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<br />r countr)t,
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<br />I rituals
<br />.Iose hold
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<br />i
<br />i'; Younger Hmong
<br />II. ofte. n... d. o. dtlm......... .o'.lv. .... '.'. "
<br />.... dorit~formany
<br />I traditional ways. ' .
<br />Bybert.Her' . .
<br />StarTrlbuneStaffWrlter
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<br />Cbeu, Tong Yang's .~oice
<br />rose above the squeals of the
<br />pigs and the.mooing of.tbe
<br />cows; He cbanted in an old
<br />among. .language, askioga cow
<br />, to~~=~~i(:e.4ied
<br />down,. a 'gUnshot craeked
<br />through the air - the cow had
<br />been sacrlficed for Its spirit. , '.' .'
<br />If tbiswere~os,. Yang
<br />would havepetfomw<<i'tbe cer-
<br />i emonyjnbis}'afd. J;n3tead,lt
<br />I took place at a slaughtefhoUse
<br />, in SoUth St Paul.
<br />SuchCultu:ral rituals bave
<br />been a 'part of HmoDg life for
<br />. centuries. lh1t th~y're iiyiriSas
<br />tbeHmilng a:J:. to Am. erlcan
<br />ways.Theri that remain
<br />are often altered to acCommo-
<br />date U~S; laws tbat'ploblbit
<br />'. IlJaughwnng animalslJl neigh-
<br />. borboods and homes;
<br />'Some 'elders ....e worried
<br />that changing the rituals or
<br />having them die out wilfeven-
<br />tually.mean an end to .the.
<br />1 Hmong and their culture. Oth-
<br />'1' ersaredevoting their time to
<br />'- keep~theritu81s alive.
<br />The Hmonguse ritUals to
<br />celebrate life, to ask ante$tors
<br />forJ)roteclion and healing and
<br />.togwde what they call the life-
<br />smil back to thehuman body. 1
<br />RIIVALS..............
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<br />I~"~~~__~__ _ _'-'-..n. .c._'
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<br />RnuALSffom 11
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<br />"'lfyoustop. . . thenthere
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<br />will be (J,llh;ir/J[sof~ickness"
<br />
<br />Tbe Hmong believe that the '
<br />li{e-soul can. be lost through!,
<br />fear, anger,inJury or grief. I
<br />Th~ HQloD.g traditionally
<br />worship anCestors, for whom j
<br />they saaificeanimals. Pjgs and
<br />co~s are kill~d primarily for
<br />!he,ll protective spirits, and.,
<br />" chickens are killed to see into
<br />thespiritworld.
<br />SODleyoung people find!
<br />these rituals barbaric. Others ;
<br />say the rituals will only hold;
<br />the Hmongpeople back. .1
<br />. Va-Megnthoj,'32, of Frog~ :
<br />town Media Productions in St. ..
<br />Pa.p,~ote last year in an 00i- .'
<br />torialm the Bmoilg Times that '
<br />"to be American means we
<br />cannot be lHJ!1<<!ngJ. ..
<br />"The sad ifuny is that while
<br />, life 10 America offers freedom,
<br />and opportuIllties that we can- '.
<br />. Dot find aJlywhereelse, it also
<br />binders oUt progress as adis- i
<br />tinct people. . . . American SQ-,
<br />I I ciety demllDdsthat if we are tol
<br />be successful Americans, we !
<br />"must lElQ\I'e behind our:
<br />(Hmong-ness). ..
<br />Tougeu Leepalao, 71, said
<br />this doesn't have to be the case.
<br />He believes that both QIltures
<br />i :'-' can-iUldshOuld-coexistin
<br />. America. AboullO years ago, ;
<br />I: he helped start the Hmong ,
<br />, Cultural Center in St. Paul to
<br />preServe th~ rituals. ' :
<br />"This is among history,"
<br />I: Leepa1~osaid."We do it be~
<br />cause our ancestors have done
<br />, it forth~usands of years. If you
<br />'stop doing it. then there will be
<br />all kinds of siCkness among the
<br />Hmong."
<br />
<br />
<br />Ancestral negotiations
<br />
<br />In: the parking lot at Long
<br />~ng pmong Livestock. and
<br />Meat Processing Market in',
<br />South St Paul, Y8Qg bent over
<br />an altar set with rice grams,
<br />water and ceremonial paper
<br />money. " i
<br />,. I~ his hand was a cattle ','
<br />hom~cut inbalf. It WOuld be
<br />used to talk to' the spirits. A
<br />string tied around a cows neck
<br />..:. letho the altar.
<br />
<br />. Yang-- turned' towardfhe I
<br />cow, bowed and cupped his'
<br />hands in front of his' chest. He
<br />, then look~l&P.. at. the sky and
<br />, started chanting. .'Asthe. old
<br />i Hmong words tlowedfrom his i
<br />,..lips; he bent downto honor theJ
<br />i ..earth.-Hectoss~tHtwOcbalves-"
<br />of the ho~ on thegro\md.
<br />They hit the wet pavement: i
<br />lOne half faced up. the other I'
<br />faced down. '
<br />This meant the spirits did'
<br />not accept his tenns.
<br />i He picked up the homs and
<br />to!lsed them again. This time .
<br />bOtb,)anded face up, signaling I
<br />that ~irlts were agreeable. .
<br />The sun shone briMtlyas
<br />, Yang talked' to the spirits. ear
<br />, doors slammed in the back-
<br />ground, blending in with
<br />i H~ong words and laughter.
<br />: The smell of fresh blood and
<br />burnt skm filled the air, niixed.
<br />,withlbe Odor of manure.
<br />. Each\Veek, hundreds of I
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<br />
<br />Cheu TtmgYangto~ cattle horns to the ground to see If spirits
<br />would talk with him. . . . ,
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