The true Hmong Myth behind "Zaj hav dej"

[HmongKnight]

If that was the case, it would only be a coincidence. I don't think anybody really do a close investigation as to why it happen like that. I"m sure there's has to be a good explaination as to why it happen that way. If someone can just dig down from word of mouth to a factual evidence I think we'll know the truth.

Just like the sexual case in MN several years ago where the couple died from tangled. When they really dig to the truth for evidence, there's no truth to it.. it's all word of mouth.

[Reporter]

I'm not saying it's all true. I'm just looking for an explanation.


I'm thinking Phalen probably is too accessible to too many people, and so, given the law of big number, hehehe...you know what I mean.

There was an old Hmong lady who came on the Hmong radio and said she actually saw two giant dragons standing at Lake Phalen at one time. I didn't buy that. I don't buy it even today. But I'm trying to get an explanation.

But how did we Hmong come up with all of these kinds of things if they weren't happening in real life? Good question.

[HmongKnight]

There was an old Hmong lady who came on the Hmong radio and said she actually saw two giant dragons standing at Lake Phalen at one time. I didn't buy that. I don't buy it even today. But I'm trying to get an explanation.

One thing about older people is that they take too much medicines, especially tylenol 3 and morphine. These two drugs can really make a person hallucinate. I know so because the last year before my mom pass away, she been taking these medicines and keep seeing things. She even saw those that had passed away come and chat with her in her room while I'm eating in the kitchen. There's one time when she came out and start yelling at me for banging on her door so loud and woke her up, but I did not knock on her door at all, I was on the computer browsing around in the internet that time. So i'm sure there are people who either want to see dragons so much that their mind play tricks on them.. or they are too afraid of dragons and anything that resemble dragons caught their eyes to fool them.

[saki saki]

So, the cat fish ate the Hmong swimmers?

Not really, it was mostly the native ppl that lived there. Mainly Chinese ppl and tourist ppl. But since it was a popular place and the Chinese didn't want to alarm ppl, so they took action before anything else happen. I believe it was a reservoir place... I was in St.Paul but I didn't get the chance to stop by that place.. When I do I'll need you guys help to post up the pix.

[Fresno559]

Im not going swimming no more Haha! LOL

[Roc]

Do us all hmong a favor and take your kids to your local pool for swimming lessons. In the end these are all stories to keep little hmong kids from messing around and drowning, adults too. Everyone should know how to swim, at least enough to save your own life. The worst thing is people panic, then flail around and eventually get a cramp. I've gotten one in the water before and it sucked, lucky i was in 3 feet of water only.

As for these stories, please cite your sources. They all sound like hearsay to me. Information should come from credible, non-biased sources in order for it to be beneficial.

[Pineapple]

Do us all hmong a favor and take your kids to your local pool for swimming lessons. In the end these are all stories to keep little hmong kids from messing around and drowning, adults too. Everyone should know how to swim, at least enough to save your own life. The worst thing is people panic, then flail around and eventually get a cramp. I've gotten one in the water before and it sucked, lucky i was in 3 feet of water only.

As for these stories, please cite your sources. They all sound like hearsay to me. Information should come from credible, non-biased sources in order for it to be beneficial.

I don't think it matters if you're a good swimmer or not.  My sister in law is a good swimmer and she accidently fell into the water one time where she said no matter how she tried, it felt like she lost all her skills and couldn't break through.  Some guy had to go and rescue her.  After she was rescued they asked why she jumped down and if she knew how to swim.  She told them she's been swimming for a long time at the same place but she didn't know why that time she couldn't swim at all.  It wasn't just her, she had a friend who had the same problem as well and was rescued at another lake nearby.  But yes, please do take your children to take swimming lesson.  It is a good lesson to learn.

[Look]

If you watch River Monsters Jeremy Wade provde all this.  His latest episode talks about gaint electric eels.

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[saki saki]

Dam i went to the washing clothe mat, in st. Paul. And the owner sold it to another hmong, all the news paper clips has been removed. Bummer.. was hopeing to take pix of it. Darn it.

[Wi_sweetguy]

My cousin who was pulled into the water died of drowning.  She and a friend were on the shore tossing water on each other then something grabbed her hands.  She was found 2 hours later floating down river.  what was so scary was that her friend pulled her hair when her friend fell into the water and still couldn't help the cousin.  The cousin went into the water didn't even float, her body just went under.  Later that died she came to her mom in a dream and asked her mom to help her because she didn't want to marry the zaj guy.  This is a true story because I was at her funeral.  This was in stockton back in 94-95.

[saki saki]

My cousin who was pulled into the water died of drowning.  She and a friend were on the shore tossing water on each other then something grabbed her hands.  She was found 2 hours later floating down river.  what was so scary was that her friend pulled her hair when her friend fell into the water and still couldn't help the cousin.  The cousin went into the water didn't even float, her body just went under.  Later that died she came to her mom in a dream and asked her mom to help her because she didn't want to marry the zaj guy.  This is a true story because I was at her funeral.  This was in stockton back in 94-95.

I think I read your posting in the ghost story.

[saki saki]

Primitive peoples, especially elder folks, are known to overexaggerate things.

Lots of Hmong people without good swimming experience = high likelihood of someone drowning. Very simple, but you know how Hmong people are, they rather believe the urban legends like dragons.

My close cousin in Oklahoma drowned in waist high water. There was no wake wave, just a clam lake. Anywho a grown up dude drown in that water level. Now how do you explain that. Bro. No matter how good of a swimmer you may be, when the Zaj gets you. That's it, also when the it's your time to go. It's your time.

How do you explain this one too. I remember two hmong sister  that drowned right under that bridge where you can overlook that park where hmong ppl plays volleyball. That water was no more higher then your knee. If I recall the incident. And I heard that the two sister were good ass swimmer.

There are forces at work here. Stuff that ppl can't explain so they shut it off in their heads, cause they don't wanna believe the truth.

[Li Mhong]

This title should be "The Hmong Myth of "Zaj hav dej"  taking out "True" and "Behind".
 

[saki saki]

Apparently, dragons only come for Hmong people. It's your life, if you wanna stay ignorant and primitive, go for it.

I think that when other ppl like meekas and kadous, when they drown. ppl calls it drown. Cause they don't believe in stuff like we do. So they have no other explainable death. But death by drowning. Some meekas believe in what we are telling them. But to those that are ignorant reminds who they are. They are scare of the own known.

(Just like the UFO... I know that it's out there but I lie to myself that there are no UFO or smarter ppl out there then us, living on plant Earth)
So ppl who just tell themselves that there are no such things as Zaj out there.

I remember that Phalan Lake, when there was too many stuff going on about ppl drowning. The city sent some divers to look at the man made lake. To their surprise that lake has a lot of deep holes that lead to some other places. One lead to the Mississippi River and other they have no idea were it came from. But the meekas were afraid of going in there too.  
Man made lakes only has deep and no other tunnels or huge holes that come from no where. Man made lakes are keep in records of how deep, how wide and ect. How ever that lake has grown much larger and deeper then what ppl first thought of.

[Photocycle]

There is no physical evidence of the existence of these so called dragons/Zaj (whether spirit or in physical form) that pulls people under water.

For now my statement would be, death is due to drowning but the cause for drowning is unknown.

I'm an avid fishermen, spend many hours and days on the lakes and rivers (boat and off shore) - there just isn't enough evidence to prove any of the Zaj theories. (unless of course we're talking sea creatures, gators, etc - other predators that are known to attack human).