Life style : Government

The Household Rules In the Mien family, men are honored with respect and admiration. For example, when there is a big dinner or during a special ceremony, men are the first to be seated around the table. When men are done eating, women help clean up, reset the table, and refill all the dishes with fresh cooking. Then the women and children can eat. Generally, husband and wife share equal value, make decisions together for their family and children. The wife respects her man and the husband shares his concerns with his wife and at times asks for her decision. Mien people believe in family value and hard work. It is very important that a family stays united and not be divided without a good reason. The head of the household makes most of the decision. The father teaches his child(ren) the survival skills (hunting, farming, education). Mien have special respect for their elder men and women. The youths must listen and learn from their elders. Mien Community Fundamental Positions Chief of the village/district Elder/Mediator Planner (Celestial) Blacksmith Silversmith Physician (herbal doctor or dia-sai)

Authority and Governance
Chief of the district/village, his duties include (but are not limited to) taking responsibility for the welfare of the villagers; public relations; ensuring peace in the village, town, or district; making executive or administrative decisions; and arbitration of feuds or conflicts.
In the case of domestic conflicts which include spousal disputes, boy/girl love affairs, theft, etc., both sides (the accuser and the suspect) must prepare and supply foods for the judgment day at the chief’s residence. Usually some prominent elders are to be selected from each side of the families for the hearing, or as witnesses. Both families must bring in some whiskey, a whole chicken, some rice, and some currency. When the table is furnished with food (vegetables, chicken, bowls of rice, and at least two bottles of whisky), a shaman will call for certain spirits from the heaven to come down as witnesses to this matter. A judgment can either be accepted or rejected by either side of the family. If a judgment is rejected, no one can enjoy the food on the table. Therefore, all dishes must be dumped or trashed, and the process will begin anew the following day. This process may be repeated until an agreement is accepted by both parties.

Life style : The immigrant of Mien

The reasons for migration of the Mien people.
There are 2 reasons that resulted in the Mien people migrating to live in other places.

1.The land for agriculture.
The first time that the Mien people migrated to Thailand, they live on hillsides and plant the vegetation on the hillside too. They will make the soil in their place slide down and make the soil more fertile. Normally for 2-3 years, the paddy field will have good harvests, but after that harvests will start to decrease. The Mien people will then move to another paddy field somewhere else and will build a hut in the area but they do not stay in that place.

	When the soil in the village is no longer rich in nutrients, the Mien people will move to other places. The family who do not have a fertile land for growing crops will move. The Mien people migrate because of the land for growing vegetables which is very important to the Mien people.
2. The civil war Around 1967, the Mien people moved to Thailand because of the civil war in the area between the Thai- Laos borders and the Mien people fled to Thailand from the communist terrorists. This is the one of the main reasons for the Mien people migrating to Thailand. In the recent time, they do not have such a problem because the Mien people now have developed and have their own technology too.

Life style : The manners

      If we talk about Mien people, we will think of “who have kindness, friendship and peacefully” Usually Mien people are diligent and skillful in business, like cleanliness and have a good interpersonal relationship. When guest visits their house, the Miens welcome the guest with hot tea or water and prepare a table of food for the guest. During meal time, the head of the family or the son will sit together with the guest and take care of his needs. Usually, they will serve alcohol to the guest as a form of kind gesture.
Believe and the manners.
     Mien believes that the universe has its own regulations and customs. Humans maintain good relationship with nature both physically and spiritually. The traditions are reflective of the considerate and peace-loving nature of the Miens, as they avoid offensive behaviour to others and enjoy harmony within the village as well as in the family. Miens try to adapt themselves to the social rules and customs and behave accordingly to traditions and cultures. The traditional practices are passed down to from generations to generations. They also have great respect for the spirit and god, and maintain connections with them by offering of food. Mien make a lot of promises in their life and these include promises of marriage between the man and woman, promise to adopt a child with the god and also pray to asked help from the spirit to be better after sickness, Pray to the god to support them to be rich in the future. The villagers will keep their promise and do not break them.

http://mien.hilltribe.org/english/

Life style : The way of Mien living

Month	The way of living	Culture, Traditional, Ceremony.
January	Take a relax from they work and welcome Chinese New Year of Mien people by collect the firewood, vegetable from the forest for Chinese New Years cerebration.	Offering food to the ghost who take care they family troughs the fields like offering food to ancestor, offering food to the ghost who take care the forest, mountains, etc.
February	This Month is a New Year for the Mien people. This day Miens people rest from their work and start New Years cerebrate.	Peatfast cerebration. This cerebrate usually have in the importance day such as Chinese New Year or in a big ceremony.
March	This month is the season of the people who make a broom from the some kind of grasses and prepare the equipment like knife, axe for mow the area for farming.	Ceremonial to asked the permission from the spiritual who take care the area for mow the grasses to make a farming.
April	This time, the villager prepares the area and mows the grasses for planting and makes a line to protect the wildfire.	This ceremonial is give offering food to the spirituals that protect the village.
May	Planting, Usually they have a paddy field, corn and vegetables. This time the people will grow the plants by scatter the seeds because this month is a rainy season (for paddy usually after 7 day it will grow)	When paddy in the field breakdown. The people in the village will have a vow the spiritual to protect the rice in the field, when they harvest finish, the people in the village will give offering food by kill pig or anything to offering the spiritual.
June	Paddy grows and the people withdraw and mow the grasses in the paddy field also.
July	Find the vegetables from the forest like bamboo shoot, mushroom etc.	This is the New Years of the spiritual. The entire spiritual will have a cerebration.
August	This time is a rainy season; The paddy and the entire thing that they plant are growing. The villager takes care all carefully and will take in this time also.	Usually in the village will have 4 time in the year to give offering food for an ancestor.
September	Collect bamboo worms and pupa to make a food and the paddy ready to harvest.	-
October	Harvest the plant from the field like corn, paddy and other thing.	Eat New rice from the farm that they harvest.
November	This month the people harvest gramineous to make a roof when they building the houses.
December	Building the house and fixing. For the women will saw clothes for the New Years cerebration.	This time is a favor to have a wedding ceremony.

http://mien.hilltribe.org/english/

House of Yao (Mien)

      House of Mien people when they build is depending on the comfortable for their occupation and the government administration. The house of Mien people turn one’s back forward the mountain. If locate on the plain usually turn one’s head to the road. They have separate the room for  their daughter, the kitchen room and the rest room for the people who come to visit and do not have a window in their house but have many doors to enter the house. The most importance door for the Mien house is a big door. This door can contact with the sprit or tell the family’s number. When the house has a funeral or wedding ceremonies, they will use this door to be the enter way.

Usually the people can use this door. The door is opposite the ghost shrine or MienTea in Mien language. The head family will give their birthday for the fortune teller to guest the direction to build the door and build the house. A man will take his wife to stay with him at the parent’s house. The house leader is usually a man except the housework and other thing that happen in the house the senior will make a decision but before make a decision they have a discusses with the member in their family.  For minister to the kids or the member in their family is usually a Mien women take respond on this because they have a knowledge about the herb than man. Mien woman work hard if they have a free time they will sewing the clothes for the family member or to sell that why we do not see the Mien woman have a free time. A mien person takes respect and descends from the father family. Usually the Mien people marry with the same lineage not the relative.

The Social structure.                         The Mien communities in the past depend on them self such as the way of living and the communities manage. In the village they have a positions and support to manage in the village. The Mien families are increasing the member in the families. The head family is the oldest might be grandfather or father and the firstborn will be descended from.               A man will give bride-price to the woman. The Mien women who have to married must use the husband’s family name and take respect the ancestor spirit of the husband and live in the husband’s family. If the groom does not have the bride-price must go to stay with the bride around 15-20 years, then the wife can go to stay at the husband house. Other reason if the women would like to take care her parents must pay the money to the groom and the groom can come to stay at the bride house because a man is a good worker and use the women family’s name. When they have a sun, a sun use the mother family’s name and after that other child can use the father family’s name.

A 360° panorama of the inside of a Mien house. This house is located in Muang Sing, Laos, very near the border with China.

Click and drag mouse to move picture.
http://mien.hilltribe.org/english/

Tradition : New year

New Year (Jiex Siang-Hnyangx or Jiex Hnyangx)

Like other cultures, the Miens celebrate their new year once a year. Mien observe New Year’s Day to wish for peace, good health, prosperity, and happiness. Miens use a lunar calendar derived from that of the Chinese. and one can find a Chinese calendar hanging on the walls of almost every Mien home. New Year's Day for Mien people falls on the same day as that of the Chinese.

Miens prepare for their New Year celebration at least a month ahead of time. To prepare for the celebration, Mien families busy themselves gathering firewood for cooking foods, roasting meats, and for keeping the house warm. They store away foods for animals, and they bring home rice, fruits, and vegetables from their farms; they fatten their animals (cows, pigs, chickens) for the New Year feast. Parents usually buy or sew new outfits for their children to wear on the New Year’s Day.

Things to be prepared for prior to the New Year’s Days:

1. Foods for Animals ~ Corn, banana stalks, hay/grass, seeds, etc. are collected and stored in a safe place for animals (cattle, horses, pigs, chickens).
2. Firewood or dried logs ~ No one is allowed to roam the forest looking for firewood during the New Year's celebration.
3. Sweet rice cakes (with meat in the middle), “njuov zong, njuov ziux” ~ Usually wrapped and steamed cooked, eat for snacks or desserts.
4. Meats ~ Animals that are killed for food must be done before the new year’s eve.
5. Eggs ~ Used as good luck charms for the kids or visiting guests, usually red and individually netted with long strings (loops).
6. Clothes or outfits ~ Spending money or buying clothes on the New Year’s Day is not allow. Mien believe that if one spends money on the New Year’s Day, he/she may not be able to control his/her spending habits, and cannot spend money wisely for the rest of the year. He/she may always be poor.
7. Fire Crackers ~ Used to celebrate and welcome the New Year, part of the entertainment items for both adults and kids.

On New Year’s Eve : New Year's Eve is a day for family unification, for the immediate families, relatives, and cousins to come home to visit their moms and dads. There is a ritual called “siangx mienv” – it is usually done on the New Year’s Eve. Its purpose is welcoming the New Year, and thanking the spirit ghosts for keeping everyone safe till this day.

New Year’s Day: “Saengh-Ietv Dorm” is the first morning of the New Year. On the New Year’s Day, every adult in the family gets up very early in the morning to walk outside the house to collect a few small rocks and bring them to the house. These stones represent wealth and prosperity for the family. The adults then boil the eggs and dye them red. When the children get out of bed, their New Year charms are waiting for them. To welcome the New Year, Mien kids light firecrackers; adults fire a gun in the air (not acceptable in the USA). Mien New Year proceeds with “baaix hnyangx” – A New Year bowing in front of the altar, in a selected residence, place, or temple (still practice in the USA). Mien bowing on the New Year’s Day for good blessing from gods - “welcoming the New Year and hoping for the better for all, in terms of health, prosperity, and happiness. May all the bad things be gone with the Old Year”. The Mien New Year runs three days.

Things to be forbidden during the Mien New Year: Do not spend money Do not kill animals Do not do farm work Do not get firewood from the forest or hunt wild animal On New Year’s Day, parents preach their children in traditional manners. They expect girls to be a little different than boys, for example, parents would preach their daughters to be more vigilant, to love and respect their family, practice home cooking skills, and be creative on the sewing, or embroidery. On the other hand, parents would preach their sons to be gentle and kind to others, study hard, be educated, and be knowledgeable when grow up.

Tradition : Chinese New Year

The New Year for the Mien people usually falls on the same day as the Chinese New Year around 14-16 February. There is a ritual on the eve of the New Year, where the villagers will prepare offerings for the ceremony, such as gold and silver incense papers and fire woods for the ritual. On this day, the villagers cannot go to work or pick fire woods and instead, the villagers will make a sweet called “JeabFueiYou” in Mien language.

	The Mien people believe that on the 14th, it is a day for Man. The villagers do not go to work in the fields, or go hunting. On this day the villagers will give offerings to the ancestors’ spirits which follows an ancient belief that it is a day where the gods and goddesses will have a big cerebration.
In every household, the people give credits or apologize to the spirit and let them free, the grandchildren will burn the silver and gold incense paper to the ancestor spirits for them to buy things in the nether world.         On the 15th, the ancestor spirits will return to protect and take care of the grandchild, which means that the spirit is freed and have came to eat the food that the grandchildren had offered. This day the villagers do not go to work in the fields because the spirits are returning home, and if a person is not careful, will step on the spirit and fall sick. The people from outside can not enter the village also. They also forbid cutting of banana leaves because the Mien people believe that the spirits will use these leaves to take the food back to the nether world. Another reason is that the Mien people believe that one leaf represents one spirit, and so they do not cut the leaves on this day.

On the16th, the villagers will go back to work again because they believe that the spirits have returned and cannot create trouble. The Mien people will perform the rituals every year to offer food to the spirits so that the spirits will protect their families and their village.

http://mien.hilltribe.org/english/