About Hmong People

The Hmong are a minority group who have been disconnected to their indigenous land through thousands of years of war, persecution and forced assimilation. Due to their desire to exist independently to practice their language, culture and traditions, they fled to what is now Southwest China and northern Southeast Asia (Laos, Vietnam, Thailand). After America’s Secret War in Laos, they fled as refugees across the world. The largest Hmong community hub in America is in the Twin Cities (Saint Paul & Minneapolis in Minnesota), considered by many to be the most thriving community of Hmong in the world. You can learn more about the history of Hmong people here.

Hmong Spirituality

In Hmong spirituality, community members practice animism and call upon shamans/spiritual healers to perform healing rituals that address physical and mental illness or that provide spiritual cleansing. This practice is carried on from the community’s indigenous practices and have been brought across the world. Healers are well respected and spend a lot of time meeting the needs of their community.

The Hmong experience a new wave shamans once every 100 or so years. This new generation of healers carries the community until the next wave. In the U.S., many Hmong American shamans are rising, reshaping and redefining the practice for the next century in the western world for the first time. In doing so, they will be shaping Hmong culture for centuries to come.

With colonization and forced assimilation, the Hmong adapted the patriarchal clan structure over time. This new system has shaped how traditional Hmong spirituality is practiced, but it has stripped Hmong women of their roles as healers. Being a shaman is the only time that women, trans and nonbinary folks, can hold a leadership role in the traditional culture.

Terminology

The Hmong terms for shaman are “txiv neeb” (tsee neng) and “niam neeb” (nia neng). In America, they are called “shaman” in the English language. Some prefer the term “spiritual healer.”