North American Hmong

expand_more Description

The Hmong originated in the Yellow and Yangtze River regions of China, moving to the mountains of Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos in the early 1800s. The resettlement of Hmong people from Laos to North America is a direct result of fighting on the United States' side in the Vietnam War. Many Hmong fled to Laos refugee camps after the war and were resettled in North America. Originally the Hmong were dispersed to small communities across United States and Canada. By the late 1980s, secondary migration resulted in ethnic enclave formation in particular areas. The largest consolidations of Hmong people are found in Minnesota, California and Wisconsin. Hmong in North America are employed in many different kinds of wage labor ranging from farming and factory work to social service work. Hmong are beginning to enter the legal and medical professions in significant numbers, and are increasingly being promoted to business and social service management positions.

Identifier

Region

• North America

Subregion

• Regional, Ethnic and Diaspora Cultures

Subsistence Type

• commercial economy

Countries

• Canada
• United States