Have you come across Hmong people who don't like their own culture and are xenocentric? How do you deal with them? Do you teach them?
I have friends who ignore everything that is Hmong but follow all American traditions and holidays. They are neither religious or follow any Hmong cultural traditions like hu plig and jingle bells.
It is awkward to see them as Hmong, guess you can call them Asian American?
We can ignore them and mind our own business but is it our responsibility as a HMONG person to guide them back to their roots? The American tradition is a compilation of many different cultures from around the world not just one if you really look at it. Kind like how we've borrowed ideas, words, and traditions from other Asian cultures and adopted them into Hmong tradition—how do we even know that our traditions were originated by Hmong people? Most of our history is by word of mouth.
This is the very first thing you have to do. You must first, change yourself. Change the way you see them. You said that it is your responsibility as a hmong person to guide them back to their hmong roots. Well, right now you don't even see them as hmong. You can either,
1. Ignore them. You can not guide someone back to his/her hmong roots if they are not hmong.
Or
2. Acknowledge them as being hmong , then you can start from there.
Just because they do not practice "hmong" religion, or traditions does not mean that they are not hmong nor that they don't know their hmong roots and where they came from. If you were to wear American clothes and stand next to another hmong person who is wearing hmong clothes but practice Islam, which one of you looks more like a "hmong person? " If a hmong person has more knowledge in hmong history and culture than you, is he more than you? Can you guide him to his hmong roots? Or can he guide you better to your hmong roots.
If you feel that it is your responsibility to guide someone to back to their hmong roots, consider what I wrote above first before you even approach them on this subject.
When approaching them on this matter, acknowledge them as a follow hmong. Know their reasons why they don't like the hmong culture. How much knowledge do they have when it comes to the hmong culture and its history. And last of all, once they made the choice of learning more about the hmong culture, you can now start. Just remember not preach to them, instead, have a discussion.
Topic: How to deal with Hmong people who don't like their own culture (Read 5597 times)