The Iu Mien and the Hmong are among the groups who live in the mountainous jungles of Southeast Asia. The two tribes are considered allies, although there are differences between them, including language.
The Hmong and the Mien were recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency and fought beside Americans during the Secret War in Laos. The hill tribes operated as guerilla soldiers, provided intelligence, guarded radar sites and rescued downed American pilots. After Laos fell to the Communists in 1975, the hill tribes were badly persecuted. Many people fled from Laos to neighboring Thailand. With U.S. help, thousands resettled in the United States. The U.S. provided allotments of land and rental housing, as well as social services such as welfare, child care, elder care and job assistance. Roughly 200,000 Hmong people live in the U.S, the largest Hmong population outside Asia.
Videos
The Hmong & Mien diaspora
More Information
- Hmong homepage
- Lao Lu Mien Culture Association
- Ministry of Information and Culture of Laos
- Hmong International Human Rights Watch
- Virtual Hilltribe Museum
- Kao-Ly Yang, Hmong Contemporary Issues
- Peoples of the World: Mien
- Peoples of the World: Hmong
- Hmong Diaspora map
- Hmong page by Jeff Lindsay of Appleton, Wis.
