The Hmong Cultural Repertoire: Explaining cultural variation within an ethnic group

Data on 382 Hmong in Laos and the United States reveal three types of cultural expertise: performing spiritual-medical healing; conducting life cycle rituals; and creating arts and crafts. Only 31 percent of this sample engage in one or more of the practices in this cultural repertoire. A mere 10 pe...

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Main Author: Jeremy Hein
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hmong Studies Journal 1997-12-01
Series:Hmong Studies Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.hmongstudiesjournal.org/uploads/4/5/8/7/4587788/hsj-v2n1_hein.pdf
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author Jeremy Hein
author_facet Jeremy Hein
author_sort Jeremy Hein
collection DOAJ
description Data on 382 Hmong in Laos and the United States reveal three types of cultural expertise: performing spiritual-medical healing; conducting life cycle rituals; and creating arts and crafts. Only 31 percent of this sample engage in one or more of the practices in this cultural repertoire. A mere 10 percent of the sample account for 54 percent of the 247 cultural practices. This pattern reveals the paradoxical relationship between ethnicity and culture. While all ethnic groups have a culture, there is considerable variation among members in their use of the group's cultural repertoire. This paper uses regression analysis to explain why some Hmong have more cultural practices than others. The results suggest that males have greater access to the Hmong cultural repertoire due their positions of authority in Laos, but that maternal cultural practices promote use of the repertoire by their children regardless of leadership status.
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spelling doaj.art-f528edd33da241ffb90770de5e4e10012023-01-23T18:22:48ZengHmong Studies JournalHmong Studies Journal1091-17741997-12-0121115The Hmong Cultural Repertoire: Explaining cultural variation within an ethnic groupJeremy HeinData on 382 Hmong in Laos and the United States reveal three types of cultural expertise: performing spiritual-medical healing; conducting life cycle rituals; and creating arts and crafts. Only 31 percent of this sample engage in one or more of the practices in this cultural repertoire. A mere 10 percent of the sample account for 54 percent of the 247 cultural practices. This pattern reveals the paradoxical relationship between ethnicity and culture. While all ethnic groups have a culture, there is considerable variation among members in their use of the group's cultural repertoire. This paper uses regression analysis to explain why some Hmong have more cultural practices than others. The results suggest that males have greater access to the Hmong cultural repertoire due their positions of authority in Laos, but that maternal cultural practices promote use of the repertoire by their children regardless of leadership status. https://www.hmongstudiesjournal.org/uploads/4/5/8/7/4587788/hsj-v2n1_hein.pdfhmong culturehmong identity
spellingShingle Jeremy Hein
The Hmong Cultural Repertoire: Explaining cultural variation within an ethnic group
Hmong Studies Journal
hmong culture
hmong identity
title The Hmong Cultural Repertoire: Explaining cultural variation within an ethnic group
title_full The Hmong Cultural Repertoire: Explaining cultural variation within an ethnic group
title_fullStr The Hmong Cultural Repertoire: Explaining cultural variation within an ethnic group
title_full_unstemmed The Hmong Cultural Repertoire: Explaining cultural variation within an ethnic group
title_short The Hmong Cultural Repertoire: Explaining cultural variation within an ethnic group
title_sort hmong cultural repertoire explaining cultural variation within an ethnic group
topic hmong culture
hmong identity
url https://www.hmongstudiesjournal.org/uploads/4/5/8/7/4587788/hsj-v2n1_hein.pdf
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