By Choy Chiang Saetern
    Photos by Laurent Chazee

Anthropologists say the Iu-Mien tribe lived in China in ancient times. All told, UNHCR reports more than 2,000 Iu-Mein were repatriated to Laos from refugee camps in Thailand by the spring of last year. As the birthrate in Laos for highland people is about four per cent per year, the lu-Mien population is thought to exceed 30,000 as 1995 draws to a close.

lu-Mien, who live in the upper north (Luang Namtha, Bokeo and Luang Prabang provinces) and the middle north (Sayaboury and Vientiane provinces) and Houaphan province in the northeast, have their own peculiar identity with respect to customs, language, and culture. For example, some tones in provincial dialects are different but all groups can understand each other regardless of their location.

This is due to the fact that we lu-Mien often lived in isolation from each other, and new words were added in different areas, and customs and culture were influenced by geographical variations. For example, lu-Mien in Houaphan are culturally more related to lu-Mien in Vietnam because international borders abut one another there. However, lu-Mien everywhere have been aware of their cultural identity since the government changed in 1975 and a more centralised administration was introduced, facilitating communication.

For the most part, lu-Mien do not have advanced ideas and knowledge such as those associated with modern education. They believe in magic rather than science. For example, when a family member is ill, other family members perform a ceremony asking spirits of their departed ancestors to return and help heal the sick person. However, this service by ancestors is not free. The family must repay the kindness of ancestors by sacrificing animals such as chickens and pigs in a kind of ‘spirit’ payment.

lu-Mien celebrate New Year on the same day as the Chinese and Vietnamese. Even the ceremonies are similar. Yet, there are several unique aspects. For example, Every family keeps a written record of their ancestors and follows the course of their souls and spirits in the after-life spirit’ world. They even keep a record of specific symbolic offerings of silver, gold, and paper money provided to each ancestor’s spirit, prioritised by importance.

For several days before the New Year, men in each family make imitation money by hammering special paper with Chinese ‘chop’ marks carved on the end of a piece of buffalo horn. This practice is called tong lung pua so. The manufacture of ’sprits’ payments is very time-consuming. The hammering, thumping sound of this activity can be heard throughout Iu-Mien villages as New Year approaches. Silver and gold ingots’ are made from Chinese paper as stand-ins for real silver and gold.

These symbolic offerings are placed on the floor in front of the family’s ‘spirit’ altar inside the house. A family elder or spiritual priest invokes the name of the ancestor. He makes spiritual contact with the ancestor’s spirit, sends greetings for the New Year, reports on the welfare of the family during the past year, the sum of offerings made, and calls for spiritual assistance for the family in the coming year.

This being done, the paper offerings are set on fire; the offerings go up in smoke to the heavenly spirit world. This ceremony is called chong hua chong chiuo and is done three to five days before the New Year. Then comes the feasting and romantic liaisons for the young people. During the early part of the day we walk in a procession to every house in the village to exchange and receive blessings of the elders.

Our customs regarding death are quite interesting. When the old people die - they have their identity confirmed in a special cremation ceremony. Its purpose is to send the soul to heaven. If a family does not perform this ceremony for the deceased, the path for the soul to enter heaven will be blocked. This lost soul will then become a phantom and return to haunt and bother the family.

The lu-Mien have a unique custom with regard to burial of personal remains. After cremation, the family looks for an appropriate place in the forest to bury part of the bones of the cremated person. The spiritual leader of the family, who also presides over the funeral, leads the family into mountainous forests to seek an appropriate and auspicious place to bury the bones.

Each place is tested by throwing an uncooked egg towards the sky. If the egg breaks on hitting the ground, the place is considered appropriate for burial. The family will try as many areas in the mountain as necessary until the egg breaks. Believe it or not, the egg often remains unbroken.

Before throwing the egg, the family makes an offering and prayer to the guardian spirit of each mountain, requesting their assistance and support. If the egg breaks, a chicken is sacrificed and offered to the guardian spirit of the mountain in thanks. Sometimes it can take four or five days to complete the entire ceremony. Many believe that the lu-Mien have settled in many different areas due to the wide dispersal of our ancestors bones in the burial sites.

The elaborateness of the cremation ceremony depends on the money and material resources of the family. Each Iu-Mien is given a spirit name when he is accepted to a certain level of spiritual priest. Women are given their spiritual name after they marry. The spiritual name comes after the clan name.