Hmong Means Free by Sucheng Chan
"Hmong Means Free: Life in Laos and America" is a compelling collection that chronicles the life experiences of four Hmong families who fled Laos following the Communist takeover in 1975. The work, initiated by Hmong students and guided by their professor, delves into personal narratives that shed light on the Hmong community's rich cultural background and their resilience amidst significant upheaval. It presents firsthand accounts of life in Laos, where many Hmong were farmers, and details the societal roles within their families, including the challenges faced during the Vietnam War when many joined forces with the United States.
The book illustrates the harrowing journey of the Hmong in fleeing Laos, often through perilous situations, and their experiences in refugee camps. Upon arriving in America, the families encountered a dramatic culture shock, navigating a new and complex society that contrasted sharply with their traditional lives. The narratives also address the difficulties of maintaining cultural identity amid assimilation, as older generations express concern over the loss of traditions and the impact of racism in their new homeland. Overall, "Hmong Means Free" offers a poignant exploration of the Hmong's struggle for identity and belonging, providing a vital voice to a community that has experienced profound change and challenges in their quest for freedom and stability in America.
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Hmong Means Free by Sucheng Chan
First published: 1994
The Work
Hmong Means Free: Life in Laos and America is an extraordinary collection of the life stories of four Hmong families who were able to escape from Laos when the Communists took over the Asian country in 1975. The book is the result of the work of four Hmong students, Lee Fang, Vu Pao Tcha, Maijue Xiong, and Thek Moua, and their professor, editor Sucheng Chan, of the University of California at Santa Barbara. Each student asked immediate family members to tell the stories of their lives; Professor Chan provides a cogent introduction to history and culture of the Hmong people of Laos.
As a result of this teamwork, voice is given, for the first time in print, to many first-person accounts of Hmong who came to live in California. The tales older family members—such as Boua Neng Moua—tell about their lives back in Laos become safeguards of their memories. Most Hmong were slash-and-burn farmers living a life far removed from that of American farmers in the twentieth century. Women worked very hard in the fields and at home, and children were taught to be obedient, hardworking, and chaste until marriage.
Change came when the war in Vietnam began to spill over to Laos in the 1960’s. Many Hmong joined the American war effort and fought under General Vang Pao against their mutual Communist enemies. Thus, one of the many photographs that illustrate Hmong Means Free shows Xia Shoua Fang in his military uniform, flanked by his wife and their three oldest children.
The Communist victory caused many Hmong to try to flee Laos, and Xang Mao Xiong tells of Communist massacres of Hmong refugees who never made it to safe camps in Thailand. The camp experience often occupies the middle part of the Hmong narratives told in the book. Almost everybody was hoping to leave for America, even though some, like the Tcha family, arrived via France. Life in America brought with it a tremendous culture shock. Industrialized, urbanized, English-speaking America is often experienced as a promised land full of mind-boggling differences and dangers. Older Hmong are united in bemoaning the decay of family life and loss of cultural tradition among their young, Americanized offspring who seem to adopt American food and American violence with equal speed. Across the generations, most Hmong are startled by their experience of racism in America; coming from a relatively homogeneous country, they are saddened that so often, the different races and ethnicities cannot seem to get along in America.
Overall, Hmong Means Free offers a fascinating inside view of identity, culture, and traditions of a people whose alliance with America has caused about 100,000 of them to start over in the country of their old ally. With American culture all around them, this book may also help young Hmong to keep a sense of their specific cultural heritage.
Bibliography
Downing, Bruce, et al., eds. The Hmong in the West. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1982.
Hendricks, Glenn, et al., eds. The Hmong in Transition. Staten Island: Center for Migration Studies, 1986.
Mitchell, Roger. Tradition, Change, and Hmong Refugees. Logan: Utah State University Press, 1992.
Roberts, A. E. Review of Hmong Means Free, edited by Sucheng Chan. Choice 32 (January, 1995): 878.
Wu, Jennifer L. Review of Hmong Means Free, edited by Sucheng Chan. Multicultural Review 3 (December, 1994): 82.