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| Village | ||
Hmong people usually build their houses on a
hill, especially the group who plant opium as a crop. A royal grace
from the king gives the Hmong the option to move to the plains, but some
groups still live in their traditional regions. A Hmong village is
made up of separate groups; each having 7-8 houses in a rough circle,
with the group leader’s located in the center. The village usually has
many groups, each one containing members of the same family. If the
village has an epidemic, is subjected to violence from outsiders, or
the villagers disagree with the local government administration, then
they simply move. Horses are used to carry baggage and the Shaman will
determine the place that they would like to establish the new village
for a peaceful future.
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| The Hmong use green bamboo wood to make the walls, splitting and tying it together, while the roof is made from Imperata Cylindrica or Nipa palm. Houses do not have windows because they live, usually, in cold weather areas. There is a main door close to the stove, and seating for the visitor. The stove is situated on the left and used to make food for visitors, and also for boiling food for the pigs. Some houses have a mortar for pounding rice, or a millstone for grinding corn, flour, and soybeans. Further in the house, again on the left hand side, there is normally a bedroom for the members of the family. | ||
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There are 5 shrines in the house
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 1. The main door |
 2. The pillar in the center of the house |
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 3. The wall opposite the main door This is the place for the black magic ceremony. A big, long piece of paper hangs on the wall. There is also an altar table for putting rice, ashes or corn on, along with 7 joss sticks, alcohol in one bamboo flask and water in a second, to offer the ancestor spirit to protect them from evi |
 4. The big stove |
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Belief
To determine where to build their house, the Hmong
will cast lots. They do this by putting rice grains, equal to the
number of family members plus three grains to represent their animals,
in a bowl. Following this, a joss stick is burned to worship the
ancestor spirit, and to ask permission to build the house. The bowl is
covered, and if the rice remains in the bowl the next day, it means they
can build the house on that spot. This ceremony is still practiced
today. |
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A 360° picture of the inside of Yee's house. The traditional Hmong style of house is fast disappearing favoring concrete housing over dirt floor and bamboo.
Click and drag mouse to move picture.
http://hmong.hilltribe.org
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