Who Are The Hmong?
The Hmong are an ancient Asian
ethnic group that orginated from China.
Hmong people called themselves "Hmong"
although outsiders called them "Miao" or
"Meo," both of these terms convey negative
connotations. The Hmong are a distinct
group that are neither related to the
Chinese, Lao or Thai people. even though
their appearance, culture and language
resemble aspects of those belonging to
these three different ethnic backgrouds. |
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The History of The
Hmong...
According to historians, the
Hmong people were orginally found in
China, in the provinces of Kweichowm,
Yunnan, Hunan, and Kwangsi four
thousand years ago. Competition over
resources and conflict with the
Chinese forced them to mirgate
southward to the mountainous hills.
Approximately 200 years ago,
they faced prosecution from their
Chinese neighbors. Many of them were
forced to leave their homeland to the
south while others stayed lived
under oppression of the Chinese.
Those who left found refuge in
the unoccupied mountainous area of
Burma, North Vietnam, Thailand, and
Laos. In 1975, when the Communist
party took power in Laos, the Hmong
who sided with the United States CIA
fled to Thailand for refuge. They were
placed in refugee camps and waited to
be transfer to a "third country" for
political asylum. Some of the Hmong
refugees were sent to Australia, France,
Canada, but most were sent to the United
States. In the United States most of
the Hmong resettled in California,
Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Carolina,
Michigan, and Colorado. They are
also found in other states, but in
less significant numbers.
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