Hmong American

Subculture Research: Exploring the life of Hmong Americans In the past three years, I've been learning little by little about the south-east region of Asia overall. I've made close friendships, started enjoying the cuisine, visited China town in Chicago multiple times where a fairly large Hmong community resides and became a fan of anime movies directed by Hayao Miyazaki. A close friend of mine is a Hmong-American and she shares stories and facts about the lifestyle from time to time; a combination of the movies by Hayao show a glimpse of customs that are foreign to me. As a result, I’ve been curious about the different traditions and values in that particular region of Asia for a while now. I felt the first-generation Hmong-Americans would be a good subculture to explore granted I have more access to their culture and assume that I could find some relativity with these individuals since also experienced split cultures in my life because I myself am an immigrant to this county and know how a mix of cultures play a big role in…

Catches You and You Fall Down explores the relationship between the Hmong culture and the American culture; in particular the differences in medicine. Medicine has been a difficult subject to understand and master; moreover it becomes almost impossible if the person was raised in an entirely different culture than that of western medicine. This book discusses what it was like from both sides; the Hmong and those of the western doctors what it is like to deal with each other when it involves a…

becomes a constant reminder of a homeland for many first generation Hmong Americans who came here as refugees. The prevalence of these serene images of nature in turn become a reminder of what it means to be Hmong; being able to live the way a person wishes without fear of prosecution or obstruction. In a way, these mountains and jungles have become a symbolic refuge for the Hmong where they could live in peace. Although home videos are not meant to be watch as regularly as videos produced by…

Culture Food Film Discussion I watched a movie called Gran Torino. I was fascinated by the drastic difference between the Hmong culture and the standard white American culture. When Walt’s (played by Clint Eastwood) wife dies, he is left all alone with just his dog. His sons suggest him to move to an old age home, but he denies because he knows that his sons are eyeing his property. On the other hand, the Hmong family next door has their grandmother at their home at all times, and she is the…

capsule of the experiences faced by the Hmong peoples during their migration to America. However amusing the novel was from a literary standpoint, the novel described many deeply discerning attributes of the American health care system and Social Work arena of that time period. Although this novel describes the journey of one peoples immigration to America this story really speaks to the experiences of many migrate populations to the United States. As a social worker I felt uncomfortable anytime…

History of the Hmong The Hmongs are a group of people that originated from Southern China and migrated to different parts of Southeastern Asia, including Laos, Thailand, Burma, and Vietnam. Many of the men were recruited and trained by the CIA during the Vietnam War to help prevent the North Vietnamese to invade Laos and South Vietnam through the Ho Chi Min Trail (Cobbs, 2010). After the war, Laos fell to the communist party in 1975 and the Hmong were targeted for annihilation by the new…

are left confused and with a sense of powerlessness when working with American doctors. It becomes very hard to communicate not only because of a distinct language barrier, but also a cultural barrier. Many cultures approach situations in different ways, especially in regard to medical care. The book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman, is a story about a Hmong family who seeks treatment in the United States for their daughter Lia. The Lees family adapts to the…

and "the conflict [becomes] confined to differences in belief systems" (Fadiman, A). One example that comes to mind in the recent decades is the confrontation between the Lee family and a public hospital in Merced, California, where Hmong child Lia Lee was diagnosed with epilepsy and then became collateral damage in a cultural clash between Hmong holistic/spiritual medicine and Western medicine. Within the span of a few years, the Lee family were offered little to no support…

“The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down” is a story about a girl named Lia Lee who was diagnosed with epilepsy at a young age. There are multiple struggles in this book with cultural divide between the Hmong and the American medical systems. Lia and her parents, Foua Yang and Nao Kao Lee, were refugees that had immigrated to the United States. Foua and Nao were very religious, and lived by the Hmong culture. Shortly after moving to California they had learned that Lia had epilepsy, and other…

Moreover, the health belief model also worked in a study that was taken in the United States specifically in the population of the Hmong Families. The Hmong people are from that Mountains of Laos, but after the Vietnam war many of them came to the United States. (Estimated that around 200,000 Hmongs in America). Since moving to the United States, Hmong members are not used to the culture and making healthy choices. Many are overweight, obese, and having sleeping disorders. The health belief…