MAI HOUA VUEKELLY SCHMIEGASHLEY DAVIS

MICHELLE HEIDT

Hmong Culture and Language

History

Agricultural group of people originating from China

Migrated to southern China, Laos, and Vietnam to escape oppression

Hmong of Laos recruited by US CIA to fight in the “Secret War in Laos” (1961-1973)

After the war, Hmong were targets of retaliation for helping the Americans in war

History

Many fled Laos into Thailand to escape persecution

Those that made it across the border lived in refugee camps

1976- Hmong families first resettled in USA and other countries

Hmong people can be found in China, Lao, Thailand, Vietnam, USA, Australia, France, Canada, among other countries

Resettlement in the U.S.

*Groups of Hmong initially resettled in cities across the US but many relocated to 3 main states: CA, MN, WI

Why Minnesota?

Sponsored by family members & relatives

1,000+ churches that work with Hmong community to sponsor refugees

1980s- UM Agricultural Extension Service provided $6 million for education, equipment, and land to Hmong farmers and their families

Large Hmong community Available organizations that

provide services such as English classes and employment services

School and Literacy

Short history with formal education

Isolation in Laos Location barriers Language barriers Non-literate Written language

1950’s

How will this affect instruction?

Value of formal education De-valued or highly valued

May not be able to get help with schoolwork at home After-school program, tutoring, in-

class help, etc.

Works Cited

1. Handbook for Teaching Hmong-Speaking Students. Developed by Bruce Thowpaou Bliatout,Bruce T. Downing, Judy Lewis and Dao Yang. Folsom Cordova Unified School District, Southeast Asia Community Resource Center, 1988. Retrieved from http://www.reninc.org/PDFS/HmongBk.pdf

2. Refugee and Immigrant Population in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Macalester College.  Retrieved from http://www.macalester.edu/anthropology/refugees/hmong/

3. Street, B.V. (Ed.) (1993). Cross Cultural Approaches to Literacy. New York, NY: Cambridge University Print.

Language

There are two main dialects of Hmong language are the Green Hmong and the White Hmong.

Hmong is a monosyllabic

English is polysyllabic

Teachers: Break polysyllabic English words into syllables that resemble Hmong words.

Hmong students need help understanding that in English many words that are spelled the same but hold different meaningful tones. Also learning pitch patterns will help them better learn how to pronounce long words

Words in the Hmong language only have one form.

This is a great leaning opportunity for the study of such words (past tense verbs, contractions, idioms etc.) that are uncommon in Hmong culture.