| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 50,000 - 70,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| California, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Alabama | |
| Languages | |
| English, Mien, Lao, Thai, Chinese | |
| Religion | |
| Taoism, Yao Taoism, Christianity, Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Laotian Americans, Chinese Americans, other Asian Americans |
Iu Mien Americans (Meiv guoqc Mienh) are primarily former refugees of the Secret War in Laos and the Vietnam War. While some Iu Mien families were granted political asylum and the opportunity to resettle in the United States prior to 1980, the great majority of Iu Mien immigrants to the U.S. arrived following the Refugee Act of 1980. Between the late 1970s to the early 1990s, thousands of Mien immigrants resettled mainly on the West Coast of the U.S. Today, the Iu Mien American population is estimated to be at 50,000 - 70,000.
With regard to nationality, the Iu Mien are officially classified in China and most of Southeast Asia as a subgroup of the Yao nationality. In Vietnam, however, the term Yao is referred to as Dao. Further classification of the Yao nationality brings up three major groups: Pan Yao, Bunu Yao, and Pingdi Yao. [1] The Pan Yao group is the largest in China and Southeast Asia, and it is this Pan Yao group that Iu Mien Americans belong.
The Yao nationality was officially recognized by the Chinese government in the 1950s. The newly established Chinese communist government embarked on a project of "ethnic classification" that aimed to formally acknowledge the diverse national groups within China. To accomplish this, government research teams were formed and tasked with studying common geographic regions, languages, cultural traditions, physical characteristics, and other defining factors. Upon completion of the project, the Yao or Yaozu people were officially recognized as one of the fifty-four nationalities in China (list of ethnic groups in China). In 1974, an additional nationality (Jino) was included, bringing the total number of recognized nationalities to fifty-five. [2]
However, the Iu Mien, along with other subgroups classified as Yao, do not refer to themselves as "Yao." For the Iu Mien, they often refer to themselves as Iu Mien or Mien.
Although ancient Chinese records about the Yao (Mien) are inconsistent, they tend to converge around the idea that tribes residing in the northern Hunan province, near Dongting Lake and its "Five Streams," shared a common ancestry and cultural heritage. Southern China, before the Qin dynasty (221 BCE), encompassed territories beyond the Han Chinese heartland, which were inhabited by diverse tribal groups, some indigenous to the region and others not. Chinese states often categorized these tribal groups into designated geographical networks for administrative convenience. [3]
The terms "Man" (barbarians), "Nanman" (southern barbarians), "Jing Man" (Chu barbarians), and "Yiren" (uplanders) are general classifications that encompassed various groups. Even variations of Yao, such as Moyao, Yaoren, and Manyao, were not limited to a particular ethnicity or tribal group. Nonetheless, it is widely acknowledged that some of the indigenous groups inhabiting the Dongting Lake region in ancient China are the forebears of the Yao people today. [3]
According to certain Yao (Mien) texts and narratives, the Mien people were once inhabitants of a place known as "Qianjiadong," translated as "Thousand Family Grottos." The story goes that this stunning and tranquil valley could only be accessed via an unremarkable cave, which was also the only way in or out. The fabled homeland was reputedly encircled by cascading waterfalls and rivers, far removed from the outside world. [4] Although some people question whether Qianjiadong ever existed, scholars in China have discovered evidence in Hunan province that may indicate its plausible location.
Around the 10th century, and possibly earlier, the Yao (Mien) tribes in the Hunan region initiated a migration towards Southern China. Some groups ventured into more southerly provinces such as Guangdong and Guangxi, while others headed southwest into Guizhou and Yunnan. [4] Over the ensuing centuries, various Mien subgroups in China migrated into Southeast Asia, initially settling in Vietnam and later expanding into Laos and Thailand. As highland farmers coexisting with other hill tribes in northern Laos, the Mien became part of the French Indochinese administrative system. However, the French departed from Laos and Southeast Asia entirely in the 1950s, creating a vacuum that was filled by the United States. [1]
The Vietnam War (1956-1975) and the Secret War in Laos (1962-1975) propelled the Mien people into the Cold War. With the support of the CIA, the Mien and other hill tribes, including the Hmong (Miao), were recruited to fight against communist forces in northern Laos and other locations. The Mien's military role primarily involved safeguarding villages and serving as intelligence agents for the United States in the border areas near China. However, they also participated in one of the battles at Longcheng alongside the Hmong in 1970.
In the early 1960s, many Iu Mien families in Laos became involved in the United States CIA missions during the "Secret War" in Laos. They provided intelligence, surveillance, and armed manpower to block weapon transfers along parts of the Ho Chi Minh trail. As a result of their involvement, three significant Iu Mien figures emerged: Colonel Chao Mai Saechao, Colonel Chao La Saechao, and Captain Vern Chien Saechao. When Colonel Chao Mai died in 1967, his younger brother, Chao La Saechao, was promoted to Colonel. [5]
In 1975, when the American forces withdrew from Vietnam and Laos, the Lao People's Democratic Republic led by the Pathet Lao Communists was established, and many families who supported the CIA were forced to flee to Thailand to escape political persecution. Thus, as communist forces swept through Laos in that same year, a significant number of Mien people fled to Thailand, crossing the Mekong River. As refugees, they encountered considerable hardships without a place to call home for nearly ten years.
From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, with the assistance of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), thousands of Mien families were able to emigrate to Western countries. While some chose to settle in Europe and Canada, the majority of the Mien chose to relocate to the United States, particularly in the coastal regions of California, Oregon, and Washington.
As a people hailing from ancient and isolated farming societies, the initial generation of Iu Mien Americans encountered numerous challenges, such as language barriers and acculturation issues, as they settled into vibrant and modern cities. As younger generations assimilate into American culture, they are confronted with issues such as generational gaps, the erosion of their language and culture, a loss of identity, and more. To address these resettlement issues, community-based organizations have emerged among Iu Mien American communities in Washington, Oregon, and California, offering direct services to aid in the transition.
Since their resettlement in America, Mien Americans have maintained historical connections with their counterparts in China and Vietnam. Furthermore, there are still many Mien American relatives who reside in Laos and Thailand.
Approximately 50,000 Iu Mien settled along the western coastal states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Approximately 10,000 or less have settled in other parts of the country: Alabama, Alaska, Texas, Tennessee, Michigan, Illinois, North Carolina, and other states. A decrpency, however, in Iu Mien American population numbers has to do with the fact that Mien has yet to be included in the United States Census. Consequently, the margin of error could be anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000.
There were approximately 50,000 Mien in the US as of 2012, with 15,000 of that number in Sacramento, and 13,000 in the East Bay. [6]
The city of Sacramento, California(especially in the Oak Park neighborhood),North Highlands, [7] along with Oakland, Richmond, San Jose, Merced, Visalia, Stockton, Fresno, Yuba City, Oroville, Gridley, and Redding, have all become homes to sizable populations of Iu Mien Americans. In Oregon, the majority of Iu Mien communities are located in Salem and the greater Portland area, while in Washington, most of the population can be found in King County in the greater Seattle area.
Furthermore, Iu Mien people have settled all across continents of the world. The world over, there are Iu Mien who settled in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Laos, Myanmar, New Zealand, Switzerland, Thailand, and Vietnam.
On July 7, 2007, Iu Mien Americans celebrated their 31st anniversary in Sacramento, California, and honored military service members, doctors, educators, scholars, leaders, and others with achievement awards. More recently, the Mien Festival held at Hiram Johnson High School in Sacramento on April 1, 2023, drew in thousands of participants.
Daoism, as it is currently practiced by the Yao (Mien) people, traces its origins back to the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). Emperor Huizong (1100-1126), a skilled calligrapher and practitioner of the Tianxin Zhengfa tradition, also known as the "True Rites of the Heart of Heaven," played a significant role in promoting the tradition and influencing the religious aspirations of the court. Unfortunately, the Northern Song fell to barbarian groups, and a Song prince had to flee south, eventually settling in Hangzhou in what is now Guangdong province in southeastern China.
In Hangzhou, the prince regrouped the remnants of the Northern Song and established the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1229). Additionally, the Southern Song authorized missionaries to propagate the Tianxin Zhengfa tradition among non-Sinitic ethnic groups in Southern China, teaching them the tradition's rituals and a simplified form of Daoism that revealed secrets for healing and exorcism. The Yao (Mien) were among the first Southern peoples to convert to Daoism and adopt the Chinese writing system. As the tradition was likely passed down by Daoist masters from southeastern China, Yao ritual texts are still read today in the Guangxi Cantonese dialect. [3]
The patrilineal clan system plays a central role in identifying Iu Mien culture. The twelve Iu Mien clan names operate in a manner parallel to the Hmong clan system. Within the practice, intermarriages among the clan are essential. However, for members with familial relations, especially when those relations are of the same ancestral spiritual lineage, intermarriage is barred. Individual families have sub-clans that play a critical role in religious and social functions. Sub-clans hold greater social importance than clans as they maintain a closer relationship with individual members.
Marriage holds significant importance in Iu Mien society, as it is a crucial social function. The culture has distinct practices surrounding marriages and sexuality, with elders assuming a crucial role in presiding over such events. They are highly respected and play a central role in invoking protective spirits for newborns. The elders discourage premarital sex and childbearing out of wedlock, and any child born under such circumstances requires the groom's family to pay an additional dowry.
In ancient times, the Yao (Mien) communicated through singing and sharing folk tales, which served as a philosophical and educational tool for passing on profound stories from one generation to the next. Singing and reciting these stories during noble ritual offerings to ancestors, as well as burning incense "Tao / Dao," were ways of keeping the community rooted and promoting peaceful harmony during ceremonies. Similar to the Tibetan "Book of the Dead" and the Three Bardo Thodol, the "Book of Death" contains the names of ancestors from birth to death, and the family lineage that has been passed down through generations.
The new generation of Mien music is reflected in the mixture of Hip-hop, Pop, and R&B, and some of these songs are known for their articulate, powerful, and political nature. Nowadays, Mien people often compose their own songs, or they translate Thai and Lao songs into Mien.
The Mien have a variety of traditional, plain, mountain-enriched dishes that feature a variety of greens and meats. Among the authentic dishes are Mien pork sausages, which are seasoned with Mien herbs.
In addition to these dishes, the Mien have also been influenced by other cuisines, such as Tum Som (papaya salad), which is originally a Thai/Lao dish, and Larb, a Thai/Lao dish. Other dishes include Klang Phen, a rice flour dish served with spicy bean paste and sour broth, steamed or boiled pork, chicken, or beef with tofu, Ka-Soy, rice noodle and meat salads, fermented pickled mustard greens, and fermented Mien bean paste known as thop choi/thop zhay. Roasted or baked fish is wrapped in banana leaf (or foil in modern times) and banana-leaf wrapped roast/steam ground-pork, beef, or chicken are also popular. A traditional condiment used in Mien cuisine is the Mien pepper sauce.
The Hmong people are an indigenous group in East and Southeast Asia. In China, the Hmong people are classified as a sub-group of the Miao people. The modern Hmong reside mainly in Southwest China and countries in Southeast Asia such as Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. There is also a large diasporic community in the United States of more than 300,000. The Hmong diaspora has smaller communities in Australia and South America.
The Lao people are a Tai ethnic group native to Southeast Asia, who speak the Lao language of the Kra–Dai languages. They are the majority ethnic group of Laos, making up 53.2% of the total population. The majority of Lao people adhere to Theravada Buddhism. They are closely related to other Tai people, especially with the Isan people, who are also speakers of Lao language, native to neighboring Thailand.
The term Kra–Dai peoples or Kra–Dai-speaking peoples refers collectively to the ethnic groups of southern China and Southeast Asia, stretching from Hainan to Northeast India and from southern Sichuan to Laos, Thailand and parts of Vietnam, who not only speak languages belonging to the Kra–Dai language family, but also share similar traditions, culture and ancestry.
The Sán Dìu are a Yao ethnic group in northern Vietnam who speak Yue Chinese (Cantonese), a Sinitic language. They are believed to have migrated from Guangdong, China around 1600.
The Yao people is a government classification for various minorities in China and Vietnam. They are one of the 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities in China and reside in the mountainous terrain of the southwest and south. They also form one of the 54 ethnic groups officially recognized by Vietnam. They numbered 2,796,003 in the 2010 Chinese census and 891,151 in the 2019 Vietnamese census. In the United States, about 60,000 Yao of the Iu Mien branch reside mostly in the Western coastal states.
The Miao are a group of linguistically related peoples living in Southern China and Southeast Asia, who are recognized by the government of China as one of the 56 official ethnic groups. The Miao live primarily in southern China's mountains, in the provinces of Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Guangdong, and Hainan. Some sub-groups of the Miao, most notably the Hmong people, have migrated out of China into Southeast Asia. Following the communist takeover of Laos in 1975, a large group of Hmong refugees resettled in several Western nations, mainly in the United States, France, and Australia.
The Hmong–Mien languages are a highly tonal language family of southern China and northern Southeast Asia. They are spoken in mountainous areas of southern China, including Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, and Hubei provinces; the speakers of these languages are predominantly "hill people", in contrast to the neighboring Han Chinese, who have settled the more fertile river valleys.
Hill tribe is a term used in Thailand for all of the various ethnic groups who mostly inhabit the high mountainous northern and western regions of Thailand, including both sides of the border areas between northern Thailand, Laos and Burma, the Phi Pan Nam Range, the Thanon Range, the latter a southern prolongation of the Shan Hills, as well as the Tenasserim Hills in Western Thailand. These areas exhibit mountainous terrain which is in some areas covered by thick forests, while in others it has been heavily affected by deforestation.
Kim Mun is a Mienic language spoken by 200,000 of the Yao people in the Chinese provinces of Guangxi, Hunan and Yunnan, with about 61,000 of the speakers in Hainan Province. There are also speakers in Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.
The situation of human rights in Laos has often been, and remains, a recognized cause for serious concern. Laos is one of a handful of Marxist-Leninist governments and is ruled by a one-party communist government backed by the Lao People's Army in alliance with the Vietnam People's Army and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Hanoi.
The Iu Mien language is the language spoken by the Iu Mien people in China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and, more recently, the United States in diaspora. Like other Mien languages, it is tonal and monosyllabic.
The Lua people are a minority ethnic group native to Laos, although there is now a sizable community living in Thailand. Lua' is their preferred autonym (self-designation), while their Lao neighbours tend to call them Thin, T'in or Htin. Another term for this group is Lawa. There are two subgroups: the Mal and the Phai or Pray.
Thailand is a country of some 70 ethnic groups, including at least 24 groups of ethnolinguistically Tai peoples, mainly the Central, Southern, Northeastern, and Northern Thais; 22 groups of Austroasiatic peoples, with substantial populations of Northern Khmer and Kuy; 11 groups speaking Sino-Tibetan languages, with the largest in population being the Karen; 3 groups of Austronesian peoples, i.e., the Malay, the majority ethnic group in the southernmost three provinces, together with the Moken and Urak Lawoi ; and both groups of Hmong-Mien. Other ethnic groups include longstanding immigrant communities such as the Chinese, Indians and Thai Portuguese.
Tai Nüa is one of the Tai ethnicities in South East Asia. They are mostly found in the Yunnan Province of China, Laos, Thailand, Burma and Vietnam and some have emigrated to the United States of America. There are however two different groups of Tai people called Tai Nua, one in China and Burma, the other in Laos.
The Hmongic languages, also known as Miao languages, include the various languages spoken by the Miao people. Hmongic languages also include various languages spoken by non-Mienic-speaking Yao people, such as Pa-Hng, Bunu, Jiongnai, Younuo, and others, while She is spoken by ethnic She people.
The Mienic or Yao languages are spoken by the Yao people of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.
The Sip Song Chau Tai was a confederation of Tai Dam, Tai Dón and Tai Daeng chiefdoms in the mountainous north-west of today's Vietnam, dating back at least to the 17th century.
The Iu Mien people are a subgroup of the Pan Yao branch of the Yao Nationality, which is the largest of the three major Yao groups according to the Nationalities Affairs Commission of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China. The Iu Mien language is categorized as belonging to the Hmong–Mien language family. Iu Mien populations can be found in Southern China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Burma, the United States, France, and other Western nations.
Ban Vinai Refugee Camp, officially the Ban Vinai Holding Center, was a refugee camp in Thailand from 1975 until 1992. Ban Vinai primarily housed highland people, especially Hmong, who fled communist rule in Laos. Ban Vinai had a maximum population of about 45,000 Hmong and other highland people. Many of the highland Lao were resettled in the United States and other countries. Many others lived in the camp for years which came to resemble a crowded and large Hmong village. The Royal Thai Government closed the camp in 1992, forced some of the inhabitants to return to Laos and removed the rest of them to other refugee camps.
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