Iu Mien Americans (Meiv guoqc Mienh) are primarily former refugees of the Secret War in Laos and the Vietnam War. While some Iu Mien families were granted political asylum and the opportunity to resettle in the United States prior to 1980, the great majority of Iu Mien immigrants to the U.S. arrived following the Refugee Act of 1980. Between the late 1970s to the early 1990s, thousands of Mien immigrants resettled mainly on the West Coast of the U.S. Today, the Iu Mien American population is estimated to be at 50,000 - 70,000.
Classification
With regard to ethnicity, the Iu Mien are officially classified in China and most of Southeast Asia as a subgroup of the Yao ethnicity. In Vietnam, however, the term Yao is referred to as Dao. Further classification of the Yao ethnicity brings up three major groups: Pan Yao, Bunu Yao, and Pingdi Yao. The Pan Yao group is the largest in China and Southeast Asia, and it is this Pan Yao group that Iu Mien Americans belong.
The Yao ethnicity was officially recognized by the Chinese government in the 1950s. The newly established Chinese communist government embarked on a project of "ethnic classification" that aimed to formally acknowledge the diverse ethnic groups within China. To accomplish this, government research teams were formed and tasked with studying common geographic regions, languages, cultural traditions, physical characteristics, and other defining factors. Upon completion of the project, the Yao or Yaozu people were officially recognized as one of the fifty-four ethnicities in China (list of ethnic groups in China). In 1974, an additional ethnicity (Jino) was included, bringing the total number of recognized ethnicities to fifty-five.
However, the Iu Mien, along with other subgroups classified as Yao, do not refer to themselves as "Yao." For the Iu Mien, they often refer to themselves as Iu Mien or Mien.
History
Although ancient Chinese records about the Yao (Mien) are inconsistent, they tend to converge around the idea that tribes residing in the northern Hunan province, near Dongting Lake and its "Five Streams," shared a common ancestry and cultural heritage. Southern China, before the Qin dynasty (221 BCE), encompassed territories beyond the Han Chinese heartland, which were inhabited by diverse tribal groups, some indigenous to the region and others not. Chinese states often categorized these tribal groups into designated geographical networks for administrative convenience.
The terms "Man" (barbarians), "Nanman" (southern barbarians), "Jing Man" (Chu barbarians), and "Yiren" (uplanders) are general classifications that encompassed various groups. Even variations of Yao, such as Moyao, Yaoren, and Manyao, were not limited to a particular ethnicity or tribal group. Nonetheless, it is widely acknowledged that some of the indigenous groups inhabiting the Dongting Lake region in ancient China are the forebears of the Yao people today. Although some people question whether Qianjiadong ever existed, scholars in China have discovered evidence in Hunan province that may indicate its plausible location.
Around the 10th century, and possibly earlier, the Yao (Mien) tribes in the Hunan region initiated a migration towards Southern China. Some groups ventured into more southerly provinces such as Guangdong and Guangxi, while others headed southwest into Guizhou and Yunnan.
In 1975, when the American forces withdrew from Vietnam and Laos, the Lao People's Democratic Republic led by the Pathet Lao Communists was established, and many families who supported the CIA were forced to flee to Thailand to escape political persecution. Thus, as communist forces swept through Laos in that same year, a significant number of Mien people fled to Thailand, crossing the Mekong River. As refugees, they encountered considerable hardships without a place to call home for nearly ten years.
Resettlement
From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, with the assistance of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), thousands of Mien families were able to emigrate to Western countries. While some chose to settle in Europe and Canada, the majority of the Mien chose to relocate to the United States, particularly in the coastal regions of California, Oregon, and Washington.
As a people hailing from ancient and isolated farming societies, the initial generation of Iu Mien Americans encountered numerous challenges, such as language barriers and acculturation issues, as they settled into vibrant and modern cities. As younger generations assimilate into American culture, they are confronted with issues such as generational gaps, the erosion of their language and culture, a loss of identity, and more. To address these resettlement issues, community-based organizations have emerged among Iu Mien American communities in Washington, Oregon, and California, offering direct services to aid in the transition.
Since their resettlement in America, Mien Americans have maintained historical connections with their counterparts in China and Vietnam. Furthermore, there are still many Mien American relatives who reside in Laos and Thailand.
Population
Approximately 50,000 Iu Mien settled along the western coastal states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Approximately 10,000 or less have settled in other parts of the country: Alabama, Alaska, Texas, Tennessee, Michigan, Illinois, North Carolina, and other states. A discrepancy, however, in Iu Mien American population numbers has to do with the fact that Mien has yet to be included in the United States Census. Consequently, the margin of error could be anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000.
There were approximately 50,000 Mien in the US as of 2012, with 15,000 of that number in Sacramento, and 13,000 in the East Bay.
The city of Sacramento, California (especially in the Oak Park neighborhood), North Highlands, along with Oakland, Richmond, San Jose, Merced, Visalia, Stockton, Fresno, Yuba City, Oroville, Gridley, and Redding, have all become homes to sizable populations of Iu Mien Americans. In Oregon, the majority of Iu Mien communities are located in Salem and the greater Portland area, while in Washington, most of the population can be found in King County in the greater Seattle area.
Furthermore, Iu Mien people have settled all across continents of the world. The world over, there are Iu Mien who settled in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Laos, Myanmar, New Zealand, Switzerland, Thailand, and Vietnam.
On July 7, 2007, Iu Mien Americans celebrated their 31st anniversary in Sacramento, California, and honored military service members, doctors, educators, scholars, leaders, and others with achievement awards. More recently, the Mien Festival held at Hiram Johnson High School in Sacramento on April 1, 2023, drew in thousands of participants.
Culture
Yao (Mien) Taoism
Daoism, as it is currently practiced by the Yao (Mien) people, traces its origins back to the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127). Emperor Huizong (1100–1126), a skilled calligrapher and practitioner of the Tianxin Zhengfa tradition, also known as the "True Rites of the Heart of Heaven," played a significant role in promoting the tradition and influencing the religious aspirations of the court. Unfortunately, the Northern Song fell to barbarian groups, and a Song prince had to flee south, eventually settling in Hangzhou in what is now Guangdong province in southeastern China.
In Hangzhou, the prince regrouped the remnants of the Northern Song and established the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1229). Additionally, the Southern Song authorized missionaries to propagate the Tianxin Zhengfa tradition among non-Sinitic ethnic groups in Southern China, teaching them the tradition's rituals and a simplified form of Daoism that revealed secrets for healing and exorcism. The Yao (Mien) were among the first Southern peoples to convert to Daoism and adopt the Chinese writing system. As the tradition was likely passed down by Daoist masters from southeastern China, Yao ritual texts are still read today in the Guangxi Cantonese dialect.