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Truthfully, I do not recall the exact century when Hmong adopted "tossing the ball" or exactly where -- whether in China or SE Asia. It has been nearly 10 years since I saw the video or documentation explaining this Hmong New Year Celebration courtship practice. It may very well be, Hmong adopted it in the latter 19th or even early 20th century, and even possibly while in SE Asia. One thing that is certain, Hmong did adopt this from another culture or people. And yes, the Hmong in Burma do toss the ball as well, but not all of them, as several Hmong groups live independently of one another -- each arriving and settling at different times. I am guessing the Hmong on the Burma-Laos border toss the ball while those living further away probably do not. As for the Hmong-Chinese, they were oppressed throughout Chinese history so "ball tossing" is but just one of the practices that was/is likely banned, if they ever practiced it period.Anyway, not a definitive, but in this video are the Hmoob Qos, who to my knowledge live and are found along the Burma-Laos border. As you can see they do toss the ball.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqrzNaret0c (The video's owner prevents external embedding)