8/14/2019 Emma - Indg Peoples Project

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Introduction to the Hmong

The Hmong originated in Mongolia, a country north of China. The Hmong left Mongolia and traveled south2,000 years ago. The Hmong people now live in Chinawhile 558,000 live in Vietnam today.

Hmong Food

The Hmong clans mainly eat rice, vegetables andsometimes meat. The Hmong farmers grow their riceand vegetables on mountain terraces. The terraces arecut into the mountainside. In ancient times a slash-and-burn method was used by the Hmong people tokeep their soil fertile. This method was stoppedbecause of pollution and it destroyed the forests.Each family raises its own livestock including chickens

pigs, goats and cattle. They kill these animals fortheir meat.

Hmong Art

The Hmong people are known for their beautiful songs.The bamboo flute is popular in Vietnam. Each clan has itsown love songs, work songs and festival songs. The Hmongmusicians play cymbals, trumpets and other instruments

made from water buffalo horns. The qeej is an importantinstrument to the Hmong because it can only be playedby men at funerals or festivals.

Hmong Shelter

When the Hmong lived in Thailand they built their homesout of wood and bamboo. The roof and walls are madeout of small pieces of bamboo tie d together. The Hmongalso used bamboo for making bridges and fences. For theroof they get thick patches of straw. In their yardsthey have many different kinds of animals, and with theirfences it keeps the animals inside. 

Hmong Clothing

The Hmong each have their own style of clothing.Women wear hats and skirts. Men wear trousers, a vestand a jacket which are all black with some stitching.The Hmong clothing is made from hemp. Hemp is a plantthat women strip down into long fibers. They weavethese fibers into cloth. Hmong also use dyeing methods

called batik. They use beeswax and dye to makepatterns on their clothing.

Hmong Religion and Traditions

The Hmong believe in spirits. They believe the world isdivided into physical and spiritual worlds ruled by thesespirits. The Hmong believe spirits inhabit differentobjects that can be trees or people. The Hmongworship their ancestors. They think the worship is abond between the living and the dead. The mostimportant religious celebration is Tet or Hmong New Year.Tet is a time to ask the spirits for help in their homes.Tet is also a time to enjoy singing, dancing and dressing

up in new clothes.

Bibliography

Millet, Sandra, The Hmong of Southeast Asia,Minneapolis, Learner Publications, 2002

What happened when this society

encountered Europeans? Some of the Hmong from Laos found safe new homes inAustralia, France and other countries. Some Hmong havetaken language classes and learnt how to live in a newculture. Life for the Hmong was no better under Frenchcontrol than it had been under the Vietnamese. In thelate 1700’s and early 1800’s some of the Hmong went backto southern China from Vietnam. There was conflictsbetween the Hmong people and their rulers in Vietnam.

The Hmong of Southeast Asia

Project by : EmmaGrade 4