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| CONTENTS Exploring: Current Experiences Challenging: Women Issues Reading: Research Articles Learning: History Guessing: Proverbs & Riddles Studying: Literature & Poetry Visiting: Photo Gallery Admiring: Art Gallery Listening to: Hmong Radios Enjoying: Tales for Children Taking: Courses of Cult & Language Proposing: Story, Poetry & Artwork |
| TOPICS OF 2006 January Tsab rau Tsab Mim Xyooj, Hmoob tus Kws Hu Nkauj tus muaj npe tshaj Lettre ouverte à Chamee Xiong, la plus célèbre chanteuse hmong The Open Letter to Chamee Xiong, the Most Famous Female Hmong Singer February Kuv tus Phauj Nyob Asmeslivkas Teb thiab "cov nkauj laug" Ma Tante d'Amérique et les "vieilles filles" My Aunt from America Handling the "Old girls" from France Ib tug ntxhais kev hlub rau nws leej niam Les soins d'une fille à sa mère A Daughter's Care for her Mother March Qav Xav Loj li Twm La Grenouille qui désire devenir aussi grosse qu'un boeuf The Frog who aspired to become as big as the Ox Cov lus, cov duab thiab cob siab tuaj koom lub rooj sab laj poj niam hmoob Paroles, photos et sentiments à propos de la conférence sur les femmes hmong Words, pictures and feelings at the Hmong Women Conférence, Minnesota 2005 May Taaj kev zais siab tsis pab nws tus kheej rov ua neej Les mensonges de Taah à propos de son divorce ne l'aident pas à trouver son intégrité Taah's Lies about her Divorce Kept her far from her Integrity Guest Writer: Lindy Lee-Her Hmoob Nkes: Thaum txij neej rov nyiam txiv neej,poj niam rov nyiam poj niam Gay et lesbians Hmong en Amérique Hmong Gay and Lesbians Phauj Xis raug muag ua niam peb Ma tante Sy a été vendue comme troisième épouse Aunt See had been sold as a third wife June Guest Writer: Lig Vaaj Xub Thoj Lub Neej Ua Yeeb Yam Kiab Un morceau de l'histoire du développement du cinéma hmong: Su Thao, un artiste producteur A Piece of the Making of Hmong Films: Su Thao, An Artist Producer Tsheej Kim, Tus neeg hu xov Tooj tsis tseg L'homme-Chencki The Chencki-man, the night caller July Tus txiv neej uas hais lus rau cov tsawb. Kev siab lwj tos poj niam tuaj Asmeslivkas teb L'homme qui parlait aux bananiers, attendant désespérément sa jeune épouse du Laos The Man Who Talked to the Banana Trees, Desperately Waited For his Young Wife from Laos August Raug dab thawj thiab los sis siab phem xwb? Thaum ib tug txiv neej vwm tuaj Possédé par un démon de chagrin ou simple méchanceté? Quand un homme hmong devient fou Possessed by a Lost Spirit of Grief or Simple Wickedness? When a Hmong Man becomes crazy September Guest Writer: Npoos Xyooj (Bong Xiong), Young Kab Tshoob Kev Kos: Piav Txog Tshoob Coj Le mariage traditionnel: le cas du mariage par fuite Traditional Wedding: the case of marriage by elopement Master of Hmong Wedding November Guest Writer: Kou Xiong Hmoob Keb Ua Neej: Kub Xyooj Tsev Neeg Kev Nrhiav ib Lub Teb Chaw uas Muaj Kev Yeej Pheej Les Expériences des Hmong Américains: La recherche d'une terre de choix par la famille de Kou Xiong Hmong American Experiences: Kou Xiong's Family Search For a Land of Choices December Niam Nkauj Kab Yeeb thiab Kev ntseeg haum Hmoob Txuj Ci La rencontre avec la déesse miséricorde Guanying. Un cas d'étude du syncrétisme dans les croyances hmong The Meeting with Guayin, the Goddess of Mercy. A Case Study of Syncretism in the Hmong System of Beliefs |
| WOMEN ISSUES Ma tante d'Amérique My Aunt of America Kuv tus phauj nyob Asmeslivkas teb by Kao-Ly Yang Join the Free Discussion Group: "Hmong Women Network" The following story is fictional. The Niece Has An American Dream Kia was a young Hmong woman living in France. She was born in Nantes, a romantic city in the West of France. She has been doing her master degree in business. One day, she saw a flyer offering some internship in the West Coast in the United Stated. She thought that it might be good to have some experience in business in this country with its capitalist economy. One of the offers of internship happens to be in Sacramento, a town near San Francisco where there is a big Hmong community. She remembered having some relatives in this city. Her parents agreed to let her go because it would be a good experience, and she would get job after. She sent her application, and obtained a scholarship for six-month work in a bank. In July 2002, she flew to Sacramento, California. I forgot to tell you, readers, that Kia was a beautiful young woman, quite ambitious. She easily found an apartment in this big city for a six-month stay. Life far from home was not at all simple. Kia feeling very lonely decided to visit some of her mother's relatives. Many of her cousins, aunts, uncles were greatly surprised to see her alone in the United States. Her acquaintance with the American relatives raised some questions regarding Hmong American values and behaviours. Almost all her cousins were overweighed. Their week ends were for parties, rituals and church activities all the times. During their week days, everybody was very busy; many had two jobs, and parents and children merely saw each other during months. There was no time for family or nobody had time to sit down together for meal. Being a beautiful and rebelled woman is not an easy thing for Kia in the Hmong community. Indeed, people only perceived her as a marry-able daughter. Many old grand-mothers already tried to seduce her for their sons. But Kia already has a boy-friend in France. Her rapports with the cousins, especially the women's side, were superficial, materialistic and competitive. During the first month, all of them repeatedly invited her to remain in the US, to join the Hmong community, which made Kia feel a bit curious about this will to keep everybody in the US. "Do they believe like Americans that they are the masters of the world? Or Are they naïve, not knowing that American immigration laws are quite difficult to handle for who wants to come to America? Is that politeness or collective fear?" Then came the following months where nobody cared anymore about Kia. She was surprised by the indifference and ignorance of her own cousins, and the jealousy among her female acquaintances. The capitalism and the American individualism seemed influencing or overlapping Hmong traditional behaviours as well regarding competition and lack of real support. The Hmong Americans seemed only to see profits, fame and individualist successes. She felt that many women and men were quite conservative and sexist. Freedom and richness don't improve human qualities. "Is it possible to have frank and sincere friendship with the Hmong American?" Kia was asking long time afterwards. The Aunt Said the Niece is "An Old Girl Seeking Husband" During a wedding, Kia met a new aunt, a woman of about 50 years old, nice and apparently very sweet who told her that she would be her closest aunt from her mother?s lineage. She was quite happy, thinking that she might have met somebody with whom she could "talk" because this aunt was closed to her by blood. Kia gave her phone number to the aunt. But the aunt did not give her phone number in return. The aunt kept saying: "I do not live too far from you", after asking Kia's address. The niece did not seize the subtlety of these details until the week before her departure to France. Did she see others with too much kindness? Or was she was too reserved to allow herself to think badly of others. During her stay in the US, she has experienced a certain number of situations where she learnt that the Hmong people are not better than other human beings. There are the good ones as well as the bad ones; the bad people might not be the others, but her own relatives. The first time Kia realized that was during her visit to a doctor's office. Kia was very sick, and did not know where to seek a good doctor. She phoned one of her female cousins who took her to a medical office. There, after the consultation, the secretary has asked a second phone number to call in case there was something wrong. Her cousin, standing coldly, did not want to give her phone number away. Kia asked her, and her answer was: "Do you have a health insurance because I don't want to give my phone and pay your bills, you see?" Kia was surprised, and realized that the cousin did not believe that she has a job and health insurance. "What did this cousin believe so?" Suddenly, Kia knew what she was thinking: Kia would be an old girl coming to America because she would search for a husband. It would be a part of this myth of Hmong French women travelling to the US for husbands. Some of the informal conversations already suggested this issue to Kia, but she did not believe that her own relatives applied the "old girl seeking husband" to her too. One afternoon, the aunt hazardously met Kia at her office where she became the manager. Kia was nicely dressed and impressed her a lot. The aunt suddenly realized that Kia was not really an old girl seeking some husbands; she was independent, smart and attractive. The aunt learnt that the niece was going to leave in the following week for France. That night, the aunt came to knock at Kia' door and offered to organize a party for her. Kia was very embarrassed because she did not have time: she needed to send back the furniture she has rented, and to finish some administrative tasks before flying back home. But the aunt with her husband insisted, and promised to send their children to help her to move everything out of the apartment. So the next morning, the day before her departure, the aunt did a feast, and invited the whole Hmong community at her house to celebrate her niece's departure. The aunt who did not even want to give her phone number to the niece --or visit her even if she only lived two blocks or 5 minutes in car from her--, happily now partied hard in offering alcohol away and eating pork sauté with her friends. That was something taught to understand for a 24-years old Hmong woman socialized in the humanist culture. "Why did she not help me at the beginning, and now at the end?" After the party, she did not send her sons to help Kia to move out of the apartment. Kia did call one of her female colleague and their children for help. Kia felt disappointed by this aunt who abused her in such a way. She knew she has been used for her name: the aunt wanted everybody in the community to applaud her supposed generosity because she has such a niece. In fact, the party was for the aunt more than for the niece. She smelt the odour of fame, another way to social recognition ...and took advantage of her niece. The aunt did not have any pride, respect, true love... there is no generosity in her action, only vanity, selfishness and greediness. Epilogue When Kia told this story to her mother and father in France, they just teased her a little bit, and replied to her that it was a good lesson of life. Closeness and appearance don't guarantee love and trust. Be more careful with the Hmong Americans. They are changing under the guidance of the capitalist ideology. The aunts in America may reserve astonishing surprises. Love the ones who love you, and avoid the ones who only love for money, fame or came to knock at your door when they smelt good assets. Copyrights 2006 Kao-Ly Yang All rights reserved. |
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