would enter its body. In America, a pregnancy is seen more as a medical or scientific event.

Doctors give the pregnant mother a diet, vitamins and regular check ups. There is very little spiritual involvement in the pregnancy. This culture has faced good times and bad in the United States. Their acceptance by the American culture becomes easier daily. Back in 1975 when the first Hmong refugees fled Southeast Asia due to the wars taking place, it was hard for the Hmong to find jobs in America.

With little work skills and hardly and language understanding, Americans were getting frustrated with trying to teach a Hmong how to do their job. The Hmong were also taking up all the jobs because they would work for less than an American worker. This angered some Americans because they could not find jobs. The Hmong were also gobbling up Welfare and resources provided by a government that they didn't even belong to. The Hmong were just trying to make a living for themselves but this was making many lower class Americans frustrated when trying to find a job to feed their families. Most of the Hmong populations in America now reside in California, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

They have now adapted to a society and culture that looked down upon them. Even though they have adapted, they still possess the traditions and rituals that their ancestors practiced in Southeast Asia. These traditions are held very sacred in the Hmong home. This is understood because every culture likes to keep a little piece of the past with them.