Split Horn: Hmong Tradition
The Hmong people are very traditional. They have passed down the same traditions for the past 5000 years. Family is very important to the Hmong, even though families tend to be scattered across the country in the United States. Many Hmong families came to the United States after the Vietnam War to start a new life. They came here because they were displaced refugees and no longer had a home. They did not want to assimilate and lose their traditions, but the younger generations of Hmong seem to be moving farther from the old traditional ways, becoming more American.
The Hmong have very elaborate ceremonies to send the deceased on to their ancestors in the spirit world. These ceremonies take four days and three nights
…show more content…
Cultural assimilation occurs when a minority ethnic group changes their cultural patterns to match those of the host society. We saw examples of this when Paja’s children no longer wanted to partake in the traditional ceremonies. Marital assimilation is when large-scale intermarriage occurs with members of the majority society. We saw this in Paja’s son who had a baby with his white American girlfriend. I believe, though they were not married, living with and having children interracially is still an example of marital assimilation. Structural assimilation is yet another of Gordons phases. This occurs when the minority ethnic group experiences large-scale entrance into the cliques, clubs, and institutions of the host society on a primary group level. I believe a great example of this form of assimilation is seen in Paja’s children becoming Christians and living a life of Christianity. Another place that this is seen is with his young son not wanting to take time out of his busy American life to participate in the traditional ceremonies and way of life of the Hmong.
Traditional cultural beliefs are very important to the Hmong people. The older generation want to hang on to all of the traditions, without change, as has been their way for 5000 years. The younger people are willing to hang on to some of the old traditions for their elders sakes. However, they enjoy making their own way, and forming their own beliefs, as is the American way. When you grow up in a culturally different society, it is hard not to assimilate and take on the host society’s
In The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures, author Anne Fadiman explores the complexity of a cultural clash through communication and interaction between the Hmong minority and biomedical culture in the United States. In broad terms, her book classifies as a modern-day case of cultural anthropology that depicts the complications of unprepared cross-cultural communication and lack of assimilation. Fadiman documented the saga of the Lees, a Hmong family who immigrated to Merced, California after nation-wide problems in their homeland of Laos and China (Fadiman 5). Their story exemplifies the struggle with biomedicine in the United States by detailing the story of the Lee’s severely epileptic daughter Lia and reflecting on the factors and outcomes of her life and death.
Within this critical analysis, I hope to show that the lack of communication and compromise between the Hmong family and the American doctors, was the defining blow to Lia’s ill health. I hope to do this by addressing the following three main points of interest in relation to this miscommunication; the views held by the American healthcare professions on the causes of Lia’s illness, contrasted with the opinions of Lia’s parents. I will then discuss the health-seeking strategies of Lia’s parents and how they were influenced by different resou...
There are many main ideas and themes in the book “The Spirit Catches You When You Fall” by Anne Fadiman. I and my group discussed three themes and specific main points that we all thought was important to take from the book. Some of the main points that we discuss is Hmong culture/family, language barriers, and epilepsy. I will talk about the main points, a brief reflection on the doctor’s take on this situation and the theme sometimes you can’t control the outcome of situations.
The Hmong culture is firmly rooted in their spiritual belief of animism, ancestral worship and reincarnation. These beliefs connect them to their sense of health and well-being. They view illness as having either a natural or a spiritual cause. A spiritual cause results in a “loss of souls” or is an action or misdeed that may have offended an ancestor’s spirit (California Department of Health Services, 2004, Purnell, 2013, p. 317). The soul escapes the body and may not be able to find its way back home. The Hmong also believe that a combination of natural and supernatural cause’s results in illness, and spells or curses, violation of taboos, accidents, fright, and infectious disease are other causes for illness (Centers for Disease Control
Just like the durian, my Vietnamese culture repulsed me as a young child. I always felt that there was something shameful in being Vietnamese. Consequently, I did not allow myself to accept the beauty of my culture. I instead looked up to Americans. I wanted to be American. My feelings, however, changed when I entered high school. There, I met Vietnamese students who had extraordinary pride in their heritage. Observing them at a distance, I re-evaluated my opinions. I opened my life to Vietnamese culture and happily discovered myself embracing it. `
For example, when Uncle Po got sick and was admitted into the hospital, a couple of the Hmong people decided to go visit him. When they went, they checked to see if his nose is broken, because a broken nose indicates if a person will die soon. They noticed he did have a broken nose, and knew he was going to die soon. They all started preparing for his death. The Hmong people have an extensive funeral for him, which involves a chicken so the chicken can help him find his soul in the afterworld (McSilver & Siegle). Hmong people rely heavily on culture and the area around them when it comes to health and wellbeing. In Western culture, people usually wait for the doctor to announce a person dead. They also do not send a chicken with that person so when the person finds their soul, the chicken can co. Western culture is heavily dependent on the doctors orders, as it is assumed that the doctor knows
People of Filipino decent have a rich culture that emphasizes tradition and family; as well as allows for a political and sociocultural movement for Filipino immigrants in their new countries. Theme one focuses on the concept of culture and how Filipinos present themselves as a race. Although they reside in the United States, it was rare for most informants to identify themselves as Americans. Rather, they viewed their culture as being morally correct and righteous and American culture as deviant or aberrant. Explicitly, the issue with Filipinos in terms of American culture was their concept of family and the U.S. families’ lac k thereof. They argue that in their culture family is a dominant aspect that preaches assistance and care for one another. Additionally, they disagree with the ideology that American families have in terms they raise their children. Filipinos take care of their children and continue to offer them resources and shelter regardless of their age. Conversely, they believe that American parents lack in care for their children and ultimately get the same from them in return. Filipino culture also emphasizes gender roles and restrictions, particularly female gender. Females are expected to take on the role of the
Tradition is defined in the dictionary as the handing down from generation to generation of the same customs and beliefs. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, I believe has two main topics addressed: the traditions of the Hmong people, and the dangers of being unable to communicate. The misunderstanding of these two consequential points, I believe caused the majority of conflict that arose.
After reading chapter 1, Birth, some of Hmong customs that stood out to me was when the parents had to bury the placenta after the child was born; depending on the gender the placenta was buries in a special place. I like the meaning that the placenta was a special garment that was first worn by the baby. Furthermore, another custom was when the mother had to satisfy any craving to prevent her baby from getting any type illness, and as well as having a special diet for the mothers after they give birth to help them cleans their body’s after the pregnancy. One custom that really stood out to me from the rest was “Lia’s hu plig” which was a party to appreciate a new child into the world and welcome the soul into a new body; they sacrificed chickens
Most of the Hmong populations in America now reside in California, Minnesota and Wisconsin. They have now adapted to a society and culture that looked down upon them. Even though they have adapted, they still possess the traditions and rituals that their ancestors practiced in Southeast Asia. These traditions are held very sacred in the Hmong home. This is understood because every culture likes to keep a little piece of the past with them.
In The Latehomecomer, by Kao Kalia Yang shares her story and the story of her family’s search for a home and identity. Her family’s story voices the story of the Hmong people and their plight. From every stage of their journey, from the mountainous jungles of Southeast Asia to the freezing winter of Minnesota, Yang and the Hmong were compelled to redefine their identity, willingly or unwillingly. While growing up, Yang’s parents would often ask her, “’What are you?’ and the right answer was always, ‘I am Hmong.’” (Yang, 1) For “Hmong” to be the right answer, then what does it mean to be “Hmong”? From the personal story shared by Yang, and the universal story of the Hmong people, the Hmong identity cannot be contained in
The Hmong people, an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam and Laos, greatly value their culture and traditions. The film “The Split Horn: Life of a Hmong Shaman in America” documents the seventeen year journey of the Hmong Shaman, Paja Thao and his family from the mountains of Laos to the heartland of America. This film shows the struggle of Paja Thao to maintain their 5000 year-old shamanic traditions as his children embrace the American culture. Moreover, the film shows that one of the major problems refugees like Paja Thao and his family face upon their arrival to the United States is conflict with the American medical system. Despite the dominant biomedical model of health, the film “The Split Horn” shows that
Families changed overtime by becoming more Americanized as they resided here. Few families still carried normal Cambodian traditions, but they had the
The Hmong are a group who originated for Mongolia thousands of years ago. Since then, they have migrated into the mainland of china. The Hmong people speak their own language of Hmong, there native language. The Hmong religon is Animalistic. The total population of the Hmong group is 4 to 5 million people.
Vietnamese Americans experience two cultures making them diverse from the Western society. The Vietnamese American are combined with traditions from the homeland Vietnamese culture and are introduced to the cultures in the Western society. The second-generation Vietnamese Americans are more likely to adapt to the American culture and overlook the traditions of the Vietnamese culture. The second-generation Vietnamese Americans are a result of the refugees from the Vietnam War, often a soldier and Vietnamese woman. These family are likely to experience low socioeconomic status because of the inability to effectively communicate with in Western society. This is generation has a direction reflection of the Vietnamese culture. The second-generation