Mirror Test 1.5 Hmong in Minnesota

After the Secret War, many Hmong migrated around the world. One of the places that the Hmong migrated to in the United States was the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The Twin Cities is home to the largest Hmong population. In the Twin Cities, there are about 64,422 Hmong as of 2010.¹ There has been an increase of the Hmong population since 1990. According to the 1990 U.S. Census, there were only 94,439 Hmong in America. By 2010, this number had almost tripled to 260,073.2 The last wave of Hmong people arrived some years ago when the refugee camps in Thailand closed. There is likely going to be a continued increase of the Hmong population in the U.S. as Hmong communities become more established in the States. This increase is in part precipitated by the closure of the refugee camps in Thailand in 2003, which prompted the last wave of Hmong refugees to the U.S. 

Being Hmong and American?

The assimilation process in America is crucial in understanding Hmong Shamanism. As one group assimilates to the dominant culture, they lose some aspects of their heritage culture. In some cases, minority groups may selectively pick aspects of the dominant culture to integrate with their heritage culture. This is important in understanding how assimilation and integration have impacted, changed and sustained aspects of Hmong Shamanism. Hmong Shamanism in America is slightly different from Hmong Shamanism in Thailand and Laos. Because of the new environment, aspects of Hmong Shamanism are changed and will continue to change. This is because the Hmong must change their traditions in order to adapt to this new home.