1. Revamping Beliefs, Reforming Rituals, and Performing Hmongness? A Case Study of Temple of Hmongism.
- Author
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Weidong Zhang
- Subjects
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RELIGIOUS movements , *CULTS , *TEMPLES , *RELIGIOUS identity , *FOCUS groups , *ETHNICITY , *RITUAL , *FUNERAL services - Abstract
Temple of Hmongism is a membership-based non-profit, new religious organization first launched in 2012 from St Paul, Minnesota, to promote Hmongism, a simplified version of traditional religion "Dab Qhuas Hmoob," in Hmong immigrant communities around the US. This is a group of Hmong men and women who, through research and deliberation, strive to consolidate and institutionalize the indigenous Hmong beliefs taken with them from Asia, while at the same time, reform various religious rituals and practices in all areas, including Shamanism, weddings, and funerals, in the hope of making them "much simpler, less costly, and more friendly" and "full of Hmong identity and pride" in their newly adopted land. How does Temple of Hmongism revamp a system of traditional religious beliefs? What does it mean to a transnational Hmong community? Does it signify a continuous traditionalist or culturalist move, a move to search for Hmong identity, and a cultural resistance to the encircle and encroachment of traditional Hmong society by contesting and combating a dominant mainstream power from outside? In what way does Temple of Hmongism redefine Hmongness, the meaning of being Hmong? And how is it performed in religious rituals and everyday lives? Through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with members of this religious organization, as well as participant observation at different religious practices, this study strives to understand this growing new religious movement in the transnational Hmong community, and see how religious faith, cultural heritage, and ethnic identity intersect and interact with each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020