FREE ESSAY ON HMONG IN AMERICA

HMONG IN AMERICA

The concept of culture can be defined as an orchestrated integration of unconsciously
learned behavior patterns that are characteristic of a group of people. Many varying
constituents compose a particular culture. This causes many different cultures to deviate
from one another greatly. Such components as ethnicity, life experiences, values,
beliefs, religion, time orientations and socializations are all examples of these
aspects. (Warner and Mochel, p.4)
Because of the great differences many cultures exhibit between one another, within
situations where cross-cultural interactions take place, many discrepancies,
disagreements, and difficulties arise. These situations are becoming increasingly evident
in the United States today due to the cultural diversity brought upon by immigrants and
refugees new to this country. 
One prominent example of an intercultural disharmony is apparent in the situation of
health care systems. Here at the Minneapolis Health Center, we often see the problems
faced by the health care staff when it comes to administering western bio-medicinal
procedures to patients within the large Southeast Asian Hmong community.
Western Biomedicine, the very governing system here at the Minneapolis Health Center, can
be viewed as a cultural system. It is the primary viewpoint of health care in America
today. "Values of clinical reality assume that biologic concerns are more basic, real,
clinically significant and interesting than psychological and sociocultural issues".
(Warner and Mochel, p.5-6) This also carries with it a highly ethnocentric viewpoint that
there are no other effective alternate forms of healing besides that offered by western
biomedicine. 
The Hmong community's culture is one in which such an alternate form of healing is taken
to. The belief's that shape their ideas concerning illness, health, causation of
ailments, diagnostic methods, and plans of treatment drastically counter those of Western
Biomedine.
Immigrants and refugees, such as the Hmong, are faced with many hardships when seeking
health care in the United States. Aside from linguistic barriers, a lack of understanding
of the Hmong is also problematic in providing health care. In order for progress to be
made concerning this problem knowledge of their cultural beliefs much be known. 
The Hmong, meaning "free people", originated in Southeast Asia. In the 1960's the United
States C.I.A. recruited them as guerilla fighters in the Vietnam War. After the loss of
the war by the Americans, the Hmong were faced with terrible discrimination and
prosecution in their homeland. They were forced to escape and take refuge in the United
States. (Lecture notes, 8/28/00)
The Hmong are an animistic people, believing in ancestral worship and reincarnation.
Traditional convictions of the Hmong center around the body housing many souls, up to
approximately 30, within. Illnesses are caused by soul loss, or souls wandering away from
the body. Other causes of illness are hostile spirits, known as dabs.
(http://www.acithn.edu.aq) There is a strong belief in both herbal and spiritual
remedies. Spiritual treatment exists in the form known as Shamanism. In this, an
individual is chosen by spirits to have the ability to venture to the underworld and
negotiate to bring lost souls back to the land of the living. Sometimes this negotiation
consists of sacrificing an animal. (Lecture notes, 8/28/00)
Many examples of Hmong beliefs directly conflict with Western Biomedicinal beliefs, as we
clearly see evident here at M.M.C. For instance, the Hmong believe that each person's
body contains only a finite amount of blood, which cannot be replenished. This notion has
lead to many disputes between patient and health care staff when involving blood drawing.
Also, the Hmong believe that to speak of a medical problem is to assure that it will come
to pass