The Hmong in Southeast Asia include two groups, distinguished by differences in language and custom: Hmong Der (White Hmong) and Mong Leng (Blue Hmong).

People

The Hmong in the United States, as well as those awaiting resettlement at Wat Tham Krabok, are members of an ethnic group from Laos, where 315,000 Hmong still reside. Several million Hmong live in southwestern China, and there are approximately 500,000 in Vietnam and 120,000 in Thailand, with pockets of Hmong communities found in Burma. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, more than 186,000 Hmong live in the United States.2

The Hmong in Southeast Asia include two groups, distinguished by differences in language and custom: Hmong Der (White Hmong) and Mong Leng (Blue Hmong). Hmong Der and Mong Leng speakers are able to understand one another, for the most part, and in Laos the two groups have a long history of intermarriage and harmonious relations.

Previously, the Hmong in Laos were known as Meo, a term that the Hmong themselves find offensive because in the Lao language a similar-sounding word means 'cat,' and during the last 30 years, the word Hmong has come to be used, particularly in the United States. In China, the Hmong are still generally referred to as Miao.

In Laos, the Hmong, the Iu Mien, and several other highland groups are officially referred to as Lao Soung ('Lao of the mountain tops'), because they have traditionally lived in the higher elevations (above 3,000 feet). In contrast, the Lao—the dominant political and cultural group in Laos—live in the lowlands bordering the Mekong River and its tributaries, and are referred to as Lao Loum ('Lao of the lowlands'). The Lao language belongs to the Tai-Kadai language family that also includes several Thai dialects. The third major grouping in Laos is the Lao Theung ('Lao of the mountain slopes'), who traditionally live at lower elevations on the mountains. The Lao Theung, sometimes called kha by the Lao, speak Mon-Khmer languages.

In 2003, the use of the word Hmong as a term for both Hmong Der and Mong Leng emerged as an issue in the Hmong community in the United States. Mong Leng speakers point out that Hmong, spelled H-m-o-n-g, is a Hmong Der word whose Mong Leng equivalent is Mong, spelled M-o-n-g. The term Hmong, therefore, refers only to the Hmong Der and does not include the Mong Leng, whose variety of language and culture is distinct and distinguishable from that of the Hmong Der, some Mong Leng speakers argue. Alternative terms, each with its own linguistic justification, have been proposed. These include Mong/Hmong, Hmong/Mong, Mhong, Mong, and M/hong.

Those who support the continued use of the term Hmong argue that it does by convention include both groups, and they downplay the differences in custom and speech between the two. Proponents of this position believe that the use of a term such as Mong/Hmong would only serve to divide the community and confuse non-Hmong who are interested in learning more about the Hmong people.

In this publication, we have chosen to use the term Hmong when referring to both groups, because this is the term that most writers and researchers on the Hmong, and most major Hmong organizations, continue to use. Our use of the term should not be interpreted as support for a particular position in a debate that is up to the Hmong community to resolve. Service providers are advised to approach this issue with care and sensitivity.

2 Includes those who report being Hmong alone and Hmong with one or more ethnic/racial designation. Hmong community leaders believe that this number is low and that the Hmong population in the United States numbers somewhere between 250,000 and 300,000.

The Cultural Orientation Project--http://www.culturalorientation.net, for more information contact sanja@cal.org
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