http://youtu.be/m_N5hrHAyxU I felt a lot of emotions watching "Mi Tes Mi Taw" directed by Porsha Phoua Chang. She did a wonderful job telling a story that many of us can identify either with the son, daughter, mother, or daughter-in-law. One of the themes of this short film is gender roles within a traditional Hmong family. I've blogged about…
I know many Hmong women who refuse to date, let alone marry a Hmong man. Is this normal? In my opinion, it's as normal as someone choosing to only marry within their race or ethnicity. I've heard others criticize and patronize Hmong women who have made this choice (although there have been some progress, interracial/inter-ethnic…
“I am a Hmong Woman” by Pang Hang The ground burns like fire as I walk Passing by the trees that speaks to my heart I am making the pathways of my life By holding to my heart with my head held high I know that I have to respect my traditions and cultures I…
I've seen and heard many Hmong people use bride price and dowry interchangeably, however their meanings are very different. Merriam Webster defines bride price as "a payment given by or in behalf of a prospective husband to the bride's family...." So, basically, it is money or goods that the groom gives to the bride's family for…
Those who do not understand the dynamics of domestic violence (DV) believe that a victim can just leave her abuser whenever she wants to. "If it's that bad, why don't you just leave? It must not be that bad, because you keep going back to him. You have been married to him for 20 years;…
The Hmong are very resistant to change. It’s because of our refusal to change our culture that we were in war with the Chinese for such a long time. In Asia, the Hmong mainly live in remote regions, so they practice their culture with no interference. They are slower to assimilate. In America, we live…
The Hmong consists of 18 last (sur) names, making up 18 official clans. It is taboo to marry someone from the same clan. For instance, someone with the Yang last name cannot marry another Yang. In some families, it is also taboo to marry someone with the same clan name as your mother's maiden name.…
The Hmong culture is very patriarchal. The men make the rules and the women follow them. The men are the clan leaders. The men are the head of the families. The men make all the “big” decisions. Sons are valuable assets to a family because they are the ones who will carry on the clan…
October is Breast Cancer and Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the United States. I am dedicating this month's blog posts to something that I am very passionate about: Domestic Violence (DV), especially in the Hmong community. Each blog entry during this month will be a segment of how Hmong traditions/traditional norms set the state for…
March is Women's History Month in the United States. This month, we acknowledge and celebrate women who have made extraordinary impacts in the political and social spheres in the past and present. Feminists. Besides it being Women's History Month, today marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, a global holiday celebrating the economic, political,…
