The Hmong History

In the Beginning: Nomadic to Coexisting with China.

Around 400 A.D. the Hmong lived with the Chinese. Their stay with the Chinese was a mixed bag of harshness and harmony, for some Chinese Dynasties welcome them but most of them enslave the Hmong. This is the time period where the Hmong word was created and it stands for "free" or "free people", although today they prefer to be just called Hmong. Hmong folk tales developed during this time too, and have been told orally and passed on generation to generation.

Between 400 to 900 A.D. the Hmong managed to form their own dynasty, with organized villages and districts. They even have a voting system in which only the monarchs and men can participate in. The Hmong even coexist well with the Chinese until the Sung Dynasty defeated them, resulting in the Hmong switching back to nomadic living.

Eventually the majority of the Hmong had no choice but to flee from the Chinese because they could not take it anymore. Some still stay behind because they were the ones that get along with the Chinese. Thus, their are still some Hmong who are living in China today.

Life in Laos, the Vietname War and the Immigration. So around the 1800's the Hmong fled from China and settled in the mountains of Laos, where the lived in harmony. Opium was a cash crop, whom the Hmong depended on as income, trade and as a consumption commodity, in the form of smoking from a pipe.

In 1893, Laos was taken over the French. Many Hmongs supported the French while many others were against them. The Laos regain their independance in 1949 and developed their national flag which is has the symbol of three elephants with a white parosol on a five-step platform. The parosol defines royalty and the platform stands for the five commandmants of Buddism that forbids: murdering, stealing, lying, adultery and abuse of alcohol.

A year later, a Hmong under the name of Vang Pao, who eventually became a famous military officer, was assigned to spy for the French and after a decade has passed the American CIA requested Vang Pao to help them fight against the Vietnamese, in exchange for weapons, training and food. They would also provide rice and salt and vowed to end communist rule. A half million Hmongs at that time were organized into clans. Since mass communication was nonexistent at that time, Vang Pao had to travel to the mountains to talk to leaders. So around 1964, Vang Pao was promoted General of Royal Army of Laos, and with him were 30,000 Hmong soldiers supporting him. They fought against the Vietnamese and were paid on average of 10 cents a day and a promise of being taken cared by the U.S. government.

Finally, in 1975 the cruel Vietname War ends, and along with it 17,000 Hmong soldiers and 5,000 Hmong civilians died. General Vang Pao was ordered by the CIA to leave outside of the country. When the Americans left, the remaining Hmong soldiers become a prime target of retilation for the Vietnames as well as the Laosians. Many Hmongs fled to Thailand, crossing the Mekong River. At the river, the Laos militia fired upon the fleeing Hmongs. Approximately 100,000 Hmongs lost their lives in the escape. Another 100,000 manage to make it to Thailand were they settled in Thai refugee camps for as long ten years. Eventually, they were resettled in the U.S. and France. In 1995, the refugee camps in Thailand were closed for service and many Hmongs returned to Laos while many others remained in Thailand.

Adapting to a New World

The Hmongs have great difficulty in adapting to America, despite the assistance from sponsors, who helped bring them to the U.S. and other places. It was hard for the earlier generations of the Hmong in the U.S. to find jobs, earn money and make a decent living because of the language barrier and other ethnic variables. But slowly, the Hmong started to get use to the American enviroment and their life in the new nation became easier. The younger generations, assimilated into the American lifestyle quicker and easier, because they were more open and recieved a very good education through schools.

Today, their are a lot of Hmongs who manage to earn degrees in college and find jobs that pay good salaries. Some Hmongs even started opening their own businesses and are prospering fairly well. The Hmongs are reaching the American dream, but recognize that they still acknowledge their heritage and are still holding firmly to their traditional roots. They are catching on quickly to the business, technology and culture of the postmodern world. They are here to stay and the future looks promising for them. Let us realize this and ensure that the Hmongs will live on happily ever after.

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