"I have nothing with which to start a family. I am all alone in this life and land." The common thoughts of Hmong refugees as they began to settle in refugee camps and America are that of deep alienation and uncertainty. When the Hmong first entered the U.S., they were strategically dispersed across the country to promote faster assimilation. However, the stark contrast between the Hmong and America's cultures has made this move backfire. The integration of the Hmong has been especially difficult when compared with other immigrants, leading some Americans to believe that it is the fault of the Hmong. In reality, the problem was that their culture was unlike any of the other immigrants that the America has been exposed to. In order to examine any transition that the Hmong have undergone in America, we first must define, what it means to be Hmong and what it means to be American. Several texts have attempted to answer these questions and I will use them to correct the prevailing misconceptions of the Hmong. It is common belief that Hmong's culture is one of primitivity, dependency, and close-mindedness; I will show that these beliefs are not only false but also propagated by cultural oppression and ineffective resettlement policies. Before we go into greater detail as to why these misconceptions are false we should address their source. Some people believe that underlying reason behind the Hmong's slow assimilation is that the they are inherently primitive. It is often
They also feel as if their traditions and rituals are not practiced as much as it would if they were living back home. Many Hmong's start taking on American values, and as the new generation learns their culture and practices, it's hard to follow because they deviate towards the dominant culture which is American. Culture is said to decrease generation by generation and it influences portrayals of health and illness, and the treatments that individuals utilize. Individuals are all impacted by the cultural context in which are found; therefore, health benefits and practices are likewise culturally affected. (Warwick-Booth et al, 2014).
Vietnamese did not magically appear in the United States, the Vietnam War sparked the immigration of Vietnamese to America. Vietnamese did not virtually exist in the United States until 1975 when the war forced Vietnamese to evacuate (Povell). The war began after Vietminh defeated France and split into North and South Vietnam (O’Connel). In 1956 communist Ho Chi Minh ruled the North Vietnam, and Bao Dai ruled the South, who the United States supported and backed up (O’Connel). The Vietnam War consisted of the North and South Vietnam, fighting against eachother in order to stay two separate countries. The North tried to overtake the South, and the United States sent in troops to
The book, The Latehomecomer, is a fascinating story about a Hmong family and their struggle to get out of Laos and come to America as refugees. The Hmong people are a very proud people and they do not want to forget their culture. One can clearly see that the Hmong people hold close their identity and do not want to conform to the Vietnamese way. They take pride in their culture, their society, and the way they view how government should run. Hmong people did not agree with the Vietnamese communist government and were willing to join forces and help the United States as much as possible so that they could fight for what they believed in. Even though most of the young men and boys that fought in the war died in battle or were
With the centrality of the family in Hmong culture, having sons or a son is very important as they are the ones who will take on the last name and lead the future generation of the family (Cha, 2010). Cha states, “The clannish nature of Hmong society favors a son. A family that does not have a son is viewed as a burden to the clan and community, because such a family will not contribute much to the community,” (p. 24). In the culture, the son(s) will take care of the parents as the daughter will get married and move to live with the husband’s family. Religion also plays a role since the traditional belief is that although the daughter can take care of the parents physically when they are alive, they cannot take care of them spiritually after they pass away. This is because the daughter becomes a part of the other family and cannot worship her parents’ spirits after death (Cha, 2010).
III. (Credibility Statement): You guys are probably like why should I listen to this guy, “he 's probably making this up or something” but hey why would i lie about my culture.
I also discuss my family’s adaptation to these values, norms and beliefs along with my own individual cultural sense of identity. Lastly, this paper reflects the impact of my role and ethical responsibilities as a social worker, especially in relation to working with the Hmong family in the book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down.
In Yang’s The Latehomecomer, the author describes how her Hmong family and many other families are chased out of their homes in the Laos mountain. No longer having anywhere to call home they have no other choice but to become refugees in another country where they don’t feel welcomed. In Ban Vinai Refugee Camp, in Thailand the Hmong people make a dramatic change in there life. The Hmong go from a life of freedom before the war, to having restrictions in everything they do, “There were Thai men in uniforms with guns that surrounded us”(66). The idea of being surrounded comes up constantly throughout Yang’s life in the camps, as a sign of constriction to their human rights. The liberty to roam freely is effortlessly taken away from the Hmong people
The Lo Wah Kiu were immigrants that came to EEUU before 1965 and Wa Yeoy were after and several laws were changed. This ones, eagerly sought adventures in their progressive relationship with the rest of society, Likewise, the Magnuson Law of 1943, which effectively repealed the Exclusion Law, "only allowed 105 Chinese immigrants per year, reflecting the persistent prejudice against the Chinese in US immigration policy.
Firstly, increasing one’s cultural competence is instrumental to becoming a more empathic and understanding person and teacher. Cultural competence involves understanding another person’s culture without judgement and realizing that even if their ideas or beliefs are different, that does not mean they are wrong. If one learns about their students’ cultures and backgrounds, they will be able to speak and interact with these students in an appropriate way. If the students are refugees and come from a traumatic past, teachers should approach any personal questions they have sensitively. Sometimes people have prejudices or believe stereotypes and they may not even realize it. The Hmong people were widely dispersed and no two Hmong people will be the same. It is crucial that teachers do not assume that each person has the same values and
One of the largest challenges Americans are facing today is coming to an agreement on the issue of immigration. Based on readings from Ruane and Cerulo and Fadiman, evidence of tensions between Americans and immigrant groups has spanned generations, affecting the way our culture perceives and reacts to “the Other,”1(167) cultures outside of our Western thought that we fail to understand due to continuous preconception and unrecognized self-entitlement as the ‘in-group.’ This segregation only continues the relentless cycle of economic and social barriers between an ‘us’ and a ‘them.’ The grand conflict between the Hmong versus the medical staffs in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down highlight the ethnocentrism that incurs blind
For many Hmong people, immigrating to the United States of America is a large form of stress as it involves adapting to new cultures and new environments. In the documentary, the Split Horn, a Hmong shaman and his family immigrates to the United States to pursue a better life for themselves. The immense change from living in the countryside of Laos to moving to Wisconsin, America affects the family greatly. As the Hmong shaman tries to preserve his ancient traditions and culture, his children embrace the American one, finding partners and converting to Christianity, not necessarily following Hmong guidelines. When Paja Thao, the Hmong shaman’s children go their separate ways, abandoning Hmong culture, Paja falls into a state of depression. The understanding of depression in Hmong culture contrasts with the biomedical model of health drastically, resulting in consequences such as the impotence to receive medical assistance, lack of knowledge and education, resulting in untreated diseases such as chronic illnesses.
Although some stories may be written by completely different authors, countless stories can and have shared similar themes and ideals. One example of two stories that share similar concepts is the example of the stories: Sticks and Salt and Growing up Hmong in Laos and America. In the story, Sticks and Salt, Phuoc Nguyen talks about his life growing up as a Vietnamese refugee in America. On the other hand, in the story, Growing up Hmong in Laos and America, Pa Xiong Gonzalo talks about his life growing up as a Hmong refugee and his life growing up in America. Even though some stories may share similar thoughts, there will always be differences in the stories and in the writing of the stories. The two stories, Sticks and Salt and Growing up Hmong in Laos and America, share similarities when it pertains to the topic of being a refugee and of family while sharing differences when it pertains to the topic of marriage.
The opportunities of racial minorities such as the Chinese or African Americans different from those of European immigrants because diversity played a big role in the quality of urban setting. When the industrial revolution happen a lot of immigrant were in search for better economic opportunity, so as Chinese left their home countries due to poverty and famine, cities were the first place they settle down in, making their way to the US they had great opportunity, from owning their own business, opportunity to socialize, opportunity of establishing rotating lending pools, and one of the thing was that they were able to support one another. Moreover, like the Chinese immigrant, European immigrant were also in such for better economic opportunity and religious freedom. Compared to Chinese and African American immigrants, European immigrant had better opportunities for example, European immigrants were considerably older, had higher household incomes, and they were more educated though they were less likely to participate in the labor force. If they did participate in the labor force, they participate at a lower rate than the overall immigrants. A big difference in opportunities that European immigrant had from other immigrants was that you would see them take employment in management, business, science, and arts occupations and they would less likely be employed in occupation such as natural resources, construction, maintenance occupations, production, transportation, and
Bamboo Among the Oaks is a great selecting book to read and this book will tell us about many interesting things, suprising, and emotional. This book is not just for those who interested in ethic or Asian American studies, but for anyone who wants to know the new immigrants, Americans are transforming not only themselves and their culture but America itself. This is a unique collection of poetry and prose invites us to share Hmong life in America- the sadness for what has been lost in the old culture back in China, Laos, Thailand and all over the world who struggle with what must be learned in the new culture, and the intense conflict between the two. Hmong people started arriving in the United State in the 1970s as a result of the Vietnam
During the Vietnam War, United States military forces worked closely with a population indigenous to Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam known as the Hmong. The Hmong demonstrated loyalty and dedication in their cooperation during the war at a great cost to themselves. Not only did they suffer losses of 20% if their adult male population (Vang, 1979, cited by Tatman, 2004, p. 223), but once the fall of Saigon in 1975 marked the end of the conflict with a victory for North Vietnam, the Hmong were suddenly targeted for retaliation in the form of a genocidal campaign waged by Pathet Lao with the support of the Vietnamese military. As friends and family members, including children, were murdered mercilessly, many sought safety in Thailand where they were