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<br />.;j~=~~~~:g=
<br />i buy pigs, cOWs and chickens
<br />t forntUat ce~ernollies.Somekill"
<br />! asnumy aslQ cows fOr a f\iner~
<br />I a1. TI1ey~Sacrificef1 for theJr
<br />k$h'engtb.tob!lp carty the dead
<br />rpersoD'sbeloIlgingstothe next;
<br />~ Ufe.:Yangsaid. ..... . . .' " i
<br />~. IIlhis~andson's case;:
<br />,though,theC()ws mength.\V8sJ:
<br />; neededforsomethiJigdiffl3l~:
<br />. ent.VanS's grand:soD"badbitj
<br />and killed a WOMan who,
<br />stepped in frOntof his car, arid:
<br />theCow's strength was needed;
<br />, to bJQCktbe lj!e-SQulfrom leaV"'1
<br />ing hIs grandson'sbody be-I
<br />cause ofthettawna.,
<br />ForasJongasYahg canre-}
<br />member.ila,trificlng aniDlalsl
<br />, has been a way l)f life.He Saili'
<br />be is notashantan,butheis
<br />one of the few Hmong' el~rsl
<br />here who knows hO\'irto per~
<br />form,these bealing and deans~
<br />ingritu81s. . . ". ".'. ,:' . ,
<br />NbiaPaoVang is asl]am~.
<br />~~~s= ~l:ll~=ti
<br />: only those who are trUly pure J
<br />. in heart can become one. \-1
<br />He.also is one of the few 10-)
<br />i caI people whokDows~tol
<br />play the mouth organ,aIi in..,
<br />" . . strument traditioP8l1)rplayed
<br />I, at fuJ1etalsto help send the de-.,
<br />ceased to the next Dfe. .'
<br />Each song talks about how:
<br />mankindW8$crea~ and how; i},
<br />the ~~n'sbodywm~\:',i\:
<br />tumto bemg dirt after death,! ,-,';
<br />\ he said. "It our child(en don't\ ,.t:,',
<br />knowhow [to foJ1owtbe burial', <., "
<br />traditions], thenth., Hmonsl
<br />I will dfsJppeu.and Hmongli(ei
<br />, willbediffetentfrombefore,":
<br />hesaid.' '.
<br />:Thesacrlflce
<br />'TheeqWWBS slaughteledas
<br />: payment to the ancestors.its!
<br />head..ndfeetbrougbtto theal..,
<br />tar. Yang set the ceremonial)
<br />i papermoneyablaze; . ...:
<br />"ThiS is for them toSPend,"j,
<br />he said as ashes swirled around' ......
<br />him, coatingbis jacket ,.... ~.
<br />, InA,llneFadiman's 1997 ~'"""
<br />7.boOk. "The SPhitCatd1esYau. ".:. ~,;'
<br />i and You Fan Down," about a I "~
<br />\ HmQngfamily'sstruKlde with r
<br />f Westemmedicme, slie wrote I ~>
<br />Ithatithasbeennear1yimp~-.. ~.C
<br />I bletQchangetheHmOng. .; ~<~'.
<br />k '. ForthoU$ands of years. sh~J f~:
<br />.--wrot~~-eunese'1ried"'tO: ~...~
<br />l.", '.chth. ..e.an.D..g.....ee....t thes...em.e'vi.'.eweblltdfaUth..ed.e.',Hm.!hu. ftft....S;.g. ....',.... ""
<br />Chin ,,~ ~c~/CheQTo,ngYangat.boIIedbe$f and~ For asrong ashecanreOl8mber, tlaCrlflcfnganfntals'lIasbeen .
<br />I.. as "fearless. uncouth,_andre-I ~(">8"'ot'Ufe.H.l8oneofth8fllWHmongeldersher8~knowshow_p8rformtlierltualS..
<br />-i"=1:ll~,~~::S~~: ~.;.~.'....'.~..:,,:"J.i-",' ....~._, ". .' ", ..' .~ . ,.~,
<br />i _~Utc.~~g.'-.._ c~ _~_ .... ..L;.,dI ','
<br />
<br />.'
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />i,~' .... NoelI,.ei,'2fi,()fSt PliIuI. $lid)
<br />~~iD1()st 1hpongdOn't~saCrl-:~
<br />,~'fices toancestolSanynlOre.In"'!
<br />;~~;steAd'(}flla~a...tfaditionQl.,
<br />~-=c;r~~bii=~~~!!
<br />. ..... celeh1ates'. ThailksgiYing . and .
<br />F"ChristmaS. . .-..' .' . ........ -;
<br />: "Re8listically. [theJ:itual]
<br />(just do~n'tfitwithhow we
<br />'want t()Uve our life now." be)
<br />r'Said."I WOuld like to see it llt8.y;:
<br />'but I don't thJnk it'sworth'
<br />~,.,. ..~.........'.
<br />
<br />---.,.-'~-- .
<br />~'fi8htingfor. We're at a dif{erent .,
<br />I'~. differenttinle.Weh,ave, i
<br />(to look -at-the bigger pictur~;
<br />I. now." . '. ....... .... .
<br />',' ......1.eepala9. wbobelped start,
<br />;. the Hmong CuItutafcenter,:
<br />'sai.. d par. .ents.. need. '.. .t.o.. teac:. . . h. their '.'
<br />cblldrenabout the signi(icance !
<br />of, Hmong. rituals... Bulmany)
<br />J-cr:nt~f.::rf~~ ::'~i:~t:!
<br />[themselves,becaqsetheygrew I.
<br />I up during the Vietnam War,'
<br />when family life Was fragfilent-
<br />ed and sometim~ tOrll apart. '
<br />That is why each Saturday'
<br />morning at the Culturareenter'
<br />inSt Paul, he teaches HmoDg
<br />fr&eu:~e:=~ ,
<br />dents ~ asmaD numhercom- '.
<br />pared with the thousands of.
<br />young Hmongin theTwinCitieS. '
<br />According to the 2000. cen- ..
<br />SUB' more than.41,OOO8mong
<br />I live in the TWin Cities area,
<br />I most of them inSt.Paul. Dur~
<br />Iirlg tJteVietnam War .the U.S.
<br />Central Intelligence Agency re-
<br />I.'., c. .rul. ..te.d the Hm. on. g to fight
<br />. Communists in laos. After the !
<br />. -- <..' '\
<br />. I
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