Bags, sashes, skirts — all the clothing of Hmong (or Meo/Miao) society demonstrate the skill and artistry of Hmong weavers. Red embroidery adorns black cotton jackets and black aprons for the women. Babies crawl around in black skullcaps topped with red or pink pompoms. Less attractive however, are the realities of Hmong life: rain-demolished mud roads, dry season drought, lack of rice, resistant malaria, and over all, the spirit worship that holds this tribal people in its grip.
Ethnicity
The Hmong tell of coming from a land of snow and cold, possibly Siberia or Mongolia, but certainly they came from China to Thailand in the 19th century. There are White Hmong and Blue Hmong in Thailand. Other related groups are in Laos, Burma, Vietnam and China.
Language
Both White and Blue Hmong languages are part of the Sino-Tibetan family and, though different, are mutually intelligible to the native speaker. They have seven tones. Many Hmong also speak Thai.
Population
100,000 Hmong in Thailand — about 10 million worldwide.
Location
Hmong live in scattered villages in the hills of the 13 provinces of North Thailand.
Culture
Houses in a Hmong village are built of split bamboo, though newer ones may be made of wood with tin or tile roofs and even the luxury of a cement floor. All will have an open fire for cooking, no windows and common bed platforms. A spirit altar is on the wall facing the main door. At the New Year, festivities include renewing this altar, making sacrifices to the spirits of the house and the ancestors and praying for protection on that house in the coming year.
The New Year is also heralded by another practice among teenagers looking for marriage partners. Girls line up opposite a line of young men and toss a soft black ball back and forth to one another, accompanied by much banter as they choose a mate.
Livelihood
Traditional rice growing and gardens in the hills is being replaced by emphasis on other cash crops — cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes and strawberries — which were introduced as a substitute for opium growing.
Religion
The Hmong are animists and spirit worshippers, with life being controlled by sacrifices of pigs or chickens to the deities responsible. Fear and deliverance from illness have brought many Hmong to Christ but spiritual warfare is intense for new believers and the missionaries who work with them.
Openness to Christianity
Hmong churches exist and a church association gives them identity and fellowship with other Christians. Illness, pressure towards pre-marital sex as well as animistic practices, illiteracy, and the lure of material gain are big problems for the church.
Missions
Missionary effort is focused on leadership training. There is still need for simple village teaching at every level: literacy, work with children and youth, and Bible teaching. The New Testament has been translated; the Old Testament is nearly complete. There is a hymnal and materials are being produced for Sunday school. The Hmong themselves are looking to future outreach across borders to their fellow Hmong in other countries.
OMF Involvement
A small OMF team works with both Blue and White Hmong to train and encourage church leaders, working in partnership with the Hmong Church Association. OMF also works on translation, literature production, Bible teaching and church nurturing.