Hmong in Minnesota

Hmong In Minnesota

Lefttoright: NhiaYang,PeterYang,May LeeVang,YouaVang,andBoVang, St.Paul,ca.1987 Hmong   x the hmong    1 Hmong refugees have been settling in Minnesota since the mid­-­1970s; along the way they have experienced both intense hardship and rewarding success. Many have received much­ -­ needed support in their new home at the same time that they have made significant contributions to the state. Yet many Minnesotans and other Americans understand neither the broad involvement of Hmong refugees in recent American history nor the unique circumstances that led them to Minnesota in the first place. Despite efforts to raise awareness, common questions remain : why are there so many Hmong people in the Twin Cities? Why do they choose Minnesota? Why do they not return to their own country? Details about the Hmong in Minnesota­­—­­their arrival, adjustment, cultural practices, and successes, gathered through archival research and­interviews­­—­­will offer a better understanding of one of Minnesota’s newest immigrant groups. A Brief History of the Hmong in Laos There is no Hmong nation state. People of Hmong ethnicity migrated from southern China to Southeast Asia beginning in the early 1800s. Although today a significant number of Hmong live in Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, all of those who came to the United States as refugees were from Laos. America’s Covert Operations in Laos The Hmong people of Laos have a complicated history of ties to the United States as a result of superpower struggles during the Cold War. As an extension of the war in Vietnam , more than 30,000 Hmong men and boys served as America’s foot soldiers in Laos from 1961 to 1973.1 2    people of minnesota After earning independence from French colonial rule in 1954, Laos had become a neutral nation: the 1954 Geneva Peace Accords prevented any foreign troops from being stationed there. As the United States sought to prevent the spread of Communism in Asia, however, American government officials circumvented the Geneva Accords restriction by creating a Program Evaluation Office (peo) in Laos in 1955. The office was staffed by military officers to administer its military aid program; these men wore civilian clothing until 1961. When it became clear that Communist momentum throughout Indochina had increased, the United States gave up any pretense of abiding by the 1954 agreements, choosing instead to augment the number of American military advisors in Laos.2 In late 1961, agents of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (cia) contacted and convinced the Hmong military leader, Colonel (later General) Vang Pao of the Royal Lao Army, to work with the Americans. Rather than sending American foot soldiers into Laos, the cia proposed to train local volunteers into guerrilla fighters. In return, the Hmong, who lived mostly in the northeastern part of the country, would be provided with food, medicine, protection , and military training and supplies. From 1961 until the cease­ -­ fire in 1973, the U.S. government provided military aid to the Royal Lao government disguised under the facade of economic expansion and under the auspices of the U.S. Agency for International Development (usaid). The Laos war was overseen by the U.S. ambassador, run by the cia, and supported by the U.S. military­­—­­all without the consent and knowledge of Congress.3 The war made a significant impact on Hmong life. Prior toAmericaninvolvementinLaos,theHmongwereprimarily agrarian and few had access to formal education. During the war years, usaid funds were used to build schools in locations with a high concentration of displaced Hmong, making it possible for many young people to attend school the hmong    3 for the first time. Yia Lee remembers, “[It was] only when Vang Pao built all these schools that more had the opportunity . When we went to school, the first couple of rows were girls and the rest of the seven or eight [rows] were boys. But girls usually didn’t go far in school because of other responsibilities . In the higher levels, you rarely saw girls.” May A Yang, who had been fortunate enough to attend school in the mid­ -­ 1950s, was one of the few female teachers. She remembers , “In 1964, we lived in Long Cheng. They asked for volunteers who were literate to help teach others. So, as one of [the] few women who were literate, I became a teacher. I taught until 1972. My husband, Vang Xue, who was a pilot, died in the line of duty...