Hmong

Hmong
   Southeast Asian people originating in Laos; many now live in North America. Traditionally an animist culture, the Hmong employ shamans as healers and mediators in disruptive situations. Illnesses and other problems may be understood to result from disruption and lack of cohesion among the souls that inhabit each person’s body. Such souls are supposed to cooperate to form the individual, but may act independently and require a shaman’s attention. Illnesses and bad luck may also be caused by unwanted possession, which requires shamans to journey to the other world in performances that can be public or seen only by individual clients or patients. Journeying is supported by helpers rhythmically hitting gongs when guided by the shaman, who wears bell rings on each hand. Divination using split buffalo horns may aid understanding of the cause and solution of problems. Shamans also play significant roles in maintaining and developing traditional culture, especially when faced with Christian missions and the dominance of Western modernist society. Thus, they offer a further illustration of the political dimensions of shamanism.
   See also South and East Asia.

Historical dictionary of shamanism. . 2007.

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  • Hmong — may refer to: *Hmong people, an ethnic group in China and Southeast Asia *Hmong language, a cluster of closely related Hmong Mien languages *Hmong customs and culture *Hmong cuisine …   Wikipedia

  • Hmong — [muŋ] n. 1. a member of a people living in highland areas of Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and southern China 2. the Tai language of this people …   English World dictionary

  • Hmong —  Ne doit pas être confondu avec Mnong. Jeune étudiante Hmong en médecine à Vientiane, Laos (1968) Les Hmong, Mong ou H Mong …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Hmong — /hmawng/, n., pl. Hmongs, (esp. collectively) Hmong. Miao. * * * or Miao Mountain dwelling peoples of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand who speak Hmong Mien languages. There are also émigré communities in the U.S. Agriculture is the chief means… …   Universalium

  • Hmong — Die Hmong (viet.: Mẹo) sind ein indigenes Volk Ostasiens. Sie leben hauptsächlich in den bewaldeten Berggebieten von Laos, Vietnam und Thailand. In China sind sie der übergreifenden Miao Nationalität zugeordnet, die deutlich über neun Millionen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Hmong — ISO 639 3 Code : hmn ISO 639 2/B Code : hmn ISO 639 2/T Code : hmn ISO 639 1 Code : Scope : Macrolanguage Language Type : Living Individual languages : Identifier : blu Name: Hmong Njua  (Retired 1/14/2008) Individual languages : Identifier : cqd …   Names of Languages ISO 639-3

  • Hmong — I noun 1. a people living traditionally in mountain villages in southern China and adjacent areas of Vietnam and Laos and Thailand; many have emigrated to the United States • Syn: ↑Miao • Hypernyms: ↑Asian, ↑Asiatic 2. a language of uncertain… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Hmong — noun (plural Hmong) Etymology: Hmong hmoŋ (with high level tone), a self designation Date: 1977 1. a member of a mountain dwelling people inhabiting southeastern China and the northern parts of Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand 2. the language of the… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Hmông — Miao(s), Méo(s) ou Hmông(s) population montagnarde de l Asie du S. E., implantée dans le N. O. du Viêt nam, le N. du Laos et de la Thaïlande, et dans le S. de la Chine, d où ils sont originaires. Ils pratiquent la riziculture sur brûlis et… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Hmong — [[t]mʌŋ[/t]] n. pl. Hmongs, (esp. collectively)Hmong. 1) peo a member of a people or group of peoples living in highland areas of S China, N Vietnam, Laos, and N Thailand 2) peo the language of the Hmong …   From formal English to slang

  • Hmong — 1. noun a) A people in China living predominantly in the southern provinces today; believed to be the first ethnic group in China. b) The language of these people. 2. adjective Of or relating to the Hmong, their culture, or their language …   Wiktionary

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