Hmong Culture is Slowly Fading….

TheGurlo22

sarNie Adult
First of all, I believe in Shamanism. So I totally agree with this passage down here. WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT THIS?? ALL THE HMONG PEOPLE OUT THERE. This passage actually made me angry..

http://mozemoua.com/2011/01/19/hmong-culture-is-slowly-fading/


"I don’t know if this blog post is considered blogging or venting but I think I’ll say it’s both. So this weekend I went to a cousin of mine’s wedding, it was a traditional Hmong wedding. It was a normal traditional Hmong wedding with the Me-koob and everyone else. When I got there I was looking around to find work to do (my mom had always made sure we make ourselves useful so it’s expected of my sister Hlee and I to find work to do and help as needed). As I was around helping, one of the older cousin who I call sister in law was complaining that we shouldn’t do traditional Hmong weddings anymore, we should go the “easy” way and do an American wedding (Christian wedding, thus she is a Christian). I just stood around and nodded my head since I didn’t want to speak my mind since she is older and I am only considered a child, but the important thing is, I didn’t want to be “rude”.

I found it very offensive that she kept telling me that we need to change into the modern world and forget about all these traditional things. I really wanted to tell her that if she’s unhappy with the traditional weddings and ways we have then she shouldn’t had came to the wedding, she knew it was a Hmong wedding to begin with. Hmong weddings are a few long events and process. There are certain things that we have to do a certain way or it’ll be offensive to the other side of the family, there are other things that we have to cook a certain ways and clean it a certain ways and etc.

I understand that the world is changing, but our culture is still our culture and it should remain the same. So if we forget all about our culture and fully adapt the American culture, what will that make us? We are no longer Hmong because we had forgotten our own culture, our own history and everything that we are. Yes it’s nice to be modernized, but what makes us if we forget all about our tradition and culture. I believe our tradition and culture is what makes us who we are and what makes us stand out above others.

I know it is coming which I wish it won’t but I know that in the next few years, once our parent’s generation is all gone our culture will be forgotten and everyone will start to adapt the American culture forgetting who they are what their ancestors had done and how they had struggle to get where they are. They’ll forget how Hmong weddings are, Hmong funerals are, Hmong anything. All will sooner or later be gone which I would hate to see. I’ve already notice that it is slowly fading away."
 

kialakornlover

sarNie Adult
I agree with the passege above. Even though I am WHITE WASHED, I still believe, once you are Hmong, follow Hmong Traditions. Like the wedding. I think I prefer Hmong weddings. American wedding is just too hard to plan. If your the wife, and your a christian, and the husband is Shamanism, you have to do a traditional wedding no matter what.

 

cecilia

Staff member
sadly, reality hits us hard .. i've witnessed the same things that you've mentioned as well .. the only thing that i wish and hope to see happen during this time before my parent's generation end is to at least have some sort of education taught in the family - family value, family tradition ... methods to help make the younger understand the tradition more so they won't push it away too much. I personally love and respect our tradition as well so when i hear ppl complain about the tradition i just think those ppl aren't educated enough in our tradition or didn't bother enough to have time to learn a few things to understand the concept. American or Hmong wedding, they both have value in itself however i think a Hmong wedding among the Hmong people is more memorable. I'd love to have an American wedding too but having a Hmong wedding should always be the first option. Ppl can argue that it depends but this is how i feel and see it as a Hmong citizen. Also, like mentioned above -- our tradition defined who we are so if we shift from our tradition to adapt others -- who are we in the end then?
 

pinkdisney32

sarNie Oldmaid
Girl, I'm with you and everyone here! It's so true that mannnnyyyy Hmong peeps are becoming Christians, not to be mean or anything. I sometimes think American weddings waste A LOT of money! You have to buy the bride's dress, groom's outfit, other peeps outfits(who knows how much those cost :scratchchin: ) and the decorations plus the cake. For hmong weddings I think the money is mostly spent on food and giving money for the helpers with the wedding (meaning like the pi laj, the meej koob, etc.) I think the reason is that this generation doesn't want to learn to study the hmong stuff and just want to take it easy (especially boys). :facepalm:

(Kind of off topic)
My brothers and cousins are forced to study some hmong stuff, like when you go to weddings there are some guys who have to speak to girl's side family and so on. It's good that my dad and uncle them are forcing them to do it, because if they aren't forced they wouldn't even study them. I mean, this is kinda cool in a way, because this week is my cousin's wedding and the pi laj (don't know if I spell that right) for my cousin couldn't make it, so my other cousin had to be the pi laj (he didn't really study his hmong stuff), but anyways he tried to remember what he learned so far, because no matter what he's not getting out of it. This will be a lesson for my cousins and ESPECIALLY my brothers who doesn't study their hmong stuff.
 

TheGurlo22

sarNie Adult
I agree with all you guys. People still don't get the concept
of our very own tradition and culture. I mean, you can become "white wash" but it doesn't mean
you should forget your own culture. Everything about the Hmong people turning into Christianity
just pisses me off.
 
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