Is Hmong culture dying?No.... Hmong culture isn't "dying" just adapting. Hmong is among the oldest living cultures and have survived by adapting to its surrounding, while keeping its identity intact. According to Chinese historians, Hmong have been around since 2000 B.C. (1). It's debatable whether Hmong truly had a country at one time, but the FACT is that the Hmong have persevered through thousands of years of adaptation. Therefore, the Americanizatio
n of Hmong isn't anything new. It's just another chapter in Hmong history.
It's a false assumption to believe that living in America somehow eliminates one's cultural identity. Case in point: There have been Spanish-speaking, Chinese, Italian, German, Russian, Jewish, etc... type communities in America for ages. In fact, America is moving towards a multicultural future. By 2050, whites will be the minorities (2). This further validates that Hmong-American communities will continue to thrive; just as other ethnic communities will.
Being an American today is MUCH MORE different than it was decades ago. The true concept of America's "melting pot" was NOT a diverse, multicultural society, but the assimilation of ALL ethnic cultures into the majority Anglo-based ethnicity that defined America's identity (3). However, this idea didn't go as planned. Instead, the present-day American is a person who embraces his own ethnic identity, while believing in the concept of America. As such, there is no such thing as a "generic" American who acts and behaves accordingly.
Finally, I also believe that while Hmong have moved away from some of its customs, there will be a revival in the future. The thing is that as children of strict Hmong codes of conduct, we are enjoying this new cultural liberty. But at some point down the road, we will begin to appreciate our original roots and what they are meant to teach. Americanism is new and exciting, but when it becomes a commodity, our people will beginning searching for their uniqueness again. This is true of all ethnicities in America.
Sources:1.
http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Ha-La/Hmong-Americans.html2.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/02/12/us-usa-population-immigration-idUSN11101775200802123.
http://www.thesocialcontract.com/artman2/publish/tsc0601/article_483.shtml