Ethnographic Analysis

Elizabeth Pagan Seran Schug Cultural Anthropology 5th January, 2023 Fieldnotes Hmong people come from a tradition that is 5,000 years old Shamans are healers, they heal the spirit - Concerns that shamans may not survive/ be culturally accepted in America Cultures aren't always as common/ accepted in America Hmong people believe that a person consists of seven souls - When a soul leaves or is frightened away it can cause a person to become sick or depressed - The Shamans catch the souls and bring them back - Making the person feel better Hmong people originate from Laos in Southeast Asia They lost their home in the Vietnam War - Came to America to stay with a cousin - Chicago - In America, her father had to go to elementary school to learn how to read and write - Christians kept trying to convert them to Christianity - He managed to contact his ancestors in America! - Hospitals aren't good places for the spirits - - Uncle Por’s soul will be sent to the ancestors For funerals, it's difficult to get off of work in America - Burial coats - Men make crossbows and stretchers for the ceremony - Umbrella to shade him on his journey to the ancestors - To get Uncle Por to the ancestors all the relatives work together for four days and three nights - He's fed rice and meets so that he won't be hungry on his journey - He takes a chicken with him and when the chicken crows he has made it on his journey successfully - He uses the chicken to guide him - If everything is not done correctly his soul will come back to haunt them - The bamboo flute is played as well to help guide him on his way - They succeeded on day three - They break a miniature stretcher so that spirits can come back from the ancestors - It's rare for a Hmong to be dating nonhmong - Traditionally the kids would help out and contribute to their society and traditions but in America, kids get education and search for jobs when they're done their education - It's hard to find time to participate in ceremonies as a teenager. They have work and school - Father is scared of what that means and scared the family is falling apart and going their ways - Sister was kidnapped by a boy in Fresno - Its tradition that if a boy wants to marry hell kidnaps the girl - She married the boy that kidnapped her and they moved to north Carolina - Her other sister Kia was 14 and got eloped in the middle of the night - It was a part of the culture to run off and get married - - - Lots of family members became Christian - Older brother as well - As well as Kouly older brother Father thought kids would carry on the tradition - Doesn't know who the spirits will pass over to - Younger generations are taking a more american path - - Kia married a Christian family If they're sick they go to the doctors rather than doing a ceremony Dad does a ceremony with colored seeds to bring the wandering spirits back home - His seed was the last to return - Dad had become depressed - Xue got a girl pregnant - Dad got very sad/ depressed and mom got sick - They're doing a ceremony to help heal them - Dad bought a pig for mom and mom bought a cow for dad - The cow is used to call back his spirit - The pig is to appease her spirit - Aunt scared away the spirit during the ritual - When the spirits finally return everyone ties a string around their wrist to keep the spirits there - Families cae back together a bit after the ceremony - Melina (Xue's babyy) was born. They did a traditional soul finding ceremony for the baby - Eldest brother did the same shortly after Reflections: ● Its sad that they lost their home during the war ○ It happens to so many people everyday and it's a scary thing to go through and a huge adjustment ● I thought it was interesting that their society doesn’t learn to read and write. I feel that that just goes to show how tight knit everyone is. They don’t have to learn. Everyone they’d care to speak to was right there ● How dedicated they are to their religion and beliefs is admirable. ○ I find it really interesting to learn about the importance their ancestors and their spirits ■ I enjoyed learning about how they believe when you're sick, both mentally and physically it's because you lost one of your seven souls ● I also admire how they acknowledge the importance of mental health and how it's considered an illness just the same as the flu is considered an illness ● It's interesting to hear about their lives in america ○ It's kind of sad that right when they first got there they were expected to convert to christianity and that their religion wasn't really accepted ■ It's also eye opening to see the effects that moving to America or a different country has on the younger generations and how they kind of blend a life of american tradition with their ancestral traditions ● Or how they transition completely ○ It really shows the effect that your environment has on your beliefs ● It really made me wonder if their religion and people are still being represented and if it passed down to anyone ○ I was happy to see the family come back together in the end