Hmong and American
Stories of Transition to a Strange Land
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About the Book
The Hmong were driven out of Laos by the turmoil of the Vietnam War and settled in America in such large numbers that they are now the second largest Southeast Asian population in the United States. Twelve Hmong immigrants, including a female shaman, an ex-military officer, a reformed gang member, a doctor, and a woman who was snatched from her mountain village at the age of eight, deposited in Laos’s French culture and finally returned to Laos years later, tell their stories of struggling with American life while preserving the values of their own ancient culture. The author also considers the 5,000 years of Hmong history and its lasting influence.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Sue Murphy Mote
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 316
Bibliographic Info: photos, maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2004
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1832-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1617-9
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Preface 1
Introduction: “Will They Eat Me?” 9
PART I. JOURNEYS
1. Leaving: Chamy Thor 21
2. What Makes the Hmong, Hmong 52
3. Keeper of the Past: Mai Xiong 57
4. Feast and Famine 73
5. Five Thousand Years, Ten Thousand Miles: The Hmong 88
PART II. HMONG WORLD: THAT WAS THEN
6. Old Royalty: Ly Vong Lynaolu 115
7. An Argument with the Stone Age: Chamy Thor 129
PART III. NEW WORLD: AMERICA THE DIFFICULT
8. A Death: Ly Vong Lynaolu 167
9. Ties That Bind: Hmongtown, U.S.A. 175
10. Kids Astray: Sai Sue Lor 196
PART IV. MIDDLE WORLD: BEING HMONG IN AMERICA
11. A Change of Mind: Lue Vang, Pang Foua Yang Rhodes 215
12. Choosing a Path: Mai Xia Cha 231
13. A Different Path: The Children of Long 242
14. Buried Treasure: Mai Xiong 260
15. Peb Hmoob, We Hmong: Chamy Thor 266
Appendix A: Hmong Language and Names 283
Appendix B: Child-Rearing Study 287
Chapter Notes 291
Bibliography 295
Index 299
