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HMONG TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS
OF MEASURING AND OF WEIGHING IN LAOS
HMOOB KEV NTSUAS NEEG THIAB NTSUAS KHOOM NYOB NPLOG TEB
By Kao-Ly Yang PhD
"Geometric designs are employed in Shi-dong
embroidery to symbolize various features.
For instance, a triangle decorated with fruits et
plants stands for a house,
and colored tripe are used to indicate the rivers and
mountains
which their ancestors once crossed. In other areas,
squares are used
to symbolize farm fields and crosses represent
forests."
Hu Zejia, Irène Brain, Introducing the Mou of
Guizhou
in
Hmong Forum, vol 2, 1991, MN, E.U, p 17.
The following summary
comes from my article “Mesurer et conter chez les Hmong. Aspects techniques et notions de
précision »
published in Bulletin de l’Ecole Française d’Extrême Orient (BEFEO) under the
book title: De poids et de mesure. Systèmes métrologiques en Asie du Sud-est
&
From my course of Hmong advanced Language at the Southeast Asian Summer Studies Institutes – University of Wisconsin-Madison – Summer 2003.
Lire la VERSION
FRANçAISE-HMONG
1. NOTIONS OF EVUALATION(Cov
lus uas niaj nub siv los ntsuas)
1. To Measure: ntsuas xws li “ntsuas
qua tsev”, “ntsuas lub caij”, “sib ntsuas zog”
2. To
weigh: luj xws li "luj ntsev", “luj yeeb”,
“luj dej, luj nplej”
3. To
compare: piv xws li “sib piv seb loj li cas lawm"
4. To
evaluate: xam xws li "xam seb
peb tuaj tau pes tsawg hnub lawm"
2. WHAT DO HMONG PEOPLE MEASURE?
|
FIELDS |
SUB
FIELDS |
EXPRESSIONS |
|
Behavior,
attitude Cwj
pwm |
Language: hais
lus |
ntsuas
cov lus; luj cov lus |
|
Physical
Manners as walking coj
xws li mus kev |
ntsuas
tus cwj pwm |
|
|
Behaviors: txawj
zam |
ntsuas
zaub rau ntsev |
|
Feelings
Siab
ntsws, kev paub tab
|
|
ntsuas
seb siab ntev los tsis ntev ntsuas
lub siab lub ntsws seb pos siab zoo |
|
Ability,
skill, aptitude Kev
txawj ntse |
|
ntsuas mob rau tshuaj ntsuas seb pos ntse |
|
Material
things Khoom,
tsev, teb chaws, kev |
loj/dav,
loj/ntev, sib/hnyav, loj/ntau, luv/ntev |
lub
hnab ntim tau ntau heev tos hnyav hnyav los xuas lub kawm los luj nplej |
3. MEASURING HUMAN AND MORAL
QUALITIES
|
PAIRED WORDS |
PHYSICAL
MEANING |
MORAL
MEANING |
|
ntev/dav |
long/large |
patient/generous |
|
ntev/luv |
long/short |
patient/impatient |
|
loj/me |
big/small |
confident/coward |
|
ncaj/nkhaus |
straight/curvilinear |
fair/hypocritical |
|
sib/hnyav |
light/heavy |
thoughtless/slow |
|
siab/qis |
Top/down |
highly
appreciated/badly appreciated |
|
tob/ntiav |
Deep/not
deep |
Knowledgeable/simple
mind |
4. SYSTEM OF MEASURING PADDY AND MAIZE NTSUAS
NPLEJ THIAB POB KWS
|
Unities |
Instrument
of measure |
Equivalence |
Values in kg
|
|
1
nphoov tes |
? |
? |
|
|
1ntim |
|
|
ntim |
|
1siab |
10 ntim |
4 kg |
kawm |
|
1 koloos |
4 siab |
16 kg |
koloos |
|
5 siab |
|
20 kg |
kawm me |
|
1taw |
10 siab |
40 kg |
kawm |
|
1 tas |
10 taw |
400 kg |
kawm |
|
1txhab |
|
|
txhab |
5. SYSTEM OF WEIGHING OPIUM LUJ
YEEB
|
Unities |
Equivalence |
Values in kg |
Instrument of measure |
|
1 feeb(1) |
|
0,375 g |
|
|
5 feeb |
|
1,875 g |
(rab teev) scale |
|
1 txiaj |
10 feeb |
3,8 g |
(rab teev) |
|
1 las |
10 txiaj |
38 g |
(rab teev) |
|
1choj |
10 las |
380 g |
(rab teev) |
|
1puas |
10 choj |
3,8 kg |
(rab teev) |
|
1 meem |
10 puas |
38 kg |
(rab teev) |
(1) Hmoob dawb :
fiab ; Moob lees: feeb
6. SYSTEM OF MEASURING SALT NTSUAS
NTSEV
|
Unities |
Equivalence |
Values in kg |
Instrument of measure |
|
1 meem |
12/14 choj |
? |
? |
|
1 xaj |
30 choj |
? |
? |
|
1 xeem |
10 meem |
? |
? |
|
1 toos |
10 xeem |
? |
? |
7. SYSTEM OF COUNTING CURRENCY SUAV
NYIAJ
|
Unities |
Internal
equivalences |
In French
currencies |
Equivalences
in g |
|
1 npib |
7 feeb/fiab |
piastre
of 10 cents |
2,7 g |
|
1 hob |
|
piastre of 20
cents |
5,4 g |
|
5 npib |
|
piastre of 50
cents |
13,5 g |
|
1 txiaj kis
laus |
7 txiaj |
piastre of 27
g |
27 g |
|
1 choj nyiaj |
1 choj nyiaj |
14 txiaj kis
laus +3 npib |
386,1 g |
|
1 nkauj nyiaj |
10 choj nyiaj |
10 x (14
txiaj kis laus +3 npib) |
3861 g (3,861
kg) |
8. SYSTEM OF WEIGHING A PORC LUJ NPUA
|
Unities |
Internal
equivalences |
Means to measure |
|
1 nti |
|
width of
index |
|
2 nti |
|
width of
middle finger |
|
3 nti |
|
width of ring
finger |
|
1 taus |
1 cheej |
fist |
|
1 taus tsa xoo |
|
fist + thumb |
REFERENCES
Yves BERTRAIS
(père), Dictionnaire Hmong-Français, 1979, Bangkok, Sangwan Surasarang Pubisher.
Robert COOPER, Nicolas TAPP, Gary Yia
LEE, Gretel SCHWOER-KHOL, The Hmong, 1991, Bangkok, Artasia Press CO. LTD.,
87p.
Ernest E. HEIMBACH, White Hmong-English
Dictionary, 1969, New York, Linguistics Series IV, Cornell University, Ithaca.
William R. GEDDES, Migrants of the
Mountains, 1976, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 265p.
J. LEMOINE, Un village hmong vert du Haut Laos, CNRS,
1972, Paris, 219 p.
Jean MOTTIN,
Eléments de grammaire du hmong blanc, 1978, Bangkok, Don Bosco, 212p.
F.M SAVINA,
Histoire des Miao, 1924, Hongkong, Imprimerie de la Société de Missions-
Etrangères, 304p.
YANG Dao, Les
Hmong face au développement, 1974, éd. Siaosavath,
Laos, 199 p.
YANG Dao, Dictionnaire
Français-hmong blanc, txhais lus Fab kis, 1980, Comité National
d'Entraide & Jacques Lemoine.
FOR MORE
INFORMATION IN ENGLISH, FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AT kaoly_y@yahoo.com
Copyright
© Kao-Ly Yang 2003
All rights reserved