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 The
Hmong people have spread through Indochina.
They now live in southern China, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam
as well as in communities around the world.
Throughout their history, the Hmong have often been refugees,
fleeing persecution by the government of one country after another.
Beginning in the 1800s, the Hmong fled their native China, eventually
settling down in the hills of Laos. The individual cultural identity
that the Hmong had worked so fiercely to cultivate grated against
the Chinese regime and its efforts to completely unify the country.
Although
settling in Laos served as a safe alternative to harassment by the
Chinese government, this respite was only temporary. In 1975, after
the Communist takeover of Laos, many Hmong were punished for their
role in aiding the U.S. government during the Vietnam War. As a result,
thousands of Hmong fled to Thailand or the U.S., while many others
abandoned the highlands and relocated to cities in newly urbanized
Laos.
In
recent years the Hmong have also experienced difficulties living in
Thailand. They traditionally use slash-and-burn agricultural techniques,
to which the Thai government objects. Many Hmong also traditionally
have grown opium poppies for the production of heroin, bringing them
under the watchful eye of Thai officials. These and other problems
have made some Hmong refugees once again, continuing their search
for a safe and welcoming home.
 Although some Hmong
have succumbed to the lure of the tourist trade, making crafts primarily
or only for passing sightseers, most Hmong have managed to preserve
tribal traditions and practices. One of the most cherished Hmong tribal
practices is the production of textiles. Hmong women are famous for
their colorful embroidery and intricate cross-stitch techniques, many
designs featuring snowflakes as a symbol of the Hmong people's legendary
icy homeland. Girls learn basic needlework skills at an early age,
beginning a life-long practice of refining these skills in order to
become as proficient as possible. The importance of family and each
member having a specific role to fulfill in Hmong culture is seen
in the way that Hmong women pass down needle working techniques from
one generation to the next. Despite their people's tumultuous history
and continued struggles, the Hmong have worked to keep tribal traditions
alive.
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