Hmong Culture Analysis

Culture is something that we all have to define who we are and the reason why we love the things we do and the reason why we act the way we do. There are many types of cultures out there and the one culture that defines who I am is the Hmong culture. I was raised in a traditional Hmong family where it is not only just your parents, brothers and sisters, but your extended family as well. Henslin (2015) defines culture as: “the language, beliefs, values, norms, behaviors, and even material objects that characterize a group and are passed from one generation to the next” (p. 38). There are other contrasts between nonmaterial and material culture. Material culture is more of what we can see, touch or taste; while nonmaterial culture is theoretical

(Henslin, 2015). An example of material culture is jewelry, art, buildings and food. Nonmaterial culture is more of beliefs and values.
My family’s culture is Hmong. Both my mother and father’s family were from Viangchan. Both my parent’s side, we enjoy a variety of material items. This includes food and fashion. Some of my favorite food is sweet sticky rice with banana, eggroll, pho, and fawm kauv (steam rolls). Some of my favorite fashions are the Hmong clothing, xauv (heavy metal necklace), paj ntaub (embroideries) and the sash with coins. Two other material items are the Hmong baby carrier and the Hmong people cloth (Souza, 2014; slide #5).
On the other hand, my siblings and I were closer to my father’s side of the family because they live close to us. The way how they celebrated the Hmong tradition was more unique to each other. The nonmaterial culture that represents me is Shamanism and the language (Souza, 2014; slide #5). One thing that I value the most is the elders and the way how they interpret how much your culture means to you. You had to know how your culture plays a role in life and must distinguish the importance of carrying your culture down to the next generations.
Henslin (2015) defines ethnocentrism as a tendency to use our own group’s way of doing things as a yardstick for judging others (p. 40). This is like favoritism towards other groups who thinks they’re better. Culture relativism means looking at how we can fit together the elements so “we can try to understand a culture on its own terms” (p. 41). Thinking back, I remember when my father was practicing Shamanism and my mother on the other hand was more of a laid back person. Every time he would practice his Shamanism, we would always try to get out of the house so we wouldn’t have to help him burn essence to the spirits or just sit there. That is being ethnocentrism. I am going to be more cultural relativism by enduring the hours he practice his Shamanism and learn the way how Shamanism works in the real world and spirit world.
In conclusion, the study of culture is important because there are some many custom ways of learning your culture. If you just take a minute to listen to what the elders or your parents teach you about your culture, you will most definitely be able to pick up some of the stuff they’re trying to teach you. It’s important that you can carry your culture on and teach your children’s about it and they too can pass it down to their children’s. I love the way how my culture’s background is.