The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
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The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
What is the job of the txiv neeb?
The txiv neeb is a shaman among the Hmong people whose job is to negotiate for the health of his patients with the spirits who live in the realm of the unseen. A txiv neeb could also perform ceremonies to retrieve errant souls.
Describe the symbolic role of the placenta.
The placenta is considered a baby’s first ‘jacket’ or garment. When one dies their souls must travel around retracing the path of its life geography until it finds the place where the placental jacket was buried. The soul puts on the ‘jacket’ and it is only then that it is allowed to continue its dangerous journey to the place beyond the sky where it can be reunited with the ancestors. From there it will be sent back one day and reborn in a new baby. If a soul fails to find its ‘jacket’ it will continue to wander for eternity, naked and alone.
Describe the History of the conflict of the Hmong people.
The history of conflict of the Hmong people mainly involves a series of bloody scrimmages with the Chinese. In between, there were periods of peace where the Hmong people rebuilt only to be faced with another conflict. The Hmong pe...