Culture and Customs of the Hmong (Cultures and Customs of the World)

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Hmong men have a system for making decisions that involves clan leaders. Husbands may consult their wives if they wish before making major decisions regarding family affairs, but the husband is seen as the head of the household who announces the decision.

Culture and Customs of the Hmong

Hmong women are responsible for nurturing the children, preparing meals, feeding animals, and sharing in agricultural labor. Traditionally, Hmong women eat meals only after the Hmong men have eaten first, especially if there are guests present in the house. Contemporary Hmong people cannot be characterized as subscribing to a single belief system.

Missionaries to Southeast Asia converted many Hmong people to Christianity beginning in the 19th-century and many more have become Christian since immigrating from Southeast Asia to the West.

However, most Hmong people, both in Asia and the West, continue to maintain traditional spiritual practices that include shamanism, and ancestor veneration. These spiritual beliefs are combined with their beliefs related to health and illness. In traditional Hmong spiritual practices, one does not separate the physical well-being of a person from their spiritual health; the spiritual realm is highly influential and dictates what happens in the physical world. According to these beliefs, everything possesses a spirit, both animate and inanimate objects.

There is a delicate balance between these two worlds; thus the necessity to revere and honor the ancestors for guidance and protection. The spirits of deceased ancestors are thought to influence the welfare and health of the living. Individuals perform rituals which include the offering of food and spirit money , pouring libation, and burning incense to appease the spirits and earn their favor.

Role - the male head of the household does the worshipping of ancestral spirits. However, it is not surprising to find women also partake in this role.

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It is mainly to call upon the spirits of the house to protect the house. Each person is thought to have 12 main souls. These souls must remain in harmony to remain healthy.

Some souls have specific roles. One of the 12 main souls is reincarnated after death while another main soul returns to the home of the ancestors. Another main soul stays near the grave of the deceased. The souls of the living can fall into disharmony and may even leave the body. The loss of a soul or souls poob plig can cause serious illness. The number of souls lost determines how serious the illness. A soul calling ceremony hu plig can be performed by shamans , when the soul has been frightened away, within the community to entice the soul home with chanting and offerings of food.

Shamans perform rituals because they are the ones who have special access to go in contact with souls or spirits, or in other words, the otherworld. For soul calling, there are a couple of different ceremonies; One usually done by the head of the household and one by the shaman.

Usually, the head of the household would be the one to call the baby's soul home as a sign of welcoming it to their family. However, that's not the end to the process of welcoming a new baby into their home. There is still the ritual the shaman must perform. The shaman performs this ritual, which usually happens a month or two after the baby is born, to notify the ancestors of the arrival of a new baby.

For followers of traditional Hmong spirituality, the shaman , a healing practitioner who acts as an intermediary between the spirit and material world, is the main communicator with the otherworld, able to see why and how someone got sick. In ancient times, it is said that humans and the spirits used to live with each other. However, due to conflict between the two very different beings, the deity Saub had blinded the two from being able to see each other.

Rituals, which serve as a treatment, might include herbal remedies or offerings of joss paper money or livestock. In cases of serious illness, the shaman enters a trance and travels through the spirit world to discern the cause and remedy of the problem, usually involving the loss of a soul. This ritual ceremony, called " ua neeb ", consists of several parts.

The first part of the process is "ua neeb Saib": If during ua neeb Saib the shaman observes something seriously wrong with the individual, such as a soul having lost its way home and caught by some spiritual being, the shaman will end the first part of the ceremony process by negotiating with the spiritual being "whoever has control of this individual soul" to release the soul; most of the time this will do. After that, the shaman would lead the soul to its home. After a waiting period, if the sick individual becomes well, then the second part of the ceremony, referred to as ua neeb kho , will be performed, in which joss paper is burned and livestock is sacrificed in exchange for the well-being and future protection of the individual's soul.

Extended family and friends are invited to partake in the ceremony and tie a white string around the wrist khi tes of the individual. The strings are blessed by the shaman and as each person ties it around the individual's wrist, they say a personalized blessing. Studies done within the Hmong American communities show that many Hmong continue to consult shamans for their health concerns.

Domestic worshipping is usually also done in front of this. This wall paper altar serves as the main protector of the house.

It is the place, wherever a household decides to place it, where worshiping, offerings joss paper, animal, etc. In addition, Shamans also have their own personal altar that holds their special instruments and dag neeg. During a ritual, or when a shaman is under a trance, it is prohibited to walk between the altar and the shaman when the shaman in speaking directly with the otherworld.

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Not everyone gets to become a shaman; they must be chosen by the spirits to become an intermediary between the spiritual realm and physical world. In Hmong shamanism, a shaman can be a man or a woman. Typically, there is a strong chance for an individual to become a shaman if their family history contains shamans. Usually the amount of time for a shaman to be done with training depends on the spiritual guardians that guide the shaman in the process of performing the rituals dag neeg.

According to traditional Hmong beliefs, these symptoms are the result of shamanic spirits dab neeb trying to get through to the Shaman-to-be. For those that still practice Shamanism, they're able to recognize these symptoms and cure their loved ones by helping them develop into full fledged Shamans.

For those that are blessed to become a Shaman and do not want to practice Shamanism, they often turn to Christian exorcism , western medicine, and psych wards. For the few that accept becoming Shamans, it is considered an honor to help their own. In the Hmong community, shamans are highly respected. Many Hmong still follow the tradition of taking herbal remedies. A common practice among the Hmong women is following a strict diet after childbirth. This consists of warm rice, fresh boiled chicken with herbs koj thiab ntiv , lemon grass, and a little salt.

It is believed to be a healing process for the women. For 30 days nyob dua hli , she will stay on this diet in order to cleanse her body of leftover blood and avoid future illness. The oldest person should sit first. Pass dishes with both hands. The most common utensils are chopsticks and a flat spoon. Chopsticks should be placed on the table or a chopstick rest after every few mouthfuls or when breaking to drink or speak. People hold bowls close to their faces. Hold the spoon in your left hand while eating soup.

Meals are typically served family-style. Try to finish everything on your plate. When you are finished eating, rest your chopsticks on top of your rice bowl. Cover your mouth when using a toothpick. Business Etiquette and Protocol Appointments are required and should be made several weeks in advance. The Vietnamese are punctual and expect others to be so to. Handshakes are used upon meeting and departing. Handshakes only usually take place between members of the same sex.

Culture of Laos - history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs, family

Some Vietnamese use a two-handed shake, with the left hand on top of the right wrist. Always wait for a woman to extend her hand. If she does not, bow your head slightly. Business cards are exchanged on initial meetings and should be presented with both hands. When receiving business cards ensure you show proper respect to it and do not simply glance at it and put it on the table.

Hierarchy and face manifest in different ways within business meetings. For example, the most senior person should always enter the room first. Silence is also common in meetings where someone disagrees with another but remains quiet so as to not cause a loss of face.

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Relationships are critical to successful business partnerships. Always invest time in building a good relationship based on both personal and business lines. Any initial meeting should be solely used as a "getting to know you" meeting. The spoken word is very important. Never make promises that you can not keep to as this will lead to a loss of face. Negotiations can be slow so it is important to bear in mind that decisions have to go through a lot of red tape and also group consultation. Business gift giving is fairly common at the end of a meeting or during a meal in honour of your business associates.

Gifts should be small but not expensive. Something with your company logo or something typical from your country both make excellent gifts. How Can We Help You? This broad international perspective allows readers to look at the Hmong through the complex interplay of the many social, historical, economic, and cultural influences they have been exposed to in their worldwide migration, and at how they manage to maintain their many traditions across national boundaries and great distances.

Hardcover , pages. Published September 16th by Greenwood first published January 1st To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Culture and Customs of the Hmong , please sign up. Be the first to ask a question about Culture and Customs of the Hmong. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Jul 01, Zen Cho rated it liked it Shelves: Interesting overview of the history, culture and traditions of the Hmong. I liked that it covered communities in different places not just US and Laos, but also China, Vietnam, Thailand and Australia and talked about how cultural customs have changed over time, and about contemporary culture, e.

Hmong websites and so on. I definitely think more academic books about non-Western cultures would benefit from having a member of the actual community co-writing the book. Sep 17, Kjirstin rated it liked it. I read this book for my Hmong Culture class in college.

It has a lot of information about the Hmong and their culture and it is written in a way that isn't dry or boring.

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