kuv xav hai tia no tej zaum nws yuav yog ib qhov kev paub me ua kuv tau khaw cia thiab

  Until 1999, the Hmong people have lived without an archive of our own. The reasons can be found in our history. Over 5,000 years ago the Hmong, once highly developed with a rich culture in northeast China under the leadership of the Hmong king Chiyou, were invaded, conquered, and suppressed by the expansionist Chinese. Our civilization was taken away.

The Hmong were forced to migrate to southern China and some eventually arrived in Southeast Asia. In Laos, we were drawn into the Indochinese War on the side of the French and later of the Americans. When the communists took over Laos in 1975, we began to disperse to many parts of the world. Now we can be found in China, Vietnam, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, French Guyana, Argentina, Canada, and the United States.

The Hmong have already lost much of our history over the years because historical records and artifacts have been neglected, thrown away, lost or destroyed. Through the Hmong Nationality Archives we want to locate and make available the remaining materials in order to ensure that they are properly handled and preserved. This way the vital heritage of our nationality will not be destroyed or forgotten.