Essay On Hmong Culture

Comparison between the Tibetan nationality and the Hmong With the tendency of globalization, the entire world has become more familiar with each other in plenty aspects.. Almost all the countries try to learn some advanced knowledge and technology which is originate from other districts to help their own country to become stronger and more prosperous. However, all of them are not completely the same. They all have their own civilizations. Different societies rely on different lifestyles to exist.

After researching the Hmong culture, I learned several interesting facts about their culture, ceremonial practices, and their views on death and dying of a loved one. Many people in the Hmong culture believe in multiple souls that reincarnate. Although for this to occur, these individuals believe that an honored deceased member must have a proper burial to enter the spirit world in a positive way. Funerals in the Hmong culture last for many days, and the more revered the deceased is the longer the funeral may be. Animal sacrifice is a common ritual performed at a Hmong funeral and the animal is used to provide food for the people attending the funeral (Purnell, 2014, p. 246).

As I listened to the Riverbend scenario I thought of my own cultural competence and how at one time I knew very little of the Hmong culture. Working in a city where Asians make up only 3% of the population, this is a population I knew little about. I have learned that most Hmong are from the mountainous region of Laos, and are granted preferred refugee status by the U.S. (Cobb, 2010). From 2000 to 2010 the number of Hmong grew 40%, there are currently 260,073 Hmong people living primarily in California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Even though the Hmong people seem to be prospering after thirty years in the U.S., there are still challenges with communication, understanding of cultural beliefs, and use of traditional medical practices (United States Census Bureau, 2013)

Ethnomedicine has been historically defined as any healthcare system not present in the West; now, ethnomedicine is defined as the any cultural beliefs which surround healing in a community. The Hmong—an ethnic group located within present day Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand—have a particular system of ethnomedicine which is described as personalistic. Within a personalistic system, an active agent is the underlying cause of a disease—or etiology. Humans can be the cause of the disease as well as a number of non-human and supernatural agents. When Lia Lee began seizing at three months of age, her parents understood that the active agent which caused her epilepsy was a door slamming which caused her soul to fly from her body, an illness called quag

Introduction The Hmong people have a long history of searching for a homeland. They are among the oldest societies in Asia, yet very few know about them. As they have an oral culture, it is hard to determine certain aspects of their history, like their origin. However, comparing their religious viewpoints to others, they seemed to have originated from Chaldea, a region located near present-day Iraq.

Since ancient times Hmong people as been around. So what is Hmong? Are they Chinese or Mongolian? Most people think Hmong are either Chinese or Mongolia For example the word Hmong is very similar to the word Mong in Mongolian. Another reason is because they resided in China. So where do they come from?

Hey stay with the American culture and their traditional dance. Hmong believe in the spiritual belief for among the family. Paja and

1. The significant traditional values commonly shared by Native Americans that would be in conflict with dominant-culture perspectives and practices involve federal laws, policies and institutions. The dominant culture in the United States has deliberately tried to destroy and eliminate Native American culture. The government forced Native Americans to leave their homes, which denied them their ways of living in harmony and nature with the environment. Native Americans have strong values towards not allowing the weight of civilization and the new technology to take over, which is in conflict with the dominant-culture perspective who focus on new technology.

However, this does not coincide with being culturally competent. Health care providers must be open to different approaches to the same problem and be willing to investigate all options to come to a conclusion that takes into consideration the patients cultural beliefs (Kodjo,

In The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman uses careful comparisons and contrasts to appeal to the emotions of readers. Throughout the novel, Fadiman explores different scenarios that are encountered by the Hmong that would make anyone feel frightened. Through these scenarios, we discover what the Hmong have had to endure in order to make a small amount of progress. Some of the individuals in the novel we encounter, including Dr. Robert Small, see the Hmong as “ignorant” and “almost a Stone Age people”. However, some individuals such as the social worker to Lia Lee, Jeanine Hilt, and the author of the novel understand why the Hmong reacted the way they did to the doctors. Many of the Hmong felt their culture slipping from the

This case is about the not knowing the knowledge of the cultural norms practiced. A traditional method of healing, in the Hmong culture, also known as Cao Gio, or "coining. There is another type of healings also used such as “cupping” oil is applied to the area of interest, then a small glass cups are placed; adheres suction to the cup, light is projected onto the cups for about 10-15 minutes. Once removed they leave a symmetrical bruise on the area of interest. The purpose of this technique is to bring the blood flow to the area to help it heal. Yes, I can understand that the bruises that are left behind do look like that the individual was abused. With this being a treatment of medicine in the Hmong culture this should be dismissed as abusive, this method is not abusive at all and while the coining is administered to heal the child. If someone does report this type of case to child protective services, is doing their job as a mandated reporter, but before starting this step, they should first question the parent more about their culture of healing and check in to the procedure of coining before making any judgment calls. I think that as social workers we should be aware and respect the different cultures that we will be in contact and work together. with. I suggest including on the intake forms there

Hmong have frequent gatherings, including graduations, spiritual gatherings, and parties organized by the clan. Many families tend to hold a lot of integrity and find it difficult to enter situations that make them internally troubled. The concept of divorce or doing something about abuse is a foreign concept. Hmong women cannot leave relationships because the most valued trait that Hmong value is the clan and their family. Being involved in a clan, includes their entire reputation.

Regarding effective communication, “good interpretation and good translation go a long way toward solving cross-cultural communication problems and language barriers in health care” (Dreachslin, Gilbert & Malone, 2013, p. 289). These services, through interpreters or voice-assisted devices, provide better opportunities to blend cultures and understand the tradition and beliefs of diverse populations. These two topics were just samplings of the information discussed, but they stuck out to me on a personal level, while pushing me to promote cultural competence and understanding beyond this course in all my future workplace

During the Vietnam War, another war broke out known as the Laotian Civil War. An organization and communist political movement called “Pathet Lao” from North Vietnam was trying to overthrow the Royal Lao Government. While this was happening the CIA recruited the Hmong led by general Vang Pao, (who were an ancient hill-tribe from the mountains of Laos) as a secret alliance, to help aid the Royal Lao Government. (Batson, 1991, “Birth of Pathet Lao” Para. 16) The United States and Hmongs involvement in this are now what is known as the Secret War, for it was kept a secret by the United States government. Eventually, the Royal Lao Government was taken over by Pathet Lao. The Secret War ended the same war as the Vietnamese War in 1975 but the continuation

The culture of a country is defined by its own beliefs, its ways of life, its arts and other factors. Cultural differences are important because it distinguishes people living in a certain country from other countries. The differences between American and Vietnamese culture are striking, and they deserve rigorous examination.