Meo Hilltribe
The Meo Hilltribe, or Hmong as they are also known live in northern Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. After 1975 when the communists took power Laos, large numbers of Meo people sought refuge in Thailand, the United States, Australia, France, and Canada.
Originally believed to be from Yellow Basin area in China, the Meo have remained identifiable, maintaining their own language, customs, and ways of life, even as they assimilated into various countries in southeast Asia.
Xeen (Clan) is the dominant organizing force in Hmong society. There are around eighteen Hmong xeens, membership being obtained upon birth or marriage. All children acquire membership into the father’s xeen group and a women becomes a member of their husband’s group, but will usually retain the clan name of her father. Members of the same xeen consider each other to be kwv tij, meaning “siblings”. Xeen leaders are responsible for maintaining peace within the Xeen and making sure religious practices are followed.
A Meo may not marry within their own Xeen, a marriage partner must be from another. Traditionally, when a boy wants to marry a girl, he will symbolically ‘kidnap’ her from her family home. (The girl may refuse to go if she wishes, but she is normally fully aware and already packed) If you look closely at mainstream Thai marriages, the ceremonies and rituals all have an element of this practise. Divorce is not common, and among the wealthier members of the society some polygamy does exist.
Meo/Hmong Cultural Information (external site)