Hmong

by Keith Quincy

Though there are slightly more than six million Hmong worldwide, relatively few Americans know much about them. The Hmong people, who steadfastly retained many of their cultural traditions though they settled extensively in China, were forced to become perpetual migrants and montagnards, due to relentless persecution by the Chinese, who considered all but Chinese culture uncivilized. Most Hmong today live in China, Laos, northern Vietnam, Thailand, and Burma, and are all descendants (it is speculated) of Hmong who originally migrated from central Siberia.
Following the Second World War, the Hmong of northern Vietnam and Laos allied themselves with the French, and later the U.S., to fight against the Vietnamese communists. Nearly a third of the Laotian Hmong perished in combat or died from starvation and disease caused by war. After the communist takeover, thousands more Hmong died in concentration camps, perished in rebellions, or were killed trying to escape to Thailand. Of those who did escape, more than eighty thousand resettled in the U.S.
If Americans have a concept of the existence of the Hmong people at all, they think of them as victims. Many have a certain degree of sympathy for them, but few understand the Hmong as a unique race with a rich heritage. Indeed, the involvement of the Hmong in the Laotian war was only a single incident in the long saga of the Hmong as a people.
History of a People is a detailed rediscovery of this saga, following Hmong history and tradition from their early settlements in China, up to and including much of their contribution to the war in Vietnam. It is a book of struggle, prowess, and magic, and it reiterates the importance of cultural memory for any race, and specifically the importance of that memory for the Hmong.

Genres: History

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1988

Reviews

[Bryan Worra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the critiques are valid, and many conclusions asserted on less than definitive evidence, it's an interesting take that should be read alongside several other sources.

[Cal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, like most other historical nonfiction books, is dense - very dense. This book is broken up into a history, a migration of Hmong people, the involvement of opium production, and the Hmong people’s part in global politics. While being dense, this book was still fun to read. After reading about the book, you see that this was the second version of it - the first was in the 80s. You also realize that people have taken issue with this book's portrayal of the Hmong history, and that some of it was not based in fact. On the other hand, this was one of the first books about the Hmong history to be read in English. This book shouldn’t be praised for being the first iteration of something now. I think that there’s really better books out there that are more comprehensive, but if you’re looking for a starting point in this history - this could work.

[Jennie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is okay. The book is too general and the style is too polular history for me. There isn't much analysing and his sources are weak. Every author who writes about the Hmong say the same thing. I think it is time for some new research. Also He doesn't footnote. It really irritates me when history writers don't footnote.

[Pa Chee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Hmong History book.

[Stu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Filled with inaccuracies. Do not waste your time. The Paul Hillmer book is much more responsible.