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An incisive look at Hmong religion in the United States, where
resettled refugees found creative ways to maintain their
traditions, even as Christian organizations deputized by the
government were granted an outsized influence on the refugees' new
lives. Every year, members of the Hmong Christian Church of God in
Minneapolis gather for a cherished Thanksgiving celebration. But
this Thanksgiving takes place in the spring, in remembrance of the
turbulent days in May 1975 when thousands of Laotians were
evacuated for resettlement in the United States. For many Hmong,
passage to America was also a spiritual crossing. As they found
novel approaches to living, they also embraced Christianity-called
kev cai tshiab, "the new way"-as a means of navigating their
complex spiritual landscapes. Melissa May Borja explores how this
religious change happened and what it has meant for Hmong culture.
American resettlement policies unintentionally deprived Hmong of
the resources necessary for their time-honored rituals, in part
because these practices, blending animism, ancestor worship, and
shamanism, challenged many Christian-centric definitions of
religion. At the same time, because the government delegated much
of the resettlement work to Christian organizations, refugees
developed close and dependent relationships with Christian groups.
Ultimately the Hmong embraced Christianity on their own terms,
adjusting to American spiritual life while finding opportunities to
preserve their customs. Follow the New Way illustrates America's
wavering commitments to pluralism and secularism, offering a
much-needed investigation into the public work done by religious
institutions with the blessing of the state. But in the creation of
a Christian-inflected Hmong American animism we see the resilience
of tradition-how it deepens under transformative conditions.
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