Iu Mien language

The Iu Mien language (Chinese: 勉語 or 勉方言; Thai: ภาษาอิวเมี่ยน) is one of the main languages spoken by the Yao people in China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and, more recently, the United States in diaspora. Like other Hmong-Mien languages, it is tonal and monosyllabic.

Linguists in China consider the dialect spoken in Changdong, Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi to be the standard. However, most Iu Mien people in the West are refugees from Laos, so they primarily speak dialects common in Laos.

Iu Mien has 78% lexical similarity with Kim Mun (Lanten), 70% with Biao-Jiao Mien, and 61% with Dzao Min.

Geographic distribution

In China, Iu Mien is spoken in the following counties (Mao 2004:302-303). There are 130,000 speakers in the Hunan province (known as the Xiangnan 湘南 dialect), and 400,000 speakers in the Guangxi, Yunnan, Guangdong, Guizhou, and Jiangxi provinces (known as the Guangdian 广滇 dialect).

Iu Mien Americans

Iu Mien Americans are Americans, primarily Indochinese refugees, of Iu Mien descent, a subset of the Yao people. This group arrived in between the late 1970s to the early 1990s as the last wave of refugees post-Vietnam War.

History

Iu Mien originated from China to Vietnam, migrated to Laos, Thailand, and then to the United States. The Iu Mien scriptures and stories were told that Yao people were from a place called “Qianjiadong”. “Qianjiadong” is the homeland of the Yao or Iu Mien people. For generations the legend of the “Qianjiadong” was told that there was only one way in and one way out of this peaceful beautiful place through a cavern. This homeland of the Yao, was told that it is very beautiful, has surrounding waterfalls and rivers, and that it is secluded from the outside world. As many years has passed people started to doubt and thought it was just a myth, until, recently Gong Zhebing discovered this homeland of the Yao/Iu Mien.

Yao people, from whom Iu Mien Americans descend, arrived in Laos from Southern China during the late 1600s to 1800s. Reasons for this migration remain controversial, varying from political to socio-economic ventures. Many Iu Mien American elders involved with the United States CIA during the "Secret War" in Laos in an effort to block weapon smuggling via parts of the Ho Chi Minh trail from the North Vietnam to the South Vietnam. When the American operation pulled out in 1975, hundreds of families were forced to seek refuge in the neighboring country of Thailand. Hundreds died during this journey on foot through the deep jungles of Southeast Asia. In the next few years, thousands settled in Thailand refugee camps. Through programs from the United Nations, roughly 60,000 were sponsored to western countries such as the United States, France,and Canada.

Americans

Americans are citizens of the United States of America. The country is home to people of many different national origins. As a result, most Americans do not equate their nationality with ethnicity, but with citizenship and allegiance. Although citizens make up the majority of Americans, non-citizen residents, dual citizens, and expatriates may also claim an American identity.

Overview

The majority of Americans or their ancestors immigrated within the past five centuries, with the exception of the Native American population and people from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine Islands who became American through expansion of the country in the 19th century, and American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Mariana Islands in the 20th century.

Despite its multi-ethnic composition, the culture of the United States held in common by most Americans can also be referred to as mainstream American culture, a Western culture largely derived from the traditions of Northern and Western European colonists, settlers, and immigrants. It also includes influences of African-American culture. Westward expansion integrated the Creoles and Cajuns of Louisiana and the Hispanos of the Southwest and brought close contact with the culture of Mexico. Large-scale immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from Southern and Eastern Europe introduced a variety of elements. Immigration from Asia, Africa, and Latin America has also had impact. A cultural melting pot, or pluralistic salad bowl, describes the way in which generations of Americans have celebrated and exchanged distinctive cultural characteristics.

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