The Hmong Among Us

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The Hmong Among Us
Presentation created by Irene Miller, Jim
Steinke, and Kathy Sanders for the Monona Grove
School District - Fall, 2004. A special thank you
to the Madison Childrens Museum staff for their
assistance..
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Who are the Hmong?
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Who are the Hmong?

• The Hmong have moved from place to place for
  thousands of years.
• About 5,000 years ago, they came to live in
  northeastern China.

• In the late 1800s, many Hmong moved to southeast
  Asia, farming in the highlands of Burma, Laos,
  Thailand, and Vietnam.

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The War in Vietnam

• In the 1960s, the United States became involved
  in a war in Vietnam.
• The Hmong helped the United States during that
  war.

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Refugee Camps

• Following the Vietnam War, the Hmong escaped
  Vietnam and Laos to live in refugee camps in
  Thailand.

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Coming to America

• Starting in 1976, thousands of Hmong began to
  emigrate to the United States, France, Canada,
  Australia, and other countries.
• Over 300,000 Hmong live in the United States
  today.

• California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin have the
  largest Hmong populations.
• Wisconsin is now home to more than 50,000 Hmong.

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Living in America

• Most Hmong today speak more than one language.
• Children learn the English language and American
  customs in their schools and communities.
• The majority no longer make a living by farming.

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In May of 2004, students from Cottage Grove
visited the Hmong at Heart exhibit at the
Madison Childrens Museum. The exhibit taught
many interesting things about the Hmong!
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Hmong Homes
Because the climate is very different from here,
Hmong homes in Laos and Thailand
dont look like ours!
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Hmong people living in the United States live in
houses like ours.
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Clothing
Hmong people wear beautiful, colorful clothing
for special occasions and ceremonies.
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Hmong people living in the United States dress
just like us most of the time!
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Farming
Hmong people were farmers in their homelands in
Asia.
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Buildings like this were used to store grain.
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Many Hmong continue to farm and have vegetable
gardens in the United States.
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The Story Cloth
Hmong people use a needlework story cloth to tell
stories about their lives and history.
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Can you imagine what it would be like . . .

• Moving to America?

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Where instead of rain and green plants . . .
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there is snow and ice!
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Where instead of open air markets . . .
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there are huge stores!
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Where the schools are so different . . .
Photos of a Hmong school in Laos.
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from here.

Taylor Prairie School Cottage Grove, USA
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And where people speak a different language . . .
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The Hmong are among us . . .
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adding their strong family values . . .
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and making all of our lives richer!