Genealogy of the Hmong people

Greetings,

I first want to thank you for taking interest in this project. If you wish to know more about the Hmong and why they are in the United States, please read the entire post. I provide a short summary of the known history below. And, if you are interested in why I am doing this, I provide a little anecdote at the very end.

The main goal of this project is to trace the genealogy of as many Hmongs as possible. With donations, I hope to purchase genetic testing kits (~$99 + $9.95 shipping each through 23andMe) for Hmongs who are interested in their genealogy. In doing so this project will provide insight and comfort to many Hmongs on where they came from and who they are most genetically related to. The Hmong definitely have a long history, however most of this history have been passed down verbally. As cherished as language and articulation is to the Hmong, oral history is regrettably limiting. It is my hopes that this project will one day answer many questions that countless generations of Hmongs have asked themselves and each other.

Aspects of the Hmong are dying in today's society. Admittingly, I contribute to this by living what most would consider an 'American' lifestyle. I believe that it is inevitable that much of the traditional lifestyles of the Hmong will thin out and disappear. We are living in a special time where the old meets the new. Even using modern technology and communication, we may only begin to understand the history of the Hmong. However, to many of us Hmong, that is simply enough.

It is to my knowledge that there have been a number of genetic studies done on Hmong populations. However, this project seeks to go beyond scientific discussions and provide insights to individuals at the personal level. Additionally, I apologize if there are funding projects similar to this that have already been initiated. I have scoured the internet and have found none as of yet. It is not my wish to be the founder of a project, only to get the results.

Any amount of donation will be greatly appreciated by the Hmong community. If we are successful, I will be writing informal reports on here for everyone to see. Each person that receives a testing kit will also have access to their genetic data, which they can then share with their friends and families. I will post my results as soon as I receive them. The funding for my own analysis is not from donations. I hope you will underestand that I will most likely start with friends and families as they are easiest to reach in terms of logistics and communication. However, if this project becomes successful, I will not hestitate to take requests from anyone. Wherever this project goes, I'd like to thank you again.

-Xai H.

Summary of the History of the Hmong in America

The Hmong are an Asian ethnic group located mostly in today's southern China and Indochina. They have suffered severe persecution from their neighbors wherever they lived. A few centuries ago, as the last great Chinese empire expanded in power and land, the Hmongs were to conform to the culture of the empire or be killed. Large populations of Hmongs were forced to travel further south into today's Indochina. These populations lived relatively peaceful, although there were confrontations with French occupation and Japanese imperialism. As Japan surrendered to the United States after WWII, communist Vietnam grew in power. This would lead to the over throw of the French invovlement in Indochina and ultimately the Vietnam War.

Hmong Involvement in the Vietnam War

The Hmong played a major role as an ally of the United States during the Vietnam War. One very successful tactic of the North Vietnamese was building a series of roads for transporting goods and soldiers from the North to the South through Laos. Since the US was prohibited from entering Laos, the CIA recruited and trained thousands of Hmong soldiers to blockade these roads. In addition to this task, Hmong soldiers were trained to find and rescue downed American pilots. As the US's plan to save South Vietnam from the North begin to fail, American troops began leaving Indochina. America then simply deserted their Hmong allies. The North Vietnamese and the Hmong continued to fight even beyond the fall of South Vietnam.

Hmong after the Vietnam War

Communism spread from Vietnam to Laos. The Royal Laos Government, an ally of the Hmongs was then overthrown by the communist forces. The new communist Laos government initiated a campaign to eradicate all allies of the Royal Laos Government. Laos, where many Hmongs once felt safe even during the war, would become their largest killing ground. An estimated 1/4 (100,000) of the Hmong population was eliminated from Laos. In collaboration with the US, Thailand began to form refugee camps for escaping Hmongs to seek asylum. Tens of thousands of Hmongs left their belongings and began a foot journey across Indochina in hopes of reaching Thailand. Thousands of Hmongs would continue to be killed during their journeys. For those who made it to Thailand, the US and other United Nations allowed the Hmongs to settle in their countries.

Endnote

Apologies for the long post. For the Hmongs, history and roots are very valuable. I hope that I've done the history some justice. As with all of history, it is much more complicated than can be expressed. To end this post, I want to acknowledge two points: (1) the Hmong population that shares the same history as written above is a vanishingly small percentage (<5%) of the world population of Hmongs; (2) I am not a geneticist nor a historian, therefore my interpretations are highly subject to mistakes. If you believe I have made an error anywhere, please notify me. As always, I warmly welcome criticisms and suggestions.

Anecdote

Ask me how old the earth is, what a flare windmill is, how to solve differential equations, or which camera lens to use in which situation. These are trivial to answer. If you ask me where I am from, then you would best prepare yourself for a long and definitely unsatisfying answer. I started this project for the simple reason of cushioning this question. Not just for me, but also for anyone with a similar background. Yes, this project will  not be enough for a good answer, and yes there have been genetic studies done already on Hmong populations. However, it is not enough to simply provide scientific evidence alone. To build confidence in the Hmongs of America, individuals must also have ownership of who they are. I believe that one way of achieving this is for individuals to have their DNA analyzed and plotted. This way, we have the best that our science can give us, as well as something personal for individuals to hold on to. It is my hope that this project will make genealogy of many people more localized.

If anything at all, I hope to put out a few internal strifes that many Hmongs are dealing with today.

-Xai H.

If you would like more information on anything at all, do not hesitate to ask.