Hmong

Neeg Magazine Readers' Comments
Note: Every story, art, and others comments are posted in this page.
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Pheng Xiong, Accountant
Office of Strategic Services
Department of Employee Trust Funds
801 West Badger Road
Madison, WI
(608) 261-7952
pheng.xiong@etf.state.wi.us

Subject: Hmong For You
I love the article. It's very compelling and well written to the facts as
well as a touch of humor. That's what we need more articles that challenges and opens our perspective on thinking and life. Thanks for posting it.

Subject: (Tuag: Paj Kaub Hawj)
From: "Kau Vang" <Kau.Vang@yolocounty.org> Add
Date: Tue, May 20, 2003 10:30 pm
To: <neeg@neeg.org>
Priority: Normal

Yog li koj hais lawm. Yog Paj Kaub tau pab leej twg lawm thov sawv daws nco txog nws thiab. Ntawm kuv tus kheej nws tsis tau pab kuv, tab sis nws yeej tau pab kuv tej kwv tej tij uas tau nyob rov tom qab thaum lub sij hawm lawv ua rog( Cob Fab) ntawd thiab. Hais mus los ces nws yeej muaj nqi rau peb cov kwv tij Hmoob sab Xeev teb txhua tus.

Part II:
Very impressive, I will read more. Paj Kaub tsis yog Nplog liab tua tuag. Tej zaum yog neeg tub sab tua tuag xwb. Yog paub tseeb no qhia kuv saib!

A good, very good comment send to our guestbook.

Hello, I have been reading about these ethnic attacks on Laos to toursits. Hmong people are the target of the Laotion governement so they blame everything on the Hmong. How can they prove that it is the Hmong people that indeed attacked these tourists. How do they know it's not Laos people? They speculate because they hate the Hmong people in Laos. They blame everything to the Hmong people. Neeg, you should email to these journalists and have them investigate to these attacks. Ask them not to judge it but find the facts. Chee--Angry at the Laotion governement
Chee Yang
USA - Tuesday, April 22, 2003 at 11:26:22 (PDT)

Subject: Photo.
From: "Kuam Yaj" <kuamyaj@hotmail.com> Add
Date: Wed, February 19, 2003 10:04 am
To: neeg@neeg.org
Priority: Normal
Hello NEEG,
Again, I will have to criticize you about your pictures. I understand what
you mean by "arts", but you seem to be very bias. Meaning that you don't post anything from the United States. It seems to be of all in Laos. All those pictures are of Laos. Wow. Are you married? If you are married, you must have a very understanding wife. If she lets you post all of that
"girl" pictures on the internet she must be pretty good. It seems to me
that the sayings you put on the pictures indicate you had a relationship
with them. I think so. If you're not married then I guess it's all right
for you to post them if you want to, but I wouldn't if I were you. I would
consider other pictures.

Anyways, I wanted to comment about an article or it seems to be a story
about "The Smile of a Reunion". You didn't indicate an author. Who wrote
it. I really like it. I think it's intriguing how she remembered her
father that way. Great dream and great way of describing it. Any questions please email back to me okay.
Kuam
(Neeg Respond).... The author is a lady. She wants her name to be unknow. She said, "I like to keep it that way." About the picture, whoever I got, I posted them. I don't have anyone in America send me a photo. There was an Appleton Hmong smart girl thats all. ANd Yes!, I Marrided. My wife doesn't like it much, however, she understand.

Subject: Reaction to Polygamy
From: "Victor N. Xiong" <xiongvn@milwaukee.k12.wi.us> Add
Date: Tue, February 18, 2003 9:09 am
To: snyu@neeg.org
Priority: Normal

Polygamy in the Hmong society, like polyandry in certain societies,
can be compared to a door that can be opened and/or closed for those who choose to open or close it. It is neither a mandatory aspect of life for all nor a regulation that everybody has to follow or obey,
but only a choice for the few who, I may say, cannot live without it.
It can be destructive and/or constructive, happy or unhappy, depending on the situations and needs of the two marriage partners.
If they do it for the purposes of love, care, nurture, and share,
their lives may be as smooth as everybody else, or in certain cases
better than many.

To say this does not necessarily mean that I like or support
polygamy/bigamy or intend to become one down the line. In real life,
even if I oppose today, I may propose tomorrow; I may be against it
today and may be for it tomorrow, depending on what the issue is.
Bigamy/polygamy may be a sensitive issue to many but not to others,
and I am one among those who do not consider it a hot issue. I can
see that it is less and less practical in our communities today. It
may die by itself because both men and women tend to gradually step
away from it. There may be no need for us to kill it or to bring it
out to the surface to show the world that it is bad. Remember,
polygamy/bigamy is practiced all over the world, not just the Hmong.
Arguing about it does not mean that it will be eliminated, but
instead it may emerge to be a social division. Do I fear that
division? No, but I see no necessity that we have to bring it up. I
am sure many fellow Hmong will not like my opinion, or may even
consider me a bigamist, but my argument is that many members of my
generation or younger may only react to certain situations that they
see from time to time, but they may not look deep enough to see the
real love and passion of marriage partners. Two marriage partners,
polygamists or non-polygamists alike, may get mad at each other to
the degrees that they refuse to eat at the same table for days, but
to separate them may have to do with going over their dead bodies. I
say so because I look at love more important than saying that it is a
violation of someone's rights. Indeed, all women have the rights to
refuse to be the second or third wives of any man. If one does not
refuse, then it is her choice. Why do we have to oppose her for what
she believes will settle down her life?

In the case of Minnesota or any Hmong community in the United States, a respected Hmong woman will not end up being one of the marriage partners of a man if she still sees opportunities or still sees that there are single men out there who would cross her path. We, men and women, are not stupid. We are in a society that exposes us to so many things, good and bad alike, and we are at a phase of life that we never have been before. Most Hmong men and women have climbed so high in the air that we can see a circular horizon around us as far as we can see. That circle has millions of good and bad ingredients within it. We all see such ingredients and sort them out by categories based on our personal ability. With all of the mentioned knowledge, if anyone still practices life of the sixties, he/she may be one who does not and cannot see many parts of the circle or may be one who is less advanced. In addition, when an advanced individual becomes stupid enough to do something that is against the will of many, it means that it is the only available source or chance of a lifetime.
In America, most productive or hard working Hmong men and women see education, personal economy, and social and cultural adjustments more important than having multiple spouses. Many if not most of such men and women will spend time in school, at work, or other business that will lighten their lives rather than darken it. The few who choose to fool around and finally fall into the polygamy/bigamy pool may be those who see themselves as less productive members of society, or those who see romance more important than anything else. In such cases, nobody can stop them or should interfere their lives.

Thank you.

Victor N. Xiong.

Snyu Yang, Neeg Magazine
Posted: February 11, 2003

Regarding: Polygamy in Minnesota Watch Video:

Cov poj niam Hmoob yeej txaus siab ua niam yau los leej twg yuam? Is it by force or Hmong women willing to be a second wife?

As a Journalism (Neeg Magazine) collecting any articles, stories,
and comments that are made from Hmong individuals and others, the above question, both in Hmong and in English, had been posted for couple of months.However, no one has made or send (to Neeg) any comments about it. Yet, within the community, many women hold their breaths deep fearing that their husband is on the run into more than one wife. Most of these women had been faced with this issue for, "What?", 1000 years. This issue is not new for the Hmong community. In another degree, this is a traditional culture for some clan. For example, the Lee clan have made good history of having more than one wife. Other clans may as well make good history also. An example of a man who married many wives in the Hmong community is Gen. Vang Pao (back in Loas). He had a number of wives. 7 or 8 to be exact. Back in the old days (in Laos) women accepted the challenge to be the second, third, fourth, or fifth wife. They have good reason to be. (1), wealth, power, and name recognition. (2), Dependency, and (3) the husband is somewhat a leader. These three main reasons are very attractive to women who had accepted the challenge to be wife to another man who already had a wife.
Yes, of course, women don't marry a man whom they have not built a
relationship. Sometimes it may be by force, but the girl's parents would
have already agreed to an agreement. It is not only women who want to have power, but also the parents who force their daughters to become a second, third, etc. wife. So, Is it a traditional culture? Yes. When a lifestlye exists in a community, it is a well known and recognized aspect in that culture. However, is it really true due to a traditional culture? It does not apply to all the Hmong people. Simply, this is an individual issue and of their own choice. Why have other people targeted the word "Hmong" in their concern? And why individual Hmongs must have to make it a headline in the Hmong community about polygamy?
There have been tons of thousands of records in America of husbands leaving their wives to marrie another woman and billions of the women who has left their husbands to marry to another man. Again, simply this is an individual issue. Maybe something went wrong in these couple's lives. I personally, have met two Hmong women who has dumped their husbands and their children in California and came to Minnesota for another man. Not that both of these women don't know the man already have wife. They were told and still is willing to accept the idea of being the second or maybe the 8th,9nth or 10th wife of the man they re-married to. An individual person makes his or her way into a fascinating lifestyle in a different world. Elizabeth Taylor can't even remember how many husbands she had been married to while interviewing with Barbara Walter on 20/20. Why blame the Hmong community having a negative image for
Polygamy? Polygamy is an effective law not allowing people to marry more than one wife or husband at the same time. However, people still do. Maybe the status fits in the way they live their life or law. I am Hmong, I would appreciate it if anyone who is hungry to make a dayview in their career, please do their homework before going to the public and say dirty stuff out of their mounths. Please do and study case by case. Not using Hmong as a target. That is too much.

Subject: Replying to the person who write the artical about Mr. Yang Dao
From: "mai vang" <> Add
Date: Wed, February 5, 2003 5:15 pm
To: neeg@neeg.org
Priority: Normal

Please block my email and if Mr. Yang Dao and general Vang Pao want my email you can feel free give to them both but not this loser ok Neeg...feel free to correct any mistakes before you put in the news ok Neeg thank you

Dear who ever who you are out there,

I have read the artical that you writen about Mr. Yang dao. I don't get
your good point of view writng something about Mr. Yang Dao telling his life to other people, one part in there is good but one part in there is not good at all and I don't like it at all. Let me ask you some questions "Are you jealious about Mr. Yang Dao that he is so good then you and have all this success power journey in his life that you don't have or what Mr. who ever is out there???"....

Thank you very much for telling me and my hmong people about Mr. Yang dao's life, and I am also hmong like you too Mr. It's seem like you're very jealous of Mr. Yang dao is that right???

I am very disapointed the way you expressed Mr. Yang Dao's life and you have a very big issue about yourself. You shoud be happy about him and yourself, why are you so selfish about yourself toward your friend??

Someone that you knew so long, so good and so powerful then you, you just going to turn him down like that, so the others will think that you're the good one. Well Mr. I think that you're the bad one and you have a very cruel heart toward your, my and our leader and kingdom. That's why our hmong people lost our king and our kingdom at the very beginning. The things that you said and thinking about Mr. Yang Dao is very wrong and cruel.

You're a man and you should understand better, in Mr.Yang's eduacation part that his froster father have suppotive him to a half way of his eduacation and then Mr. General Vang Pao had helped him the rest and put him on the highest level, becuase Mr. General Vang Pao sees that Mr. Yang Dao is a honest person, the way Mr. Yang Dao work and diong thing is like a man, a serious mam, have long tempere, have a big heart,working so hard to reached all his goals, and a out going person that why General Vang Pao put Mr. Yang Dao in the highest level and supported Mr. Yang Dao so Much. In Mr. Yang Dao's life back during those years, he already said thank you to his father the one that is nots real father and support and raised him like a real son and Mr. Yang Yang Dao already said thank you to General Vang Pao the one that helped him go through his eduacation and in the roughed time that he had in his life, he already thanks them both in person face to face like a father and a son in personal not in prublic in those back years. That's why you don't heard Mr. Yang Dao said thanks to his father and General Vang Pao
and it'll be always in his heart until he's not in this world.

Mr. Yang Dao is not going to turn on us, you need to see the point of view he's doing, he's trying to help us and the people around us become peace not enemies, the past is the past. HE JUST BRING PEACE AND LOVE TO EVERYONE. And don't think Mr. Yang Dao is going to turn back on us because he's a vetnamese. He's not going to do the things that you said ok Mr., Mr. Yang Dao just helping out and bring peace back together. And in this trip that he's going he don't want to tell you, because HE'S A MAN HE HAVE TO DO WHAT HE HAVE TO DO, he not a little boy anymore like he use be and every where he go he have to tell you, he's not like that no Mr. A MAN HAVE TO DO WHAT HE HAVE TO DO. And in the fact that he doesn't want to said HI to you is because he's too busy out there not like you sitting on your butt at home watching TV, complain, and get jealous about Mr. Yang. And yes MR. Yang Dao
persue on his eduacation and got his PHD you big time loser!!!!

YOU ARE A BIG ASS LOSER THAT CAN"T DO ANYTHING TO HELP YOUR SOCIETY AND A PERSON GET JEALOUS ON EVERYTHING AND YOU HAVE THE BIGGEST ISSUE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOU ARE A BIG LOSER OUT THERE AND DON'T A 21 YEAR OLD YOUNG
WOMAN LIKE TO TELL YOU WHAT TO DO MR.

Thank you so much for Mr.Yang Dao's perants and general Vang Pao who help Mr. Yang Dao become this far in his life and in our life.
AND KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK YOU GOT THERE MR. YAN DAO I AM VERY PROUD OF AND I WISH ONE DAY YOU WILL TAKE ME WITH YOU AND GET OUR HOME SWEET HOME AND COUNTRY BACK, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK OK MR. YANG DAO!!!.

Sincerly/sau npe,
MAi LEE VANG

Subject: (no subject)
From: "maikao moua" <lormaikao@hotmail.com> Add
Date: Sat, February 1, 2003 1:25 pm
To: <neeg@neeg.org>

I like your magazine, but it is quite difficult to read because your mission statement is right on top of the articles. Can you please move your "purpose" statement over please?

thank you.
Respond by: Neeg Magazine:
We will try to eliminate the over view of our puspose statement. Thank you for reviewing our website.

Subject: Re: pictures
From: "Kuam Yaj" <kuamyaj@hotmail.com> Add
Date: Sun, February 2, 2003 10:38 am
To: neeg@neeg.org

Cov duab no ho muaj arts dab tsi? Kuv tsis pom li. Thov muab lawv lwv. Kuv muaj ntau tus phooj ywg uas tau saib koj qhov website. Tab sis cov duab no lawv sawv daws kuj tsis nyiam. Peb xav hais tias koj cov duab no tsis "enhance" koj qhov website.
Kuam

Respond by:
Rov ua tsaug uas nej sawv daws pab txhawb tswm yim. Peb muaj qhov "page" hu ua " People and Arts" yog li txawm tus tsis zoo nkauj zoo nraug los tus ntawd yeej yog ib tug duab neeg tiag tiag. Qhov no nws yuav txhais tau ua ib qhov art rau peb lub website yam tsis xaiv leej twg qhov kev zoo nkauj zoo nraug.
Arts txhais tau ntau yam. Piv li no. Music kuj txhais tau ua art. Tus Hu Nkauj (singer) los hu ua ib tug artistic. Tej daim duab yuav txhais ua ib qho art los tau tib si. Saib qhov duab ntawm twm tau tob li cas xwb.

From: "Kuam Yaj" <kuamyaj@hotmail.com> (First comment)

Koj cov pictures uas koj tau tso saum koj lub website tsis haib pes tsawg. Koj cov hluas nkauj hmoob tsis zoo nkauj li. Tso lwm cov duab thiab. Puas yog koj hlub nrog cov hluas nkauj hmoob no. Sorry I just don't think that your pictures are very attractive. Gotta go.
Kuam

Respond by: Neeg Magazine

Ua koj tsaug nawb. Koj xa lus tuaj rau peb. Nkauj Hmoob ces yeej tsis txawj kho cev, kuj tsis loj loj zoo zoo npaum li cas, thiab ho yog ib co neeg txom txom nyem ces zoo li no twb yog zoo kawg nkaus lawm. Cov no mas lawv tsis pleev qhaub piab tsis ua dab tsi li. Cia li thaij duab lawm xwb. Yog koj nej leej twg ho muaj cov ib nyuag zoo nkauj zog ho xa tuaj pub peb"post" thiab.
Cov hluas nkauj Hmoob thiab co no kuv tsis tau muaj sij hawm sib hlub nrog lawv. Lawv paub kuv, kuv ho paub lawv lawm xwb. Lawv cia li xa tej duab no tuaj rau kuv xwb. Peb daim hom phiaj tsis yog tso duab zoo nkauj zoo nraug. Nws yog ib qho Arts, talent, txuj ci, thiab neeg muaj peev xwm xwb.

Ua tsaug.

By: Seng Lee,
The article, "Inside Hmong Beliefs and Values" written by Xee Vang is a great one. It logically and clearly explains what Mrs. Moua presented on the day.

By: Xi Vang,
The photo of the contest could result in many different meanings. The meaning, the understanding, and the interpretation that have been posted is very meaningful, however, others may interpret it differently. There are many views by each individual viewer that could have resulted from looking at this picture. For example, when I look at this picture, I think of a dream. I relate to the life of visualization of fantasies and the life of reality. This is a very differrent view than that of the interpretion posted. The intent of the other may be different than that of what I had originally thought about this picture, however, it is a well thought interpretation. It is sad to hear the reality of the people still left behind in the jungles of Laos. So who won the contest?

By:Phooj Ywg Nyob Deb, (Ntxawg Thoj)
Nyob zoo Neeg, ua ntej no, kuv thov qhuas txog koj tus ua tij laug uas tseem tau muaj lub tswv yim los mus tsim ib qhov website rau peb tsoom Hmoob tuaj sib ntsib, sib tham, thiab sib nug moo txog txoj kev noj qab haus huv. Tsis muaj dab tsi, lub week tag los no, kuv tau tuaj muag movie nyob rau Green Bay. Kuv tau ntsib koj rau ped. Koj hais rau kuv tias koj xav tau kuv cov duab movie thiab dabneeg (story) los mus tso rau saum website, vim nej xav txhawb nqa cov tub ntxhais ua movie thiab hu nkauj mus ib kauj ruam lawm yav tom ntej. Yog koj xav tau cov duab los puas dabneeg kuv muaj, thov koj e-mail tuaj rau kuv, kuv mam xa tuaj seb qhov twg tsim nyog nej tso tawm rau sawm website. Kawg no, kuv hu ua Ntxawg Thoj... vam tias yuav tau nrog koj sib tham dua thiab.

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Purpose
The purpose of NEEG Magazine is to foresee and respond to the communities need for information about:

People, Arts, Information, and News(PAIN).
Promoting Hmong's Linguistic, Social structure, and Cultural values (Txuj Ci).