Xiong JeiVah Family and Traditions!
We welcome you to join us and learn more about our Xiong JeiVah’s family history and traditions. Our family’s history was traced back to our great grandfather who immigrated from China during the early 1800s to Laos. Our great grandfather’s name was JeiVah. In this website, you’ll find information about our ancestors, family roots, leaders and our traditions. Furthermore, we post family news on a regular basis. We invite you to have an open heart and mind to join us in learning and preserving our family history and traditions.
Nyob zoo ib tsoom niamtxiv kwvtij neejtsa sawvdaws, peb tsevneeg Xyooj Ntsaimvab thov caw thiab ua tsaug nej tseem tuaj sojntsuam xyuas txog peb. Peb tsevneeg no yog txheeb rov mus txog rau peb tus yawgkoob uas los tebchaws Suav los ze rau lub sijhawm 1800. Peb tus yawgkoob no muaj lub npe hu ua Ntsaimvab. Nyob rau lub samthiaj chaw sib cuag no, nej yuav nrhiav tau ntau yam qhia txog ntawm peb tsevneeg. Peb muaj qhia txog cajceg, pog yawg, niam txiv, cov coj noj coj ua thiab qhia txog peb tsevneeg tus kevcai dabqhuas. Tsis tas li ntawv, peb muaj xovxwm tshaj tawm rau cov kwvtij sawvdaws. Yog li peb tsevneeg Xyooj Ntsaimvab thov caw nej ua lub siab dawb paug los mus tshawb thiab kawm txog peb.
The Man and His Descendents
JeiVah Xiong was a young Hmong man who migrated from China to northern Laos during the early 1800s. During the early 1800s, the Hmong relocated to Laos both for political and economic reasons. The Chinese and the Hmong for centuries had battled one another for territorial and political power. When the Chinese became victorious and ruled the territories that once was largely occupied by the Hmong, many Hmong had to give up their ways of life. For some, this struggle had led them to look for opportunities elsewhere. The relocation to Laos provided many of them with unoccupied, fertile soils and without any government intervention. Without the constant oppressions from the Chinese, the Hmong were able to enjoy both economic and political freedom once again.
In Laos, the Hmong seldom ran into conflicts with the local tribes because of the different agricultural methods practiced among the ethnics. The Hmong tend to live in the highlands while the local tribes prefer the lowlands. The Hmong farmed on newly cultivated lands on hillsides. The Lao and other ethnics prefer the traditional lowland farming method utilizing water irrigation systems. The Hmong assimilated well into the Lao culture, and for many – were embraced by the locals. By the mid 1900s, many Hmong men became respectable leaders among the ethnics of Laos. This shift in power and economic prosperities among the Hmong clans had also gained the attention of international powers such as the United States of America and France. For decades, both France and the United States had relied heavily on the Hmong for military support in Laos, particularly the French. The majority of the Hmong people lived, farmed and enjoyed their traditional ways of life in Laos for almost two centuries. The Vietnam War between the United States and North Vietnam had ended the Hmong ways of life during the 1960’s when many of the Hmong men joined the US for guerilla warfare support. JeiVah’s descendants continued to prosper in many ways. Some of them had become leaders in Laos for both the Hmong and the local ethnics. Others became successful entrepreneurs and were well – known throughout the regions. After the Vietnam War, many of JeiVah’s families journeyed to Thailand and eventually to America. There are several families that had remained in Laos and Thailand. However, majority of the families, approximately 98%, had taken new residence in the United States of America. The majority of these families reside in Wisconsin and Minnesota. There are several families in Michigan, Missouri and California.
The JeiVah family has stemmed from one married couple during the early 1800’s to nearly 120 families in 2016, and they continue to grow in numbers.
