Hmong Religion Essay

Lia Lee born and raised in America, but brought up as a Hmong, faced health issues specifically epilepsy. Her parents who practice the Hmong culture had a different view on how to handle Lia critical condition. Hmong did not believe in traditional medicine but believed in Txiv neeb, person with a healing spirit. Not only do they believe in a person with healing spirit to help cure their illness but also consider epilepsy as power; “Their seizures are thought to be evidence that they have the power to perceive things other people cannot see, as well as facilitating their entry into trances, a prerequisite for their journeys into the realm of the unseen” (Fadiman, 1998, p.21). Right at this moment is where you can tell conflict is going to occur.

In Hmong tradition, depression is thought to have been caused by a “lost soul.” Someone’s soul may be lost in multiple ways, such as being frightened or possessed by an evil soul. In Hmong tradition, it is important for healing rituals and actions to take place that do not fall under generic biomedical practices. Two Hmong shamans began healing ceremonies for Paja to overcome his depression and lift his spirits. This

The main religion of the Hmong people is animist which is the belief in the spirit world and the interconnection between all living things. It revolves around an important figure in each hmong village called the Txiv Neeb or shaman which is a master of spirits, this shaman can be a man or woman and they have the power to access the spirit world. When someone gets ill or suffers misfortune the Hmong believe it is the evil spirits called dabs who have scared off or kidnapped the person’s soul. When this occurs it is the job of the shaman to perform rituals in order to ward of the dabs and bring back the soul thus restoring health and harmony to the person’s

When the father of a new child buries the placenta under the parents’ bed, so that when the child dies they can retrieve the honored skin “jacket” (placenta) and put it on for safe travels through the spirit realm, home is a significant and integral part of being for the Hmong. In all their lengthy history the Hmong have never had soil to call their own yet their resilience in their attempt to establish roots wherever they relocate to, is

Hmong Cultural Interactions with Healthcare Provider Hmong cultural interaction with healthcare provider The Hmong are an old culture originating in China and Laos. They have had two major migrations in the last 100 years. The most recent displacement caused by the Vietnam war when the Hmong where once again displaced to Thailand. In the late 1990’s the Hmong had a large migration, over 100,000 Hmong resettled to the United States primarily the Great Lakes area, North Carolina and California.

In the novel “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” it shows a lot of the superstition that they believe in the Hmong cultural. It talks a lot how they believe when a women gives birth to a baby they have to put their placenta under the bed if it was a girl and if it was a boy they would bury it in a great honor like in the middle of the resident the gradient of man will guard the house. “If it was a boy, his placenta was buried in a place of greater honor, near the base of the houses.” This is what the Hmong cultural believe in, when where voodoo science didn’t really believe in superstition but with playing with

As the immigrant population currently projected to overtake latinxs and hispanics as largest group of residents in the United States of America, Asian Americans have shown their will to survive in a way that many groups have not, and that is by banding together in order to achieve the life they deserve. Taking the overgeneralization of pan-ethnicity and using it as a device for increased numbers and support for the causes of a group of people who otherwise may not have much to do with each other, is a testament to how vulnerable they must have felt as well as how successful they have managed to be many aspects of progress. What I have gained from this course is the understanding that at the root of ethnic studies and the Asian American community is the “for us, by us” sentiment that contributed to the blurred lines between the different part of their communities as social, political and cultural, structures, collectives and groups which came out of an obligation and necessity to protect those immigrants and their future generations from a country which has always pushed European superiority in all aspects of society.

Each clan has specific colors and stitching which makes the groups distinctly different and identifiable. In Vietnam there are the “White Hmong, Blue Hmong, and Flower Hmong” and in Laos and Thailand there are the “Green Hmong and Armband Hmong” (Kou 2012). Depending on the name of the clan the family lives in, it will reflect the main color and pattern. For example, “Women of the Armband Hmong dress like White Hmong but add distinctive bands onto the sleeves of their jackets” (Kou 2012). Based off this information, the Green Hmong wear green clothing, the Blue Hmong wear blue clothing, and the white Hmong wear white clothing. Due to the specific colors and unique embroidery, this is what makes each Hmong clan different from the

Anne Fadiman shows how different the Hmong culture is from American culture and the transition they have to go through. The food in Hmong culture can be seen in the story of Lia Lee’s birth at Merced Community Medical Center. The rituals followed in terms of food were very different from what they were used to. Foua (the mother) was offered ice water after the birth but the Hmong believed that any cold food consumed postpartum makes the blood thicker in the womb which does not allow it to flow freely (Fadiman, 9). The Hmong have specific foods to eat after childbirth which is also very different from American culture. Foua specifically ate steamed rice, boiled chicken with five special postpartum herbs (Fadiman, 9). They also abide by special rules within the culture to ensure the health and safety of their child such as drinking water with a key boiled in it because that is believed to unlock the birth canal (Fadiman, 5). The Hmong culture views things in a spiritual way while in America things were a bit more straightforward. The Hmong put an emphasis on everything around them such as giving birth in a home, burying the placenta, and not doing this or that because something bad will happen to the baby or its soul will be lost (Fadiman 8-11). While in America, the doctors incinerated the placenta because it could potentially spread Hepatitis B which is a simple fact that they could back up with science. The Hmong views are based on what they’ve learned while living among each other and their beliefs are true to them so their baby can be happy and healthy. Seeing how things are done in America make it seem more like a culture-shock. The history of the Hmong shows that their culture and fate flows deep in tradition. Their history consists of a mixture of wars and small periods of peace. They fought with China over time and they do not like to be bossed around. They either flee, fight or

Food is what most people want to experience when traveling and exploring the world. Food brings cultures together rather than tearing them apart. In Vietnam the practice of family eating meals together is quite common. “In daily life of Vietnam culture, Rice is the dietary staple which most people eat three meals a day. Rice is usually consumed jointly by family members. In Vietnam, the common practice is to prepare several dishes that are placed on a tray or table that people sit around. Individuals usually have small bowls filled with rice, and then take food from the trays as well as rice from their bowls with chopsticks. Vietnamese often accompany these main dishes with leafy vegetables and small bowls of salty sauces in which they dip their food.”(Food in Daily Life, 2017)

Filipino culture is a mix of east and western perspectives and is heavily rooted in Christianity. The diversity of its people coupled with their ability to adapt and tolerate new ideas has created a fusion of traditional and modern. Filipinos pride themselves in their Sociability, religious belief, and Family oriented lifestyle.

The movie did not directly focus on medicinal values of food but according to the textbook, Asians’ health is dependent on the relationship between polar elements like yin (low calorie/raw) and yang (high calorie/cooked) (CITE). The Hmong dishes are a mixture of both – fruits and vegetables representing the yin while meat and rice dishes representing the yang.

All people are different, but that does not mean we can isolate and take advantage of them. More specifically, the Hmong people should be respected regardless of their religion and beliefs. In the book, The Spirit Catches

My personal experiences with religion and superstition are skewed due to the evolvement of the way I perceive things today. Furthermore, I can easily realize that I do not have this one set mind where everything should revolve around God and the Catholic Church. Taking time to understand why certain things happen for a reason, and gradually becoming aware of what people choose to believe in shaped my personal views on religion and the beliefs of unseen forces today. Based on Marvin Harris, the world may never have a solid answer as to why and how cultures decided to establish religious beliefs as well as superstition. As for the Hmong culture, however, there is a sign of major controversy with beliefs in religion and superstition. The practices of Eastern and Western medicine will meet in the middle despite culture clashes.

Among the Hmong, the shaman plays a very significant role. The Hmong explain a loss of soul as losing a piece of your soul because of a traumatic incident and they believe that soul loss causes illness. In the video, the women shaman told the speaker that the spirts of his lower legs had departed. To treat soul loss, a ritual is performed. The shaman shakes for the person to bring back the part of the soul that was lost by arguing, commanding, and pleading with the spirts. The shaman uses a ring of rattles to catch the fugitive souls. This practice links religion to health care. The Hmong believe in spirits that can influence and are part of the world (animism), and they believe that their shamans can go between this world and the spirit world.