Hmong Involvement in the Vietnam War

The Hmong’s believe in shamans. Shamans are religious specialists commonly found in small-scale egalitarian societies. They are believed to have the power to contact powerful cosmic beings directly on behalf of others, sometimes by traveling to the cosmic realm to communicate with them. Shamans are

Growing up without parents is a rough task, but growing up without parents amongst a raging war is absurd. Having to run and hide in fear as your village is raided by North Vietnam soldiers is something no one should have to experience, but to those such as my dad, who has experienced this, it can be terrorizing. My dad grew up in the little town of Long Cheng, Laos living day to day struggling to survive. Living conditions for the lower class in Laos was already harsh enough, but when the Vietnam War broke out in 1961 these conditions got even worse. My father and many other Hmongs in Laos were in great danger of the communist armies.

In the 1960s, to the 1970s, the U.S. entered the war with the South Vietnamese against the Vietcong (which is known as the Vietnam War), but there was also an unknown ally that backed the United States during this time. They were the Hmong. “For thousands of years, the Hmong” was a self-sustaining, remote group of people who lived in the mountains of Laos (“The Split Horn: The Journey”). The Hmong were able to stay out of conflicts with others until the Vietnam War literally reached their doorsteps, in which forcing the Hmong people out of their homeland and had them seeking refuge in the U.S.

How were incoming Laotian and Vietnamese immigrants, who were arriving in the U.S. due to the Vietnam War, adapting into American society during the 1970s to present day? The first source, “From Refugees to Americans”, is relevant to my question as it provides not only statistics, but also detailed accounts of refugee life from the transition from the Asia to the United States. The source provides statistics on the Vietnamese population during and after immigration, with some accounts of refugees from today. The second source is an interview and provides information about how life was during the Vietnam War, and a first-hand account of immigration life in America during the Vietnam War.

Approximately 2000 years ago Tibeto-Burman ancestors of existing Mosuo culture devised a family and kinship system that is not based on marriage. They have no husbands and wives. Instead of marrying and sharing family life with spouses, adult Musuo children remain in their extended, multigenerational household with their mother and their blood relatives. The elder female("Ah mi") is the head of the house. "Ah mi" makes all the household and economic decisions

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

The declaration of Vietnamese independence made by Ho Chi Minh in 1945 served as a milestone in what was a century-old struggle against foreign control. In its history Vietnam had spent 1000 years under control of the Chinese and had resisted this control vehemently. Revolts and rebellions against China finally lead to Vietnamese independence in the tenth century. In the thirteenth century the Vietnamese drove back Kublai Khan three times under the leadership Dao. Tran Hung Dao not only led the Vietnamese people in driving Kublai Khan back, but did so by pioneering the guerrilla warfare methods that would later be employed against both the French and the United States. It is thus evident from this brief history of Vietnams that its

The Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War began in 1955 or ten years after World War 2. The United States direct involvement in the war started in 1964 and extended through 1973 but its indirect involvement started much earlier. At the end of the Second World War the United States and the Soviet Union were recognized as the two greatest military powers in the world. As the Soviet Union expanded their influence over Eastern Europe in countries including Bulgaria, East Germany, and China turned to communism and the United States grew concerned with the expansion of communism and its potential impact on the democratic nations of the world. Similarly the Soviet Union was concerned with the economic and military strength of the United

Over the years, millions of people have died for this country. Their character is challenge by the actions they have done in battle. In the Vietnam war, soldiers came back to US citizens calling them baby killers and being disrespected all because society in the US during that time thought they were blood thirsty killers. That is an attack of their character, but still fought for our country even though they are being criticized for their actions But then now when they get back from Afghanistan they are considered heroes and are honored. Society’s views have changed dramatically throughout the time of WW2, Vietnam War, and the Afghan War.

America’s involvement in Vietnam goes back to World War II when it was still a French colony. After World War II, Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel with the Geneva Accords into the Communist North and Democratic South. The proxy war in Vietnam occurred in the Turbulent Sixties, after the Eisenhower years which the death of Stalin occurred. John F Kennedy was assassinated; with instability in the nation, Lyndon Johnson was installed as president.

The Vietnam War caused a spike in American deaths in the 1960’s. Even more Vietnamese citizens died due to United States troops. Children in South Vietnam wandered the streets as they yell for their dead parents. Soldiers lose their sanity over seas and kill there own United States soldiers. Even though the government told citizens the war would be over soon, the war seemed like a never ending battle full of ruthless killings and long suffering deaths.

The vitnameseusie fought for freedom. First China brought the communists to power and the soviet union supplied weapons to the vitnameise. the Chiniese helped the communits and the soviet union was helping the Vitenamieseue during the bloody war, Second they imprisoned of exicuted those who didn't change their ways. They didn't change their ways they would be put to death or locked up. The war used guerilla war tactics. The war was gruemsome and the communists that were captured were bruttaly beaten and tortured. The guerilla tactics were to attach them and hide. In conclusion there were alot of things that happened while the vitnamese were fighting for freedom.

Moso is a Chinese ethnic group that is famous for being a matriarchal society with minimal contact from the outside world. In Moso matrilineal system, woman is the pillar of the family. As the head of a family as well as a mother, a Moso woman is responsible to determine family’s name, decision, and inheritance. No one has right to replace woman’s authority, even a man. This is the primary point of a matriarchy which traces the side of Moso family’s lineage through the descendant of woman. What is great about Moso, despite being matriarchy, is that the society has no gender preference. Moso society shares their workload wisely between man and woman. Man usually works on labor-intensive activities, such as traveling for trade, slaughtering livestock, or building a house. Woman, on the other hand, engages in traditional activities including farming, cooking, or even serving their family. Moreover, because of their walking marriage system, everything they have earned, produced, and developed belongs to their family. One point which is mentioned in the lecture by Professor Ma implies that the main point of Moso matrilineal family does not lie in the relationship between husband and wife, but between brother and sister. In fact, Moso society has successfully created a stable family structure through these walking marriage system and fair division of gender roles.

Dr. Goldstein, a professor of anthropology at Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio wrote an ethnography of the cultural practice of fraternal polyandry in Limi, Tibet. Within this his paper, Dr. Goldstein discusses how the practice of fraternal polyandry is where two or more brothers (blood related) will take one wife into marriage. This will is beneficial when deciding which child in the next generation will inherit and work the farming land that will be passed down within the family. When Dr. Goldstein asks why the gentleman will not take one wife each and all live on the family land the response was that was given was that there would too many wives competing to make sure that their child gets equal and/or more share of the land when the fathers dies. Another reason for the practice was the fact that the eldest son within the culture will inherit the most goods and land from their family.