Editing Hmong people (section)

===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"/>