#  Both Christianity and Shamanism Represented in Hmong Community 

 





February 10, 2001

 

 

Source: Star Tribune

On February 10, 2001, the Minneapolis *Star Tribune* reported that, among the Hmong community in the Twin Cities, some have embraced Christianity over the past 50 years, "but many have remained faithful tothe traditional faith, shamanism...The Hmong are a farming people who live in mountainous ranges inSoutheast Asia and southern China. Refugees began immigrating to the UnitedStates in the 1970s, after the Vietnam War ended...Today, about 11 percent of the estimated 75,000 to 80,000 Hmong in theTwin Cities are Christian, according to Family and Youth Advancement Services inSt. Paul. \[One shaman\] said he believes manyHmong initially became Christian because they were poor, and missionaries cameand brought food and clothing." He thinks shamanism will keep growing. Another Hmong "said Christianity has benefited the Hmong and 'brought the Hmongnot only toward spirituality, but . . . cultural advancement.' And even though many Hmong have become Christians, \[he said,\] religionwill not be able to separate the Hmong people. They will still eat the samefood, dress the same way, live the same lifestyle and continue to live amongeach other and have the same political agenda." Another Hmong said he chose Christianity because it "makes one race accept and love another."  
  
 The article gave a description of a shaman from *The Encyclopedia of Religion*: "The shaman specializes in a trance state during which his soul isbelieved to leave his body to ascend to the sky or descend to the underworld.The shaman controls helping spirits in the sense that he is able to communicatewith the dead, demons and nature spirits without becoming their instrument."



 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ Discrimination/Accomodation ](/news-stories/discriminationaccomodation)
- [ Statistics ](/news-stories/statistics)
- [ Experience/Lifecycle Events/Expressions ](/news-stories/experiencelifecycle-eventsexpressions)
- [ Christianity ](/religions/christianity)
- [ Interfaith ](/religions/interfaith)
- [ Other Traditions ](/religions/other-traditions)
 
 

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