Classic Hmong Studies Publications from the Refugee Educator's Network Website
Title: Meo of Xieng Khouang Province (Laos Paper No. 13). Author: George Barney. Source: Dalley Book Service. Location: Christianburg, VA:. Year: 1990. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 33 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: This older report describes the Hmong lifestyle and situation in Xieng Khouang Province of Laos. Topics covered include social organization, political organization, economic life, material culture, folklore and beliefs, the life cycle and recent changes in Hmong culture. The term "Meo" was still used by outsiders for Hmong in the era when this study was compiled.
Title: Dab Neeg Phau Ib (Hmong Folktales). Author: Yves Bertrais. Source: Association Communaute Hmong. Location: French Guyana:. Year: 1985. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 102 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: A collection of Hmong folktales in the RPA Hmong script. Compiled by the late Fr. Yves Bertrais.
Title: Hmong Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome. Author: Bruce Bliatout. Source: Sparkle Publishing. Location: Portland, OR:. Year: 1982. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 132 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: The Hmong are an ethnic minority group found in China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand; and since 1975, Argen- tina, Australia, Canada, France and the United States. The Hmong of I,aos were heavily involved in the cold wars of Indochina during the 1960s and 1970s. When the Lao govern ment changed hands in 1975, this group of people underwent diaspora. Sincc 1973, there have been documentcd cases of mysterious sudden nocturnal deaths in the Hmong population. Al- though these deaths also strike other ethnic groups such as the Cambodian, Filipino, Japanese, Laotian, Mien and Vietnamese, by far the Hmong have experienced the highest death rates. Therefore, these deaths have become known as the Hmong Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome. The deaths are associated with sleep and most victims had been relatively young, previously healthy men. Despite several ongoing investigations, the cause of these deaths has not yet been found. This study was done in an attempt to discover if these sudden deaths could have some cultural origins. The Hmong concepts of health and illness are very much intertwined with their beliefs in ancestor worship. The first focus of this study investigated whether beliefs in the power of spirits and other religious concepts, along with being unable to keep traditional religious practices and rituals in Western communities could possibly be a contributing factor to the Hmong Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome. The second area of examination was to see whether the usage of traditional Hmong healing arts influenced the occurrence of these sudden deaths. Thirdly, the study considered whether membership in certain IImong snbgronps, clans or lineages was an added risk factor for sudden noctur- nal death, indicating a possible genetic origin for the syndrome. Fourthly, the study questioned whether past geo- graphic locations were common to the sudden nocturnal death victims' backgrounds. Fifth, other aspects of Hmong culture were considered for possible correlation to these deaths. Lastly, the study reviewed certain other investigators' theories that the sudden nocturnal deaths were linked to exposure to cherrlical warfare; depression causcd by the stress of assimilating into a Western culture; terror induced by nightmares; as well as other miscellaneous theories on possible causes of these deaths. Although no conclusive results were found, the evidence suggested that the cause of sudden nocturnal death may be genetic in origin. There were indications that certain members of the Hmong population are predisposed to sudden death. However, what causes some individuals to die at certain times has not yet been determined. There was some evidence that the deaths were linked to the presence of a higher level of stress. This stress was sometimes caused by beliefs in the powers of spirits, the inability to perform traditional religiorls cerenionies and rituals in Western countries, as well as a variety of othcr causes. It also seemed possible that cxposrlre to chemical warfare was a corrimon background for many of the sudden nocturnal death victims; if not exposure to an actual attack, then exposure to chemical residuals remaining in various areas of northern Laos. Whether this could cause sudden nocturnal deaths at a later date is still under debate.
Title: A Life Apart Viewed from the Hills. Author: Jon Boyes and S. Piriban. Source: Jaruek Publishing. Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand. Year: 1989. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 117 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: A work based on interviews with hilltribe people from six tribes in northern Thailand - the Yao, Akha, Lahu, Hmong, Lisu and the Karen. The interviews are arranged in six sections according to tribe and deal with a wide range of subjects from traditional culture to love and sex. An introduction followed by fairly detailed "notes" on hitribe lifestyles and history precedes the interviews. Illustrations of 23 interviewees accompany the work.
Title: Music of the Hmong, Singing Voices and Talking Reeds. Author: Amy Catlin. Source: Center for Hmong Lore, Museum of Natural History. Location: N.A. Year: 1980. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 18 pages. Format: PDF.
Abstract: This short work provides a brief overview of Hmong culture and Hmong traditional music forms including kwv txhiaj (sung poetry), the qeej and several other music instruments. Information is also provided about the role of orally recited songs, the drum and the qeej in the Hmong funeral ceremony.
Title: Hmong Recipe Cook Book. Author: Kathy Finkle. Source: Southeast Asia Community Resource Center. Location: Sacramento. Year: 1980. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 38 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: This book involves a collection of Hmong recipes. It is divided into the following sections: unusual ingredients, basics, salads, greens, main dishes, vegetables, desserts/bread/cake and miscellaneous.
Title: L'Initiation du Mort Chez les Hmong. Author: Jacques Lemoine. Source: Pandora. Location: Bangkok. Year: 1980. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 136 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: This French language anthropological work focuses on the traditional Hmong religion, related rituals and the shaman ceremony.
Title: Hmong Proverbs. Author: Prasit Leepreecha. Source: N.A. Location: N.A.. Year: 1994. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 67 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: This work consists of a collection of Hmong proverbs in the Hmong RPA script and Thai language.
Title: History of the Hmong. Author: Jean Mottin. Source: Oden. Location: Bangkok. Year: 1980. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 80 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: This short work focuses on Hmong history. The author includes sections on the Miao-Yao group, Hmong groups and subgroups, geographic dissemination of Hmong in Asia, Hmong demographics in Asia and Hmong history in China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.
Title: Elements de Grammaire Hmong. Author: Jean Mottin. Source: Don Bosco Press. Location: N.A. Year: 1978. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 217 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: This French language work provides detailed information related to Hmong grammar.
Title: White Hmong Dialogues. Author: David Strecker. Source: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota. Location: Minneapolis. Year: 1986. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 23 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: (From the introduction), these dialogues were originally developed for an intensive beginning Hmong class taught by the authors. They are not a complete course in Hmong. In our class we also used pronunciation drills, conversation drills, exercises and readings. The dialogues, however, were an important part of the course. The students first mastered the dialogues on their own, imitating tape recordings made by Lopao Vang, and then paired off in class to practice the dialogues under the supervision of the teachers, who corrected their pronunciation. Eventually the students found that they had learned certain dialogues by heart and when they were conversing in Hmong they found themselves spontaneously using phrases from the dialogues at appropriate points in the conversation. We have tried, therefore, to provide appropriate natural utterances for a variety of social situations. We hope that these dialogues will be useful both in the classroom and to people studying Hmong on their own.
Title: Plans and Policies in Laos. Author: USAF Historical Liaison Office. Source: USAF Historical Liaison Office. Location: N.A. Year: 1964. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 109 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: (From the Forward): This study emphasizes Headquarters USAF's plans and policies with respect to South Vietnam and Laos in 1964. In tha fjrst four chapters the author describes the progressive military and political decline of the Saigon regime, after two government coups, and the efforts by U.S. authorities b cope wlth this problem. He notes especially the view of the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen, Curtis E. LeMay, frequently statad, that only air strikes on North Vietnam could end the insurgencies in South Vietnam and in Laos and bring stability to the Vietnamese government. This contrasted with administration efforts to devise an effective pacification program and, pending emergence of a stable government, its decision to adopt a "low risk policy to avoid military escalation. In the remaining chapters of the study, the author discusses briefly the major USAF augmentations, the expansion of the Vietnamese Air Force, the problem of service representation in Headquarters, Assistance Command, Vietnam, and the rules of engagement as they affected particularly air combat training. The study concludes with a brief review of the beginning of USAF special air warfare training for the Royal Laotian Air Force and the inauguration of limited USAF and Navy air operations over Laos to contain Communist expansion in that country.
Title: Hmong Alphabet Pre-Primer for Learning Words (Pahawh). Author: Chia Koua Vang and Gnia Yee Vang. Source: Motthem Family Location: Saint Paul. Year: 1987. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 16 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: This work consists of a Hmong alphabet primer in the Pahawh script.
Title: Primary Word Book: English-Hmong. Author: Pha Thao. Source: University of Iowa College of Education. Location: Iowa City. Year: 1982. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 182 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: (From the Introduction): We have designed the Primary Word Book to help (Hmong) pupils of limited English proficiency (LEP) to make the transition from their home language to English. The book communicates basic English vocabulary simply and directly. The words in the book include those most often encountered and used by elementary school pupils. Most of the words appear on basic reading and sight vocabulary lists. Additional words either come from LEP pupil life experiences or help to complete conceptual sequences. Words have been categorized to assist LEP pupils. The categories should help pupils to relate words to the objects for which they stand. Word opposites are pre- sented to help the pupil understand the relationship between words. Probably the best way to facilitate vocabulary acquisition and language transition is by stimulating pupilsf natural inquisitiveness. The teacher can help by encouraging pupils to identify words in the Primary Word Book -- either by using the pictures or by using the illustrated index. The teacher may want to present the words in the Primary Word Book in creative ways -- such as rhyming, demonstration, or pantomime -- to stimulate interest. The teacher may ask the child to draw the object and print the word. As the child masters the vocabulary, the teacher can encourage the child to combine words from different categories in the book.
Title: History of Laos. Author: Maha Sila Viravong. Source: Paragon. Location: New York. Year: 1964. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 158 pages. Format: PDF.
Abstract: This older work presents a history of the country of Laos. The publication is divided into the following sections: Muong Xieng Thong or Souvannaphoum Pathet. (The Khmer Race), The Birth of the Lao Race, the Ancient Kingdom of the Lao, the Lao Kingdom of Nong-Sae, or Nan-Tchou, the Lan-Xang Kingdom, the division of the Lao Kingdom into three Kingdoms, the Kingdom of Laos after the loss of its independence, the Lan-Xang Kingdoms of Vientianne.
Title: Showing the Way: A Hmong Initiation of the Dead. Author: Kenneth White. Source: Pandora. Location: Bangkok. Year: 1983. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 40 pages. Format: PDF.
Abstract: (From the Introduction by the author): The Hmong or Meo, as they are called by the Vietnamese, the Laos and the Thais (the Hmong them- selves do not like this name, which was originally derogatory, derived as it is from the Chinese "miao" meaning "sprouts" or "natives") belong to the archaic populations of Eastern Asia. At present in the process of final integration into the modern Chinese world in China and North Vietnam, they still live in dispersed and isolated groups in the Indochinese peninsula. The following initiatic poem was recorded and tran- scribed by the French ethnologist Jacques Lemoine in a group of Green Hmong (Hmong Njua) in Upper Laos. It is considered by the Hmong to have such power that certain precautions must be taken by the man who sings it (see the concluding lines). When 1 met Jacques Lemoine in Chieng Mai (North Thai- land) in December 1975, we got to talking about tribal poetries and he asked me if I'd care to translate into English his French version of the Qhua Ke first pub- lished in the French review of anthropology l'Hornme (vol XII, cahier 1, 1972). Having read the text, I had no hesitation in accepting. The task has been a plea- sant one, and I now offer this English language version as a contribution to the field of ethnopoetic studies. A word as to the transcription of Hmong terms. The accepted transcription in Thailand and Laos is the Barney - Smalley one, but phonologically it is a bit unwieldy and is unlikely, I think, to help the layman to get his tongue even approximately round the words. One character in the poem, for example, would be Ntxwj Sib Quas Nyoog -- and who could manage that first element ? Lernoine himself, in his version worked out a French graphic system to make reading easier. I've done the same thing here in English. I have added, also, within brackets, some minimal scenic indications and presentations (during these moments, if the singer says anything, he uses his normal speaking voice) but for a full account of the poem's setting, and a discussion of its contents, see Jacques Lemoine's articles in I'Homme (the afore- mentioned publication of the Qhua Ke in Cahier 1, 1972, followed up in Cahiers 2 and 3 of the same year).
Title: Hmong Language Lessons. Author: Doris Whitelock. Source: Source: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota. Location: Minneapolis. Year: 1981. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 132 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: (From the Introduction): When Doris Whitelock wrote her White Meo Language Lessons in Thailand -- in the 1960s. she surely had no idea that so many Americans would be living and working side-by-side with speakers of Hmong in the United States today. But the Hmong refugees in the United States, now numbering over 60,000, have, since 1975, entered and enriched the lives of numbers of Americans, many of whom have eagerly sought to learn about the people, their history, and their traditional way of life. For some, to communicate with persons who do not speak English natively means learning at least something of their language, and it is for such dedi- cated and adventurous people that we have undertaken to reproduce these lessons. The manuscript has been cmpletely retyped, the name Hmong being substituted for the formerly used e, with some other minor corrections and modifications supplied by the author. The content of the lessons has scarcely been changed, and so materials originally intended for use by missionaries teaching themselves Hmong while living in a mountain-top village still contain the vocabulary of pig-feeding, cooking on an open fire, and Bible stories, The basics of White Hmong pronunciation, grammar, and usage are presented also, however, and the student may feel free to substitute vocabulary used in the context of Ihong refugee life in the United States, learned through the aid of a Hmong-speaking assistant, who will be essential anyway to provide oral practice with the lesson material. Originally some recorded "tape exercises" were available to accompany the lessons. These have been lost, and while the texts of some of these exercises are included in the lessons, others (beginning with at ape Exercise 19") are not. It is therefore not possible with this reprinting to offer tapes to accompany the lessons, although it is our intention to prepare new tapes in the future if the missing texts can be found. These lessons represent the White Hmong (Hmong Daw) dialect, rather than Blueleeen Hmong (Hang teng), only because that was the dialect of the village in which Doris Whitelock lived. A student who wishes to learn to speak the other major dialect could surely follow these lessons, substituting the sounds and words used by the language helper where these differ.
Title: Hilltribes of Northern Thailand. Author: Gordon Young. Source: AMS Press. Location: New York. Year: 1962. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 132 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: This work consists of the author's socio-ethnological accounts of his research with numerous ethnic groups in Thailand including the Hmong.
Title: Meo of Xieng Khouang Province (Laos Paper No. 13). Author: George Barney. Source: Dalley Book Service. Location: Christianburg, VA:. Year: 1990. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 33 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: This older report describes the Hmong lifestyle and situation in Xieng Khouang Province of Laos. Topics covered include social organization, political organization, economic life, material culture, folklore and beliefs, the life cycle and recent changes in Hmong culture. The term "Meo" was still used by outsiders for Hmong in the era when this study was compiled.
Title: Dab Neeg Phau Ib (Hmong Folktales). Author: Yves Bertrais. Source: Association Communaute Hmong. Location: French Guyana:. Year: 1985. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 102 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: A collection of Hmong folktales in the RPA Hmong script. Compiled by the late Fr. Yves Bertrais.
Title: Hmong Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome. Author: Bruce Bliatout. Source: Sparkle Publishing. Location: Portland, OR:. Year: 1982. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 132 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: The Hmong are an ethnic minority group found in China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand; and since 1975, Argen- tina, Australia, Canada, France and the United States. The Hmong of I,aos were heavily involved in the cold wars of Indochina during the 1960s and 1970s. When the Lao govern ment changed hands in 1975, this group of people underwent diaspora. Sincc 1973, there have been documentcd cases of mysterious sudden nocturnal deaths in the Hmong population. Al- though these deaths also strike other ethnic groups such as the Cambodian, Filipino, Japanese, Laotian, Mien and Vietnamese, by far the Hmong have experienced the highest death rates. Therefore, these deaths have become known as the Hmong Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome. The deaths are associated with sleep and most victims had been relatively young, previously healthy men. Despite several ongoing investigations, the cause of these deaths has not yet been found. This study was done in an attempt to discover if these sudden deaths could have some cultural origins. The Hmong concepts of health and illness are very much intertwined with their beliefs in ancestor worship. The first focus of this study investigated whether beliefs in the power of spirits and other religious concepts, along with being unable to keep traditional religious practices and rituals in Western communities could possibly be a contributing factor to the Hmong Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome. The second area of examination was to see whether the usage of traditional Hmong healing arts influenced the occurrence of these sudden deaths. Thirdly, the study considered whether membership in certain IImong snbgronps, clans or lineages was an added risk factor for sudden noctur- nal death, indicating a possible genetic origin for the syndrome. Fourthly, the study questioned whether past geo- graphic locations were common to the sudden nocturnal death victims' backgrounds. Fifth, other aspects of Hmong culture were considered for possible correlation to these deaths. Lastly, the study reviewed certain other investigators' theories that the sudden nocturnal deaths were linked to exposure to cherrlical warfare; depression causcd by the stress of assimilating into a Western culture; terror induced by nightmares; as well as other miscellaneous theories on possible causes of these deaths. Although no conclusive results were found, the evidence suggested that the cause of sudden nocturnal death may be genetic in origin. There were indications that certain members of the Hmong population are predisposed to sudden death. However, what causes some individuals to die at certain times has not yet been determined. There was some evidence that the deaths were linked to the presence of a higher level of stress. This stress was sometimes caused by beliefs in the powers of spirits, the inability to perform traditional religiorls cerenionies and rituals in Western countries, as well as a variety of othcr causes. It also seemed possible that cxposrlre to chemical warfare was a corrimon background for many of the sudden nocturnal death victims; if not exposure to an actual attack, then exposure to chemical residuals remaining in various areas of northern Laos. Whether this could cause sudden nocturnal deaths at a later date is still under debate.
Title: A Life Apart Viewed from the Hills. Author: Jon Boyes and S. Piriban. Source: Jaruek Publishing. Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand. Year: 1989. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 117 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: A work based on interviews with hilltribe people from six tribes in northern Thailand - the Yao, Akha, Lahu, Hmong, Lisu and the Karen. The interviews are arranged in six sections according to tribe and deal with a wide range of subjects from traditional culture to love and sex. An introduction followed by fairly detailed "notes" on hitribe lifestyles and history precedes the interviews. Illustrations of 23 interviewees accompany the work.
Title: Music of the Hmong, Singing Voices and Talking Reeds. Author: Amy Catlin. Source: Center for Hmong Lore, Museum of Natural History. Location: N.A. Year: 1980. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 18 pages. Format: PDF.
Abstract: This short work provides a brief overview of Hmong culture and Hmong traditional music forms including kwv txhiaj (sung poetry), the qeej and several other music instruments. Information is also provided about the role of orally recited songs, the drum and the qeej in the Hmong funeral ceremony.
Title: Hmong Recipe Cook Book. Author: Kathy Finkle. Source: Southeast Asia Community Resource Center. Location: Sacramento. Year: 1980. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 38 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: This book involves a collection of Hmong recipes. It is divided into the following sections: unusual ingredients, basics, salads, greens, main dishes, vegetables, desserts/bread/cake and miscellaneous.
Title: L'Initiation du Mort Chez les Hmong. Author: Jacques Lemoine. Source: Pandora. Location: Bangkok. Year: 1980. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 136 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: This French language anthropological work focuses on the traditional Hmong religion, related rituals and the shaman ceremony.
Title: Hmong Proverbs. Author: Prasit Leepreecha. Source: N.A. Location: N.A.. Year: 1994. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 67 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: This work consists of a collection of Hmong proverbs in the Hmong RPA script and Thai language.
Title: History of the Hmong. Author: Jean Mottin. Source: Oden. Location: Bangkok. Year: 1980. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 80 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: This short work focuses on Hmong history. The author includes sections on the Miao-Yao group, Hmong groups and subgroups, geographic dissemination of Hmong in Asia, Hmong demographics in Asia and Hmong history in China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.
Title: Elements de Grammaire Hmong. Author: Jean Mottin. Source: Don Bosco Press. Location: N.A. Year: 1978. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 217 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: This French language work provides detailed information related to Hmong grammar.
Title: White Hmong Dialogues. Author: David Strecker. Source: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota. Location: Minneapolis. Year: 1986. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 23 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: (From the introduction), these dialogues were originally developed for an intensive beginning Hmong class taught by the authors. They are not a complete course in Hmong. In our class we also used pronunciation drills, conversation drills, exercises and readings. The dialogues, however, were an important part of the course. The students first mastered the dialogues on their own, imitating tape recordings made by Lopao Vang, and then paired off in class to practice the dialogues under the supervision of the teachers, who corrected their pronunciation. Eventually the students found that they had learned certain dialogues by heart and when they were conversing in Hmong they found themselves spontaneously using phrases from the dialogues at appropriate points in the conversation. We have tried, therefore, to provide appropriate natural utterances for a variety of social situations. We hope that these dialogues will be useful both in the classroom and to people studying Hmong on their own.
Title: Plans and Policies in Laos. Author: USAF Historical Liaison Office. Source: USAF Historical Liaison Office. Location: N.A. Year: 1964. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 109 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: (From the Forward): This study emphasizes Headquarters USAF's plans and policies with respect to South Vietnam and Laos in 1964. In tha fjrst four chapters the author describes the progressive military and political decline of the Saigon regime, after two government coups, and the efforts by U.S. authorities b cope wlth this problem. He notes especially the view of the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen, Curtis E. LeMay, frequently statad, that only air strikes on North Vietnam could end the insurgencies in South Vietnam and in Laos and bring stability to the Vietnamese government. This contrasted with administration efforts to devise an effective pacification program and, pending emergence of a stable government, its decision to adopt a "low risk policy to avoid military escalation. In the remaining chapters of the study, the author discusses briefly the major USAF augmentations, the expansion of the Vietnamese Air Force, the problem of service representation in Headquarters, Assistance Command, Vietnam, and the rules of engagement as they affected particularly air combat training. The study concludes with a brief review of the beginning of USAF special air warfare training for the Royal Laotian Air Force and the inauguration of limited USAF and Navy air operations over Laos to contain Communist expansion in that country.
Title: Hmong Alphabet Pre-Primer for Learning Words (Pahawh). Author: Chia Koua Vang and Gnia Yee Vang. Source: Motthem Family Location: Saint Paul. Year: 1987. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 16 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: This work consists of a Hmong alphabet primer in the Pahawh script.
Title: Primary Word Book: English-Hmong. Author: Pha Thao. Source: University of Iowa College of Education. Location: Iowa City. Year: 1982. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 182 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: (From the Introduction): We have designed the Primary Word Book to help (Hmong) pupils of limited English proficiency (LEP) to make the transition from their home language to English. The book communicates basic English vocabulary simply and directly. The words in the book include those most often encountered and used by elementary school pupils. Most of the words appear on basic reading and sight vocabulary lists. Additional words either come from LEP pupil life experiences or help to complete conceptual sequences. Words have been categorized to assist LEP pupils. The categories should help pupils to relate words to the objects for which they stand. Word opposites are pre- sented to help the pupil understand the relationship between words. Probably the best way to facilitate vocabulary acquisition and language transition is by stimulating pupilsf natural inquisitiveness. The teacher can help by encouraging pupils to identify words in the Primary Word Book -- either by using the pictures or by using the illustrated index. The teacher may want to present the words in the Primary Word Book in creative ways -- such as rhyming, demonstration, or pantomime -- to stimulate interest. The teacher may ask the child to draw the object and print the word. As the child masters the vocabulary, the teacher can encourage the child to combine words from different categories in the book.
Title: History of Laos. Author: Maha Sila Viravong. Source: Paragon. Location: New York. Year: 1964. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 158 pages. Format: PDF.
Abstract: This older work presents a history of the country of Laos. The publication is divided into the following sections: Muong Xieng Thong or Souvannaphoum Pathet. (The Khmer Race), The Birth of the Lao Race, the Ancient Kingdom of the Lao, the Lao Kingdom of Nong-Sae, or Nan-Tchou, the Lan-Xang Kingdom, the division of the Lao Kingdom into three Kingdoms, the Kingdom of Laos after the loss of its independence, the Lan-Xang Kingdoms of Vientianne.
Title: Showing the Way: A Hmong Initiation of the Dead. Author: Kenneth White. Source: Pandora. Location: Bangkok. Year: 1983. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 40 pages. Format: PDF.
Abstract: (From the Introduction by the author): The Hmong or Meo, as they are called by the Vietnamese, the Laos and the Thais (the Hmong them- selves do not like this name, which was originally derogatory, derived as it is from the Chinese "miao" meaning "sprouts" or "natives") belong to the archaic populations of Eastern Asia. At present in the process of final integration into the modern Chinese world in China and North Vietnam, they still live in dispersed and isolated groups in the Indochinese peninsula. The following initiatic poem was recorded and tran- scribed by the French ethnologist Jacques Lemoine in a group of Green Hmong (Hmong Njua) in Upper Laos. It is considered by the Hmong to have such power that certain precautions must be taken by the man who sings it (see the concluding lines). When 1 met Jacques Lemoine in Chieng Mai (North Thai- land) in December 1975, we got to talking about tribal poetries and he asked me if I'd care to translate into English his French version of the Qhua Ke first pub- lished in the French review of anthropology l'Hornme (vol XII, cahier 1, 1972). Having read the text, I had no hesitation in accepting. The task has been a plea- sant one, and I now offer this English language version as a contribution to the field of ethnopoetic studies. A word as to the transcription of Hmong terms. The accepted transcription in Thailand and Laos is the Barney - Smalley one, but phonologically it is a bit unwieldy and is unlikely, I think, to help the layman to get his tongue even approximately round the words. One character in the poem, for example, would be Ntxwj Sib Quas Nyoog -- and who could manage that first element ? Lernoine himself, in his version worked out a French graphic system to make reading easier. I've done the same thing here in English. I have added, also, within brackets, some minimal scenic indications and presentations (during these moments, if the singer says anything, he uses his normal speaking voice) but for a full account of the poem's setting, and a discussion of its contents, see Jacques Lemoine's articles in I'Homme (the afore- mentioned publication of the Qhua Ke in Cahier 1, 1972, followed up in Cahiers 2 and 3 of the same year).
Title: Hmong Language Lessons. Author: Doris Whitelock. Source: Source: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota. Location: Minneapolis. Year: 1981. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 132 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: (From the Introduction): When Doris Whitelock wrote her White Meo Language Lessons in Thailand -- in the 1960s. she surely had no idea that so many Americans would be living and working side-by-side with speakers of Hmong in the United States today. But the Hmong refugees in the United States, now numbering over 60,000, have, since 1975, entered and enriched the lives of numbers of Americans, many of whom have eagerly sought to learn about the people, their history, and their traditional way of life. For some, to communicate with persons who do not speak English natively means learning at least something of their language, and it is for such dedi- cated and adventurous people that we have undertaken to reproduce these lessons. The manuscript has been cmpletely retyped, the name Hmong being substituted for the formerly used e, with some other minor corrections and modifications supplied by the author. The content of the lessons has scarcely been changed, and so materials originally intended for use by missionaries teaching themselves Hmong while living in a mountain-top village still contain the vocabulary of pig-feeding, cooking on an open fire, and Bible stories, The basics of White Hmong pronunciation, grammar, and usage are presented also, however, and the student may feel free to substitute vocabulary used in the context of Ihong refugee life in the United States, learned through the aid of a Hmong-speaking assistant, who will be essential anyway to provide oral practice with the lesson material. Originally some recorded "tape exercises" were available to accompany the lessons. These have been lost, and while the texts of some of these exercises are included in the lessons, others (beginning with at ape Exercise 19") are not. It is therefore not possible with this reprinting to offer tapes to accompany the lessons, although it is our intention to prepare new tapes in the future if the missing texts can be found. These lessons represent the White Hmong (Hmong Daw) dialect, rather than Blueleeen Hmong (Hang teng), only because that was the dialect of the village in which Doris Whitelock lived. A student who wishes to learn to speak the other major dialect could surely follow these lessons, substituting the sounds and words used by the language helper where these differ.
Title: Hilltribes of Northern Thailand. Author: Gordon Young. Source: AMS Press. Location: New York. Year: 1962. Additional Source Information: N.A. Pagination: 132 pages. Format: PDF
Abstract: This work consists of the author's socio-ethnological accounts of his research with numerous ethnic groups in Thailand including the Hmong.
