Hmong Topics

Different Hmong Clans - Like everybody, the Hmong have last names. Their last names are their clan. There are twelve different clan names. Certain clans are related, like the Thao’s are related to the Khang’s and Kue’s. (World)

Hmong Migration to Central Wisconsin - The relationships between the Hmong of Laos and the people of Central  Wisconsin provide an interesting story of two cultures meeting.

Hmong Religion –  Ua Dab is a Hmong Religion, which is based on a spirit world. Followers of this religion believe in phenomena such as dreams, hallucinations, and death. (World)

Shamanism Vs. Christianity - All Hmong are part of the Shaman religion to start out with. When the Hmong immigrated to the United States, many became Christians or Catholics. Shamanism is where you do ceremonies, sacrifices of animals and you believe in spirits and ghosts. The Hmong Christians believe in God and don’t practice any part of the Shaman religion.

The Secret War - During the Vietnam War, the CIA recruited the Hmong in Laos to fight with the United States against the communists. The Hmong and the Royal Lao Government were allies and had a close relationship with the U.S. It is estimated that as many as 40,000 Hmong were employed by the CIA in the Secret War in Laos at the height of the Vietnam conflict. As many as 35,000 Hmong lost their lives during the conflict and another 10,000 are still missing in action.

Wat Tham Krabok - This Buddhist temple (about 80 miles north of Bangkok) was headed by an abbot, Phra Chamroon Parnchand. The abbot was sympathetic to the plight of Hmong refugees in Thailand, and word traveled to the Hmong in Ban Vinai and elsewhere that Wat Tham Krabok offered protection and another option other than repatriation to Laos and resettlement in the West. Residents from many refugee camps made their way to the monastery. By the early 1990’s, the Hmong population at Wat Tham Krabok was estimated at 30,000. (World)

White Hmong and Green Hmong - Same last names and the same culture. The thing that makes them different is their language and their clothing. Their clothing has their own designs. When it comes to the language, one thing can mean another in one of the languages. (World)

Yellow Rain - During the Vietnam War, and during the Cold War, the Vietnamese used Soviet chemical weapons to terrorize the Hmong. Yellow rain is a powdery, poisonous, yellow substance reported as dropping from the air to Southeast Asia. The chemical became known as yellow rain because when it would drop down, it would make the noise of rain and the chemical was an oily yellow substance. Yellow rain smelled like gunpowder and let sticky, yellow residue on trees and houses. The yellow rain caused bleeding in the nose and gums, blindness, tremors, seizures, other neurological symptoms and even death. (World)