Editing Hmong people (section)

==Culture==
[[File:Hmong Earrings.jpg|thumb|A pair of traditional Hmong fine silver earrings]]Hmong people have their own terms for their cultural divisions. ''[[Hmong Der]]'' ({{Lang|hmn|Hmoob Dawb}}), and {{Lang|hmn|Hmong Leng}} ({{Lang|hmn|Hmoob Leeg}}) are the terms for two of the largest groups in the [[United States]] and Southeast Asia. These subgroups are also known as the White Hmong, and Blue or Green Hmong, respectively. These names originate from the color and designs of women's dresses in each respective group, with the White Hmong distinguished by the white dresses women wear on special occasions, and the Blue/Green Hmong by the blue [[batik]]ed dresses.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Commercialized Crafts of Thailand |last=Cohen |first=Eric |publisher=University of Hawai'i Press |year=2000 |isbn=0-8248-2297-8 |page=54}}</ref> The name and pronunciation "Hmong" is exclusively used by the White Hmong to refer to themselves, and many dictionaries use only the White Hmong dialect.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.travisgore.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Hmong-Language-by-Xee-Vang.pdf |title=The Hmong Language |last=Vang |first=Xee |access-date=30 November 2019 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225131312/http://www.travisgore.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Hmong-Language-by-Xee-Vang.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the [[Romanized Popular Alphabet]], developed in the 1950s in Laos, these terms are written ''{{Lang|hmn|Hmoob Dawb}}'' (White Hmong) and ''{{Lang|hmn|Hmoob Leeg}}'' (Green Hmong). The final consonants indicate with which of the eight [[Tone (linguistics)|lexical tones]] the word is pronounced.<ref name="Tapp 2002 p78">{{Cite journal |last=Tapp |first=Nicholas |date=2002 |title=Cultural Accommodations in Southwest China: The "Han Miao" and Problems in the Ethnography of the Hmong |url=https://asianethnology.org/downloads/ae/pdf/a1413.pdf |journal=Asian Folklore Studies |volume=61 |issue=1 |page=78 |doi=10.2307/1178678 |jstor=1178678}}</ref>

White Hmong and Green Hmong speak mutually intelligible dialects of the [[Hmong language]], with some differences in pronunciation and vocabulary. One of the most characteristic differences is the use of the [[Voiceless bilabial nasal|voiceless /m̥/]] in White Hmong, indicated by a preceding "H" in the Romanized Popular Alphabet. Voiceless nasals are not found in the Green Hmong dialect. Hmong groups are often named after the dominant colors or patterns of their traditional clothing, style of [[head-dress]], or the provinces from which they come.<ref name="Tapp 2002 p78" />

===Vietnam and Laos===
The Hmong groups in Vietnam and Laos, from the 18th century to the present day, are known as Black Hmong ({{Lang|hmn|Hmoob Dub}}), Striped Hmong ({{Lang|hmn|Hmoob Txaij}}), White Hmong ({{Lang|hmn|Hmoob Dawb}}), Hmong Leng ({{Lang|hmn|Hmoob Leeg}}) and Green Hmong ({{Lang|hmn|Hmoob Ntsuab}}). In other places in Asia, groups are also known as Black Hmong ({{Lang|hmn|Hmoob Dub}} or {{Lang|hmn|Hmong Dou}}), Striped Hmong ({{Lang|hmn|Hmoob Txaij}} or {{Lang|hmn|Hmoob Quas Npab}}), Hmong Shi, Hmong Pe, Hmong Pua, and Hmong Xau, Hmong Xanh (Green Hmong), Hmong Do (Red Hmong), Na Mieo and various other subgroups.<ref name="Tapp 2002 p78" /> These include the Flower Hmong or the Variegated Hmong ({{Lang|hmn|Hmong Lenh}} or {{Lang|hmn|Hmong Hoa}}), so named because of their bright, colorful embroidery work (called {{Lang|hmn|pa ndau}} or {{Lang|hmn|paj ntaub}}, literally {{gloss|flower cloth}}).<ref name="X1">{{cite web|url=http://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/cgi-bin/category.cgi?type=store&item=pageZAAAD72&template=fullpage-en&category=fairtrade|title=Flower Hmong: Preserving Traditional Culture in Vietnam|year=2010|publisher=Ten Thousand Villages|access-date=21 January 2011|archive-date=21 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721154504/http://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/cgi-bin/category.cgi?type=store&item=pageZAAAD72&template=fullpage-en&category=fairtrade}}</ref>

{{main|Miao people}}
[[File:Wietnam, Sapa, Strój ludowy trzech kobiet.jpg|thumb|Hmong folk costume in [[Sa Pa]], Vietnam]]
{{see also|Languages of China|Ethnic groups in Chinese history}}

[[File:FlowerHmong Vietnam (pixinn.net).jpg|thumb|A Flower Hmong woman in [[Vietnam]]]]
[[File:HouseBuildingInNorthernVietnam.jpg|thumb|A typical [[rammed earth]] house –building technique of Flower Hmong in Vietnam]]

===Hmong/Mong controversy===
{{globalize|section|date=February 2018}}
When Western authors first came in contact with Hmong people in the 18th century, they referred to them by writing [[ethnonyms]] which were previously assigned to them by the Chinese (i.e., ''Miao'', or variants).{{Citation needed|reason=reliable source needed for the whole sentence{{snd}}perhaps cite actual authors who made contact with Hmong in the 18th century|date=September 2010}} This practice continued into the 20th century.<ref name="SongsStories">{{Cite book | last = [[David Crockett Graham|Graham]] | first = David Crockett | title = Songs and Stories of the Ch'uan Miao | publisher = Smithsonian Institution | series = Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections | volume = 123,1 | location = Washington, D.C. | year = 1954 }}</ref> Even [[ethnographer]]s studying the Hmong people in Southeast Asia often referred to them as ''Meo'', an alteration of ''Miao'' applied by Thai and Lao people to the Hmong. Although ''Meo'' was an official term, it was often used as an insult against the Hmong people, and it is considered to be derogatory.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=The Thousand-Year Myth: Construction and Characterization of Hmong |journal=Hmong Studies Journal |year=1998 |first=Mai Na |last=Lee |volume=2 |issue=2 |url=http://members.aol.com/hmongstudiesjrnl/HSJ-v2n1_Lee.html#Fn5txt |access-date=10 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050526123017/http://members.aol.com/hmongstudiesjrnl/HSJ-v2n1_Lee.html |archive-date=26 May 2005 }}</ref><ref>{{e25|mww|Hmong Daw}}</ref>

The issue came to a head during the passage of [[California State Assembly]] Bill (AB) 78, in the 2003–2004 season.<ref>[http://www.geocities.com/kaoly_y/archives/HistoryBill78.html History of the Assembly Bill AB78] by Kao-Ly Yang {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027113906/http://www.geocities.com/kaoly_y/archives/HistoryBill78.html |date=27 October 2009 }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=January 2016}} Introduced by Doua Vu and Assembly Member [[Sarah Reyes]], District 31 (Fresno), the bill encouraged changes in secondary education curriculum to include information about the [[Laotian Civil War|Secret War]] and the role of Hmong people in the war. Furthermore, the bill called for the use of oral histories and first-hand accounts by Hmong people who had participated in the war and were caught up in its aftermath. Originally, the language of the bill mentioned only "Hmong" people, intending to include the entire community. Several Mong Leng activists, led by Dr. [[Paoze Thao]] (Professor of Linguistics and Education at [[California State University, Monterey Bay]]), drew attention to the problems associated with omitting ''Mong'' from the language of the bill. They noted that despite nearly equal numbers of Hmong Der and Mong Leng in the United States, resources are disproportionately allocated to the Hmong Der community. This not only includes scholarly research, but also the translation of materials, including the curriculum proposed by the bill.<ref>Romney, Lee. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20210323215459/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-may-24-me-hmong24-story.html Bill spurs bitter debate over Hmong identity]." L.A. Times, 24 May 2003.</ref> Despite these arguments, ''Mong'' was not added to the bill. In the version of the bill that was passed by the assembly, ''Hmong'' was replaced by ''Southeast Asians'', a broader and more inclusive term.

Dr. Paoze Thao and some others strongly feel that ''Hmong'' can only be used in reference to Hmong Der people because it does not include "Mong" Leng people. He feels that the use of ''Hmong'' in reference to both groups perpetuates the marginalization of the Mong Leng language and culture. Thus, he advocates the use of ''Hmong'' and ''Mong'' in reference to the entire ethnic group.<ref>Thao, Paoze and Chimeng Yang. "[http://www.mong.ws/publications/Mong%20and%20Hmong%20Article%20June%202004.pdf The Mong and the Hmong]". Mong Journal, vol. 1 (June 2004). {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204073037/http://www.mong.ws/publications/Mong%20and%20Hmong%20Article%20June%202004.pdf |date=4 February 2016 }}</ref> Other scholars, including anthropologist Dr. [[Gary Yia Lee]] (a Hmong Der person), suggests that for the past 30&nbsp;years,{{as of?|date=May 2025}} ''Hmong'' has been used in reference to the entire community and as a result, the inclusion of Mong Leng people is understandable.<ref>Lee, Gary and Nicholas Tapp. "[http://members.ozemail.com.au/~yeulee/Topical/12point%20statement.html Current Hmong Issues: 12-point Statement] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070321221201/http://members.ozemail.com.au/~yeulee/Topical/12point%20statement.html |date=21 March 2007 }}".</ref>{{better source needed|date=January 2016}} Some argue that such distinctions create unnecessary divisions within the global community, arguing that the use of these distinctions will only confuse non-Hmong and Mong people who are both trying to learn more about Hmong and Mong history and culture.<ref>Duffy, John, Roger Harmon, Donald A. Ranard, Bo Thao, and [[Kou Yang]]. "[http://www.cal.org/co/hmong/hpeop.html People] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916061602/http://www.cal.org/co/hmong/hpeop.html |date=2012-09-16 }}". In The Hmong: An Introduction to their history and culture. The Center for Applied Linguistics, Culture Profile No. 18 (June 2004): 3.</ref>

As a compromise alternative, multiple iterations of ''Hmong'' have been proposed. A Hmong theologian, Rev. Dr. Paul Joseph T. Khamdy Yang has proposed the use of the term '''''HMong''''' in reference to the ''Hmong'' and the ''Mong'' communities by capitalizing the '''H''' and the '''M'''. The ethnologist Jacques Lemoine has also begun to use the term (H)mong in reference to the entirety of the Hmong and Mong communities.<ref name="Lemoine2005"/>

===Hmong and Miao===
[[File:Can Cau market (6223927056).jpg|thumb|Hmong people at the Can Cau market, [[Si Ma Cai]], Vietnam]]

Some non-Chinese Hmong advocate for the term ''Hmong'' to be used not only to designate their dialect group {{citation needed span|date=April 2021|but also other Miao groups living in China.}} They generally claim that the word ''Miao'' or ''Meo'' is a derogatory term, with connotations of barbarism, that probably should not be used at all. The term was later adopted by [[Tai languages|Tai]]-speaking groups in Southeast Asia where it took on especially insulting associations for Hmong people despite its official status.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Tapp |first=Nicholas |year=2002 |title=Cultural Accommodations in Southwest China: The "Han Miao" and Problems in the Ethnography of the Hmong |url=https://asianethnology.org/downloads/ae/pdf/a1413.pdf |journal=Asian Folklore Studies |volume=61 |issue=1 |pages=77–104 |doi=10.2307/1178678 |jstor=1178678 |id={{ProQuest|224529908}}}}</ref>

In modern China, the term ''Miao'' does not carry these negative associations, and people of the various sub-groups that constitute this officially recognized nationality freely identify themselves as Miao or Chinese, typically reserving more specific [[ethnonym]]s for intra-ethnic communication. During the struggle for political recognition after 1949, it was members of these ethnic minorities who campaigned for identification under the umbrella term ''Miao''{{snd}}taking advantage of its familiarity and associations of historical political oppression.<ref>Cheung Siu-Woo "Miao Identity in Western Guizhou: Indigenism and the politics of appropriation in the southwest china during the republican period" in Hmong or Miao in Asia. 237–40.</ref>

Contemporary transnational interactions between Hmong in the West and Miao groups in China, following the 1975 Hmong emigration, led to the development of a global Hmong identity that includes linguistically and culturally related minorities in China with no previous ethnic affiliation.<ref>Schien, Louisa. "Hmong/Miao Transnationality: Identity Beyond Culture." in Hmong or Miao in Asia. 274–75.</ref> Scholarly and commercial exchanges, increasingly made over the internet, have also resulted in an exchange of terminology, including some Hmong people accepting the designation ''Miao'' after visiting China and some nationalist non-Hmong Miao peoples identifying as Hmong.<ref name=":0" /> Such realignments of identity, while largely the concern of economically elite community leaders reflects a trend towards the interchangeability of the terms ''Hmong'' and ''Miao''.<ref>Lee, Gary Y.

{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070307015436/http://hmongstudies.org/GYLee.pdf Dreaming Across the Oceans: Globalization and Cultural Reinvention in the Hmong Diaspora]}}. Hmong Studies Journal, 7:1–33.</ref>