The Hmong in French Guiana and Sacramento, California

Through foodways and food practices, we can see the general prosperity, or lack thereof, in the same group of refugees, or diasporic people that have settled in different regions. The Hmong have a long history of farming and agriculture which dates back to their beginnings in China. As they have been displaced many times, we can see that their farming traditions have been kept. Although depending on where the Hmong have been displaced, modifications of their farming practices have had to been made. The two main groups of refugees that are pertinent to this discussion are the Hmong in French Guiana and the Hmong that have settled in the United States. Because French Guiana is such a smaller state than the United States, there may appear to be a sample bias, however, I will be looking at settlements in the United States as compared to the United States as a whole. The states with the largest concentration of Hmong are California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.  The Hmong in Sacramento is our primary group of interest in the United States. By comparing foodways, a general level of prosperity can be determined and compared with other Hmong refugees to determine an overall level of quality of life for these diasporic peoples. 

The Hmong people originated from southern China 8,000 years ago (Lee 2010:1; Cha 2010:8). The conflict began between the Hmong and the Han settlers around the 18th century. The Han, members of the Qing Dynasty, began to settle in the Hmong’s traditional territory. The Han brought with them repressive economic and cultural reforms. The Hmong resisted via armed conflict and were brutally retaliated against. The ongoing campaign of repression and genocide led to mass migrations well into the late 19th century (Lee 2010:9; Cha 2010:8-10). During this time, many Hmong emigrated to Southeast Asia. However, the migration process had begun as early as the 17th century. This was the time before any major social unrest had begun and these small groups of emigrants had left China in search of better agricultural opportunities. 

Since 1949, the People’s Republic of China has officially recognized 55 minority groups. The official term for those 55 groups is “Miao”. In China, the “Miao” are estimated to be about 9.6 million people, with the Hmong included in that nationality (Lee 2007; Lee 2010:4). While the Hmong were in Laos, they were called “Meo”, which is a derivative of the Chinese word “Miao”. The Hmong outside of China finds this term offensive. With just a slight change in accent, the word “Meo” means “Cat” (Lee 2010:5). To the Asian people, it is very offensive to be compared to an animal. Animals are considered as lower forms of life and not equal to humans, so to be compared to or with an animal is highly offensive. This sentiment is not felt throughout the entire Hmong community though. The Hmong remaining in China differ in their beliefs and do not find the term “Miao” offensive at all and often refer to themselves as “Miao” (Lee 2010:5-6). 

The Han classified the Miao into two groups. The Miao are often referred to as “Sheng” or raw and “Shu” or cooked. Sheng, or raw, refers to people who refuse to be assimilated in Chinese culture and ways and are uncivilized (Lee 2007:15). Shu, or cooked, refers to those people who have become Sinicized, or made Chinese either in character or form and therefore are more civilized (Lee 2007:15).

This illustrates the main differences between Hmong farmers in the United States and French Guiana. The size difference between French Guiana and the United States is substantial. Whereas the Hmong population in French Guiana only has to support a very small population of both Hmong and French Guianese, the Hmong population is much larger in the United States. The growing strategies and requirements are completely different as well as the markets in which the provided goods are sold. Because the area and the population in French Guiana are much smaller, I believe this to be a contributing factor as to why they appear to have a much higher standard of living and quality of life as compared to other refugees. 

Citations

Cha, Ya Po  2010 An Introduction to Hmong Culture. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., Publishers 

Clarkin, Patrick F. Ph.D.  2005 Hmong Resettlement in French Giana. Hmong Studies Journal 6:1-27

Goldberg, Anna A.   2013 Understanding Hmong Growers’ Livelihood Strategies in Sacramento: Implications for Agriculture Education Outreach. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses

Lee, Gary Yia Ph.D.   2007 Diaspora and the Predicament of Origins: Interrogating Hmong Postcolonial History and Identity. Hmong Studies Journal, Volume 8:1-24    2010 Culture and Customs of the Hmong. Santa Barbara: Greenwood

Mote, Sue Murphy   2004 Hmong and American Stories of Transition to a Strange Land. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company

Vang, Chia Youyee   2010 Hmong America: Reconstructing Community in Diaspora. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press 

 Yang, Kou   2017 The Making of Hmong America: Forty Years after the Secret War. Lanham:  Lexington Books