Popping Pills and Sacrificing Animals

Andrew Huynh

As a child, I would always get sick by not washing my hands, not bundling up and

putting things in my mouth that probably dont belong there. Every time I got sick, my mother

rarely gave me pills, not because she didnt believe in western medication but because she was

more accustomed to Vietnamese medicine. My mother would send me to my uncles house to

have him heal me, he would perform cao gio; a form of southeastern Asian medicine. Cao Gio

involves rubbing an herbal oil into the skin with a tool sharp tool, not sharp enough to penetrate

the skin. The back and forth motion of the tool helps the oil absorb into the body. I remember

crying every time my uncle cao gio for me because he rubs my back so hard it would leave

reddish marks that would hurt for days, my uncle would tell me that he healed me by focusing

his energy into certain parts of my body. What intrigued me was how fast I would feel better

after going to my uncles house; I always preferred my eastern medicine over pills because I felt

that I would always recover faster with it. Even though I was skeptical about how my uncles

method helped me recover, I went along with it. My past experiences with eastern medicine has

led me to explore diverse groups in southeast Asia and their forms of healing. One group that

Ive taken an interest in is the indigenous Hmong people, they reside in China, Vietnam, Laos

and Myanmar. The people have been battered throughout history from rape, exile and ethnocide,

but they have always stood strong and proud; religion has been the keystone that has held the

walls of culture and tradition together.

Like many ethnicities there are several types of medicine, within the Hmong community

there are two main types of medicine; herbalism and shamanism. Herbalism is used to make

remedies for those who are more physically sick. Whereas shamanism is used to heal those who
are spiritually sick; who have lost their soul. The Hmong people often lived in mountainous areas

within jungles, much of their resources came from what they could scavenge for. This is where

the herbalism comes into effect, most Hmong women become herbalists supporting their family,

friends, and community (Upward Bound). Many of the herbal remedies were used to heal

swollen or painful joints, stomachache, diarrhea, leg weakness, difficult and painful urination

(Stanford School of Medicine), some of these remedies were seen to aid in the healing process

but, when some of the ingredients of the medicines were analyzed, they contained compounds

toxic or poisonous in Western standards.

Shamanism, another form of medicine is used to heal those who have injured or lost

souls. Shamanism has been in the Hmong religion for thousands of years. Shamans are regarded

as one of the highest healers, and have a position high above them. In the Hmong community

Shamanism is ancestor worship, which involves spirits, ghosts, and animism, which involves

ceremonies and rituals utilizing animal sacrifices. These animal sacrifices are used to help those

who have lost their soul and need help returning it. The sacrifices are done by the experienced

shamans during rituals. Medicine is important because it is so entwined with the culture and

traditions of the Hmong people. Shamanism has been a large part of how the people feel safe and

comfortable. Shamans tend to perform long ceremonies that require them to move around, make

noises by using instruments and leave them exhausted at the end. During these rituals, shamans

are helping the spiritually sick person by helping them bring back their soul.

Hmong shamans are still active today, even in the United States. Hmong communities in

the United States have found a leveled ground between Western and Eastern medicine. For most

sicknesses, Hmong people will see an herbalist or a Shaman, whereas for something more

serious they would go to the hospital. More traditional Hmong elderly who enter hospitals would
still like to have a Shaman come and do rituals to help with their recovery. Over time, hospitals

have adapted to the new patients and allowed those Shamans to come and do their work. In most

Hmong communities where large groups of Hmong people have clustered together, Outsider

businesses and health facilities are very understanding and sympathetic to the Hmong traditions

and cultures. Obviously Killing animals within hospitals are illegal but for the sake of treating

Hmong patients, hospitals must make an exception to this religious conflict (Upward Bound),

animal sacrifices are one of the largest differences between Shamanism and western medicine,

but for the health of the patients; most hospitals allow it.

There are many differences when it comes to the religion and rituals of the Hmong and

United States. From my experiences, I resonate with the Hmong community because I too us two

types of medicines. Not only does Hmong medicine work but it also allows the sick to stay

cultured and not deviate from their roots. I think that is where Western medicine succumbs to

Eastern medicine. This is where pills do not outweigh the rituals, sacrifices, and spiritual healing.

Shamanism allows the Hmong people to naturally heal and allows their soul to spiritually

recover.
 Works cited
"LibGuides: Upward Bound 2013: Hmong & American Culture: Medicine." Hmong &
American Culture: Medicine - Upward Bound 2013 - LibGuides at CSU, Chico. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2017
"Herbal Medicine." Geriatrics. N.p., 30 Sept. 2014. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.