Perspectives of Queer Hmong Youth

This article highlights some of the tensions that exist for Hmong people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ). It uncovers differences and similarities found between the experiences of queer Hmong youth and the larger population of queer youth living in the United States. Despite the perception that a traditional Hmong culture holds no place for queer Hmong Americans, individuals are finding spaces for acceptance and slowly moving the larger Hmong community to a place of understanding and tolerance. A vital part of this movement was Shades of Yellow (SOY), an organization that supported queer Hmong from its inception in 2005 until the group disbanded in June 2017. The life stories of three of its members inform this study, offering a more nuanced look at the experiences of queer Hmong youth living in the Midwest.

TRANSFORMATION IN FAMILY, LINEAGE AND VILLAGE RELATIONSHIPS OF THE HMONG PEOPLE AFTER FOLLOWING PROTESTANTISM IN THE NORTHWEST VIETNAM

Protestantism spread and developed in the Hmong community in Northwestern Vietnam has changed many aspects in the socio-cultural life of the Protestant Hmong in particular and some other ethnic minorities in the Northwest in general. Along with the rapid development of Protestantism in the Northwest, a Protestant Hmong community with a culture and lifestyle that is different from the rest of the Hmong community has been formed. Under the influence of Protestantism, family, lineage and village relationships of this Protestant Hmong community have been gradually changed in many aspects as well. This transformation has had a positive impact on the lives of the Hmong people but also poses many challenges for preserving the cultural identity of the Hmong ethnic in Northwestern Vietnam today.

The Present Status of Using Written Hmong Language in the Hmong Community in the Northwest Region of Vietnam - Case Study in Sơn La and Lai Châu Provinces

Writing system is an important part of a certain language. When a language has its own writing system and is widely used, it is apparent that the language will have a strong position and vitality. Hmong language is a mother tongue of Hmong people, an ethnic minority that are now residing in many parts all over the world and mainly in the northwest region (Tây Bắc) of Vietnam. Unlike many other languages which have only one writing system, Hmong has many different scripts that are being used at a time. Therefore, understanding how Hmong people use their written language is an intriguing topic to help demystify their language usage and furthermore, understand their spiritual life. From our practical fieldwork, in this paper we focus on the discussion of the current status of using written Hmong in its community in the northwest region of Vietnam.

Hmong ‘Marriage by Capture’ in the United States of America and Ukuthwala in South Africa: Unfolding Discussions

‘Marriage by capture’ among the Hmong people in the United States of America and ukuthwala in South Africa both take the form of the mock abduction of a young woman for the purpose of a customary marriage. The noteworthy point about these two customary marriage practices is that, although Hmong marriage by capture takes place in the context of a minority community in a liberal state, and ukuthwala occurs in a postcolonial state, courts in these jurisdictions convert these marriage practices to the common law offences of rape, assault, and abduction. This article reflects on the accused-centred approach in the case of People v Moua, in which the court invoked the cultural defence, and the victim-centred approach in Jezile v S, which severed cultural values from the rights of the woman. It questions whether the two communities in question, in their respective liberal and postcolonial settings, influence the attitudes of the courts in cases involving rape, assault, and abduction charges. The main argument proffered is that both approaches may encourage communities to continue marriage abduction practices without bringing them to the attention of investigative organs, with adverse human rights implications for the women and girls affected. The ultimate purpose of this conversation, therefore, is to show how the approaches of the courts to the recognition or non-recognition of these customary practices affect the rights of girls and women who encounter institutions of law that alienate people belonging to minority cultural groups, and often perpetuate injustice.

Investigation of the Language Usage of Hmong Ethnic People in the Northwest (Tây Bắc) Region of Vietnam - A Case Study in Bắc Yên, Sơn La province

The linguistics research in general and in particular, sociolinguistic study of ethnic minorities in Vietnam is a fascinating topic, but is also a very complicated subject in term of some typical reasons. The complication of the subject is originated from the objective reasons such as natural conditions, social and economic conditions and some other subjective reasons which belong to subjective of languages-the ethnic minorities. Hence, when considering the language scenarios of the ethnic minorities in general and the status of using language of ethnic people in particular, the selection of research subject and survey area are very important. Discussing on this subject, author Van Khang Nguyen in his work “Social linguistics” has speculated that: “first of all, one can see that the key point of the perception when investigating language from the perspective of sociolinguistics is the sociability and the variability of language.” The birth of language is the development need of human society and the development of the human society leads to the development of language which aims to meet the need of communication. Therefore, when studying language, the sociolinguistics always set the relationship between social transformations with the language usage. In our case study, the Hmong people in Bắc Yên district is an ethnic group with many typical characteristics for Hmong in Sơn La province as well as in the Northwest region of Vietnam. Currently, the language of Hmong people in Bắc Yên raises quite topical questions. For example, it is important to understand how Hmong people use their native language, national language and foreign language at the same time in their daily activities. How do Hmong people use Hmong writing system in their communication situation? What is their attitude with their language? The above-mentioned questions urged us to carry out a case study on the language usage status of Hmong people in the Northwest Vietnam.

Investigation of the Language Usage of Hmong Ethnic People in the Northwest (Tây Bắc) Region of Vietnam - A Case Study in Bắc Yên, Sơn La province

The linguistics research in general and in particular, sociolinguistic study of ethnic minorities in Vietnam is a fascinating topic, but is also a very complicated subject in term of some typical reasons. The complication of the subject is originated from the objective reasons such as natural conditions, social and economic conditions and some other subjective reasons which belong to subjective of languages-the ethnic minorities. Hence, when considering the language scenarios of the ethnic minorities in general and the status of using language of ethnic people in particular, the selection of research subject and survey area are very important. Discussing on this subject, author Van Khang Nguyen in his work “Social linguistics” has speculated that: “first of all, one can see that the key point of the perception when investigating language from the perspective of sociolinguistics is the sociability and the variability of language.” The birth of language is the development need of human society and the development of the human society leads to the development of language which aims to meet the need of communication. Therefore, when studying language, the sociolinguistics always set the relationship between social transformations with the language usage. In our case study, the Hmong people in Bắc Yên district is an ethnic group with many typical characteristics for Hmong in Sơn La province as well as in the Northwest region of Vietnam. Currently, the language of Hmong people in Bắc Yên raises quite topical questions. For example, it is important to understand how Hmong people use their native language, national language and foreign language at the same time in their daily activities. How do Hmong people use Hmong writing system in their communication situation? What is their attitude with their language? The above-mentioned questions urged us to carry out a case study on the language usage status of Hmong people in the Northwest Vietnam.

Indigenous knowledge in climate change adaptation: Case studies of ethnic minorities in the Northern Mountain Region of Vietnam

This study aims to investigate the indigenous knowledge (IK) of three ethnic minority groups in the Northern Mountain Region (NMR) of Vietnam. The groups include (1) Tay people who live at lower elevations; (2) a Dao community who tend to live in the middle elevations and (3) Hmong farmers who mainly reside at higher elevations areas of the mountain. This research intends to identify climate change (CC) and its impact on agricultural cultivation and find out how these groups can adapt to CC by applying their IK in agriculture practices. Data was collected through focus group discussions (n=9), in-depth interviews (n=80), and participant observation. From the 80 respondents, 27 live in Bac Kan province, 23 in Yen Bai province and 30 in Son La province; those who had experience in agricultural production, elderly and village heads. The results show that the NMR weather has significant changes that negatively impact agriculture cultivation and local livelihood. Although the respondents are from different ethnic minorities, these farmers are highly aware of the CC risks, leading into adaptation practices. While the Tay people's major adaptation strategies include the use of a variety of native plants and changing planting calendars, the Dao and Hmong people apply intercropping and local techniques methods in terracing fields using local varieties of livestock. Our findings highlight the importance of using the IK of ethnic minorities in adaptation towards CC. A better targeting about the use of local resources in future national policies and projects is encouraged. Nghiên cứu này nhằm thu thập kiến thức bản địa (IK) của ba nhóm dân tộc thiểu số ở Miền núi phía Bắc (MNPB) của Việt Nam bao gồm (1) dân tộc Tày chủ yếu sống ở vùng thấp; (2) Người Dao có xu hướng sống ở các độ cao trung bình; và (3) người Hmông chủ yếu cư trú ở các khu vực đồi núi cao. Nghiên cứu này nhằm xác định tình hình biến đổi khí hậu (BĐKH) và tác động của nó đối với sản xuất nông nghiệp, đồng thời tìm hiểu cách thức các nhóm dân tộc thiểu số này có thể thích ứng với BĐKH bằng cách áp dụng các kiến thức bản địa của họ vào thực tiễn sản xuất nông nghiệp. Dữ liệu được thu thập thông qua thảo luận nhóm tập trung (n = 9), phỏng vấn sâu (n = 80) và quan sát người tham gia. Trong số 80 người được hỏi, có 27 người sống ở tỉnh Bắc Kạn; 23 người ở tỉnh Yên Bái và 30 người ở tỉnh Sơn La, là những người có kinh nghiệm sản xuất nông nghiệp, người cao tuổi và trưởng thôn. Kết quả cho thấy thời tiết ở khu vực MNPB đã có những thay đổi so với trước gây tác động xấu đến canh tác nông nghiệp và sinh kế của cộng đồng. Mặc dù những người được hỏi từ các dân tộc khác nhau nhưng họ đều nhận thức được sự thay đổi này của thời tiết, do đó họ đã có những thích ứng riêng. Trong khi người Tày sử dụng giống cây trồng địa phương và thay đổi lịch thời vụ thì người Dao và Hmong chọn phương pháp xen canh và áp dụng kỹ thuật bản địa trên đất ruộng bậc thang và sử dụng gióng vật nuôi bản địa. Các phát hiện của chúng tôi giúp hiểu được tầm quan trọng của việc sử dụng IK trong thích ứng với BĐKH của các dân tộc thiểu số, từ đó có thể hướng đến mục tiêu tốt hơn việc sử dụng các nguồn lực địa phương trong các chính sách và dự án quốc gia trong tương lai.

Hmong Textiles, Symmetries, Perception and Culture

As part of this Special Issue, this paper attempts to add to a reflexive discussion and confront the simplistic understanding of why humans construct symmetries. This paper examines Hmong textiles called paj ntaub. The Hmong became a transnational people due to happenstance and the Vietnam War. Despite great trials and tribulations, the Hmong people and their art and culture survived. They express themselves and their identity through oral traditions and cultural practices, one of which is their textiles. The old textile styles, known as paj ntaub, are non-representational symmetric designs. The research for this paper was done in Laos. Grounded research, textual analysis and participant observation were the methods used. Though their textiles are a salient part of Hmong culture, little work has been done on the ontology of paj ntaub. This paper proposes a novel perspective to examining the paj ntaub by using anthropological symmetry, the gestalt theory on perception, and ethnographic analysis of the culture, meanings, and choices in design embedded in the textiles, as well as the process of making of the paj ntaub. This work proposes that the paj ntaub is not merely an expression of identity but a holistic expression in Hmong culture and reflects their relationship to their world.

The Hmong and the Communist Party of Thailand: A Transnational, Transcultural and Gender-Relations-Transforming Experience

Beginning in the early 1960s—and especially by the end of the decade—a large number of the ethnic Hmong people in Thailand aligned themselves with the Communist Party of Thailand (CPT). By the 1970s, most of the CPT's “liberated areas” were located in remote, mountainous areas populated by Hmong people. In this paper, I situate Hmong involvement in CPT through the literature related to the multi-ethnic connections being made through the organisation of armed groups and argue that Hmong involvement with the CPT was transnational, transcultural and gender-relations-transforming. The first Hmong Thai to join the CPT was recruited in neighbouring Laos. Other Hmong in Thailand heard about the CPT through radio broadcasts from Laos in Hmong language. Furthermore, many of the early CPT recruits travelled from their homes in Thailand for political and military instruction at a basic training centre called A-30, which was located somewhere in northern Laos near the border with China. There, most Hmong CPT recruits learned to speak, read and write central Thai language. Hmong CPT also started to meaningfully interact with other Thais, including those from northeastern and southern Thailand and Chinese Thais from Bangkok. Later, those deemed to have particular potential were sent to study in China or in Vietnam for specific military training. Some Hmong sent their children to study with the CPT; others went on their own. The Hmong also interacted with people from other communist movements in Southeast Asia.