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Regional
Journalism Project -- Contributors
By Franny White Daily Globe Krystal Vujongyia was just 8 years old in 1976 when she and her family escaped to the United States from Laos. Crowded by communists who threatened the safety of Hmong people for assisting the Americans in the nearby Vietnam War, Laotian Hmongs like Vuyjongyia were forced to run for their lives. After almost two decades of struggle to make America her home, Vujongyia stood tall recently as she proudly shared her culture with the approximately 200 attendees of the Regional Cultural Diversity Coalition's fourth annual conference. This year's one-day diversity conference, which focused on both the Laotian and Hmong cultures, was held at the Minnesota West Community College campus in Worthington. There are approximately 40,000 Hmong living in Minnesota, according to the Hmong Association of Minneapolis. A cultural subset of Laos, the Hmong are a tribal people who traditionally reside on the Laotian mountainsides. Laos itself is a southeast Asian country of about 5.6 million people bordered by Vietnam to the west and Thailand to the east, according to the CIA's World Fact Book. When Vujongyia first came to America, she said she had many obstacles. From adapting to plumbing and running water to new governmental laws and not being able to speak English, she said each day, if not each minute, was a mental struggle. "The struggles that the Hmong face are foreign to them," Vujongyia said. "Imagine Little House on the Prairie. That was, what, in the 1800s? That's (how) the Hmong lived 26 years ago." Gradual adaptation took time and an understanding of the differences between Hmong and American traditions. While Americans have small families, Hmong typically have extended families, including grandparents. Traditional Hmong families are also patriarchal. When a Hmong woman marries, her new husband's family becomes her own and she is under their jurisdiction. Whereas American religions are often institution-based, Hmong believe in ancestral spirits. "Everything is based on our daily lives," Vujongyia said. "We live our religion." Vujongyia's presentation of Hmong family dynamics was one of many. The conference also included talks on Laotian agricultural practices, Laotian and Hmong immigrant youths balancing their old and new cultures, gender issues, herbal medicine and education. Leann Enninga of the cultural coalition said this year's conference was important because it addressed the issues of a culture very close to home, citing local Laotian and Hmong populations in nearby communities like Tracy and Walnut Grove. "It's local, it's right where you are," Enninga said. "You can't live around people without knowing who they are." Many conference attendees agreed, including Worthington resident Angie Kruger. "I think everybody should come and listen to this," Kruger said. ©Worthington
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Last updated: February 1, 2006
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