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Caroline Gomez-Ortega
Professor Ayik
Writing 10
24 April 2013
Creating a Bridge between Two Cultures
The Hmong are a group of individuals in Merced that practice shamanism and ethnic
medicine. When members of the Hmong community are sick they follow their ritualistic
practices and shamanism. “Life is seen as a continuous circle of birth and rebirth, and the Hmong
believe that there are two worlds – physical and spiritual – that coexist side by side” (Numrich
29). Numrich acknowledges that a shaman is a “traditional healer who leaves the material world
and navigates the spirit world to determine and treat the spiritual causes of disease” (Numrich
29). The Hmong’s ritualistic practices have raised misconceptions among medical practitioners.
There are multiple views among the Hmong’s and medical practitioners over what is considered to cure
an individual and what caused the illness. The Hmong’s are usually reluctant to see a medical practitioner
because of their lack of knowledge regarding Western medicine. The Hmong’s believe that Western’s
practices of autopsies, and surgery interferes with their spiritual world believing that the soul will leave
the body, and that autopsies impeded recantation. With the Hmong’s ritualistic practices and
shamanism their fundamental beliefs clash with medical practitioners. In order to change the rift
between the Hmong’s and medical practitioners regarding ritualistic practices and ethnic
medicines there needs to be an institution involved. The institution would encourage the Hmong
to seek and confined in their doctors. For medical practitioners being involved in the program
they would receive not just self-satisfaction but certification for attending workshops on being
educated on ethnic medicine and ritualistic practices of the Hmong. For the institution to be
supported a grant needs to be created that will sustain the 8,000 Hmong’s in Merced County in
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receiving treatment. The grant would be sustainable through donations from outside sources.
Although there are conflicting views between medical practitioners and the Hmong’s regarding
ritualistic practices and ethnic medicines creating a bridge between both cultures will aid both
health professionals and the Hmong community by teaching both parties about one another. Both
parties will receive recognition: the Hmong’s would receive health benefits, and the doctors
would receive self-satisfaction and certification.
By creating a bridge between shamanism, ritualistic practices and Westerner medicine,
medical practitioners will be educated because of their lack of understanding of the Hmong
culture. With the purpose of finding a common ground between both parties a workshop needs to
be created for Medical practitioners. Becoming educated will than create a common world view
that will initially change the perception of medicine in regard to Hmong’s “spiritual and physical
world”. According to Changvang Her, he states that there is a program that focuses on “bridging
the gap between Hmong shamans and the mainstream culture of western medicine”. The
program is called “Partners in Healing”, by Merced implementing such a program doctors and
Shamans will then be able to communicate and understand one another. The program allows for
both practices to be perceived as teachers and learners aiding them to learn about one other.
Although the program “Partners in Healing” is one example already embedded in the city of
Merced where health professionals and Shamans are mending the bridge this is not enough. The
institution being embedded must also teach the Hmong community as a whole specifically about
Western medicine in general by drawing them in with health benefits and compassion with our
new knowledge on their ritualistic practices and ethnic medicine. Becoming a part of such a
program will enable medical practitioners to create a bond with their patients as well as further
comprehending their needs. Medical practitioners will know what to expect when Hmong patient
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come to the hospital because the institution I am proposing embraces cultural beliefs other than
Western medicine. Shamans and medical practitioners will then be able to see each other’s
culture and medical practices in a new light where they can actually make a difference. The
overarching purpose of creating a bridge is for the Hmong to increase their trust in medical
practitioner’s to see them and not wait to the last resort when a chronic disease has occurred. We
can stop negative health in Hmong’s by creating an institution that promotes education of
Western medicine to the Hmong community of Merced as well as educating health professionals
on ritualistic practices and certification.
The misconceptions of how medical practitioners comprehend Hmong’s ritualistic
practices are often misinterpreted. For example, cupping and coining are seen as child abuse.
Cupping occurs when you burn cotton in a small jar and place the jar over the affected area after
the flame is out. The concept is similar to a vacuum where it is thought to draw out pain. Coining
is done by using a utensil similar to a coin or spoon that is used to rub in the skin until bruising
appears. Due to the misunderstandings created my medical practitioners they assume the worst of
the Hmong’s without grasping the spiritual beliefs behind it. The ethnic practices of the Hmong
aid in the care of the sick individual. The marks on the children are a form of ethnic medicine to
cure headaches and flus.
In Merced there is an organization called Merced Lao Family Community; (SAFE) that
educates the youth on acculturation of Western ideals. The organization challenges the Hmong’s
ritualistic practices. In this case the program challenges the Hmong’s approach to healing their
children. The purpose of the program is to educate the Hmong’s on Western societies so that
they do not commit actions that are seen to be morally wrong. By redefining abuse it clashes
with what the Hmong perceive to be a part of their ethnic medicine. The cultural
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misunderstanding made by medical practitioners’ must be reevaluated further proving how the
medical practitioners need to be educated on the Hmong’s ritualistic practices and ethnic
medicines. According to Anne Fadiman, Lia Lee was a child who suffered from epilepsy. Lia
Lee was removed from her parents when her family took her to the hospital; authorities believed
the Hmong’s ritualistic practices where neglect. What the medical practitioners didn’t understand
was the reasoning for why Lia’s parents didn’t follow the doctors “prescription of treatment”.
The Hmong’s reasoning was because it went against their ethnic medicine and spiritual beliefs.
However, because they didn’t understand their reasoning to why they didn’t follow Western
medicine they had Lia Lee removed from her parents believing that her parents where neglecting
her. Her parents were doing what was right within their own cultural norms. The program
“SAFE” tried to acculturate the Hmong. The programs “Partners in Training” and “SAFE” are
both initiatives created for educational purposes. Nonetheless, there should be a program that
will give the Hmong’s health benefits and knowledge of Western medicine and Medical
practitioner’s knowledge on the Hmong’s shamanism, ethnic medicines and ritualistic practices.
Merced has a population of Hmong’s who follow shamanism and ethnic medicine. There
ritualistic practices conflict with Western ideologies and medical practitioners. The ritualistic
practices are seen through the clash of cultures and the need for implementation of cultural
understanding among them. The misconceptions that Westerns have in regards to the ritualistic
practices are “coining” and “cupping” which is a form of stopping the spirit from causing any
other necessary harm. Child abuse misconceptions, the causes of illnesses, neglect, and building
a world view among medical practitioners and the Hmong’s are brought on by Western
influences in a society that requires acculturation of immigrants. By creating a bridge between
shamans and medical practitioners a partnership among the community will occur where the
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Hmong’s will have faith and trust in seeing a doctor. Trust in health professionals will occur
because the medical practitioner will be embracing cultural beliefs. Even though there are some
programs already out there already promoting acculturation and some form of educational
components in Merced there needs to be a program for the general welfare of the Hmong
community that advocated not just their health but compassion towards them as well. The bridge
will only occur when the medical practitioners our involved in an institution teaching them of the
Hmong’s ritualistic practices and ethnic medicine where they will receive a certification. The
“Partners in Healing” program is a good start but there needs to be a follow up program that
advocates just for the Hmong’s health and the promotion of education on their ritualistic practice
to medical practitioners.