THE MONG AND THE HMONG
Paoze Thao, Ph.D. and Chimeng Yang, M.Ed.
The Mong came to the United States (U.S.) since 1975. Today, they live in almost every state in the U.S. and people still do not know who they are. Due to the lack of written information about the Mong, people always refer to them as Hmong. For this reason, this article is written to provide information, educate the public, discuss the rationale why they came to the United States, and clarify the misunderstanding and misconception about the Mong and the Hmong. In addition, this article is intended to inform and help the general public to know about the misinformation, miseducation, misrepresentation of the Mong and the consequences they face in the U.S. followed by suggestions for inclusion. The authors will shed light on the Mong and the Hmong, so that the Mong themselves, the general public, and service providers will have a true picture of the Mong people.
[Mong Journal, Vol. 1, June 2004]
It is estimated that over 80,000 Mong and Hmong refugees have arrived in the United States since 1975 as a direct consequence of the U.S. Secret War in Laos, which was a part of the Vietnam War. The influx was due to the United States withdrawing troops from Southeast Asia and the fall of the former Cambodian, Laotian, and Southern Vietnamese governments to the Communists in 1975 (Thao, 1999a). Since then, the Mong and the Hmong populations have doubled to 186,310 in 2000 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Currently, the general public does not know the difference between the Mong and the Hmong people. Consequently, the Mong are lumped into the Hmong. This article is intended to provide information on the Mong and the Hmong and the rationale why they are in the United States today, to clarify the misunderstanding and misconception about the Mong and the Hmong, and to educate the general public about the misinformation, miseducation, misrepresentation of the Mong and the consequences they face in the United States followed by suggestions for inclusion and a conclusion. The authors will shed some light on the Mong and the Hmong, so that the Mong themselves, the general public and service providers will have a true picture of the Mong people.
The Mong and the Hmong are closely-knit ethnic people from Laos. They migrated from China, where they originated, in the eighteenth century and settled in Southeast Asia. Those in Laos assisted France during its colonial rule from 1893 to 1945 and the United States in its Secret War against the Communists during the Vietnam War between 1960 and 1975. Because of their constant massive migration from place to place and from country to country, the Mong and the Hmong have experienced a series of formative episodes: with the Chinese, with French Colonialism, with the Vietnam conflict, and with the refugee camps in Thailand during their transition to resettlement in the United States and other western countries.
Paoze Thao, Ph.D. and Chimeng Yang, M.Ed.
The Mong came to the United States (U.S.) since 1975. Today, they live in almost every state in the U.S. and people still do not know who they are. Due to the lack of written information about the Mong, people always refer to them as Hmong. For this reason, this article is written to provide information, educate the public, discuss the rationale why they came to the United States, and clarify the misunderstanding and misconception about the Mong and the Hmong. In addition, this article is intended to inform and help the general public to know about the misinformation, miseducation, misrepresentation of the Mong and the consequences they face in the U.S. followed by suggestions for inclusion. The authors will shed light on the Mong and the Hmong, so that the Mong themselves, the general public, and service providers will have a true picture of the Mong people.
[Mong Journal, Vol. 1, June 2004]
It is estimated that over 80,000 Mong and Hmong refugees have arrived in the United States since 1975 as a direct consequence of the U.S. Secret War in Laos, which was a part of the Vietnam War. The influx was due to the United States withdrawing troops from Southeast Asia and the fall of the former Cambodian, Laotian, and Southern Vietnamese governments to the Communists in 1975 (Thao, 1999a). Since then, the Mong and the Hmong populations have doubled to 186,310 in 2000 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Currently, the general public does not know the difference between the Mong and the Hmong people. Consequently, the Mong are lumped into the Hmong. This article is intended to provide information on the Mong and the Hmong and the rationale why they are in the United States today, to clarify the misunderstanding and misconception about the Mong and the Hmong, and to educate the general public about the misinformation, miseducation, misrepresentation of the Mong and the consequences they face in the United States followed by suggestions for inclusion and a conclusion. The authors will shed some light on the Mong and the Hmong, so that the Mong themselves, the general public and service providers will have a true picture of the Mong people.
The Mong and the Hmong are closely-knit ethnic people from Laos. They migrated from China, where they originated, in the eighteenth century and settled in Southeast Asia. Those in Laos assisted France during its colonial rule from 1893 to 1945 and the United States in its Secret War against the Communists during the Vietnam War between 1960 and 1975. Because of their constant massive migration from place to place and from country to country, the Mong and the Hmong have experienced a series of formative episodes: with the Chinese, with French Colonialism, with the Vietnam conflict, and with the refugee camps in Thailand during their transition to resettlement in the United States and other western countries.
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