Cultural Lesson Plans for Teachers about the ... - Brown University

EXPLORE THE CULTURES OF THE WORLD
Paj Ntaub and the Hmong of China and Southeast Asia
About the Hmong
Hmong means “free man” or “free people”
in the Hmong language. The Hmong live
in mountainous areas of Southeast Asia,
primarily in China, Laos, North Vietnam,
and Thailand. It is thought that the Hmong
originally came from Mongolia, Siberia or
Tibet, and lived in China for almost 3,000
years. The Hmong were persecuted in
China, and so many of them left for the
highlands of Laos and Vietnam. At the
beginning of the 20th century, some moved
in to the highlands of Thailand. In the
1960s and 1970s, the Laotian civil war
and the Vietnam War disrupted their home
life. During the Vietnam War, many Hmong
fought alongside the United States against
the Communists. When the Communists
took control of Laos in 1975, many Hmong
had to flee into Thailand by crossing the
Mekong River. They stayed in refugee
camps in Thailand, and many later came
to live in the United States. Others went
to Australia, Europe, and French Guyana.
Some Hmong settled in Providence, Rhode
Island.
The Haffenreffer
Museum of Anthropology
BROWN
Hmong Hill Tribe, Thailand;
photograph by Professors Douglas and Wanni Anderson
Hmong, Rhode Island;
photograph by Patricia Symonds
In Southeast Asia, the Hmong use “slash-and-burn” agriculture, clearing the land for farming
by cutting down trees and burning them. The Hmong grow rice, yams, potatoes, corn, and
squash. They also grow hemp and cotton for textiles. The Hmong typically live in small
villages, made up of approximately 8 families or households, although these households are
quite large — some can have as many as 50 people! Entire villages move every few years
since slash-and-burn agriculture quickly strips the soil of its nutrients.
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