When I received my tax newsletter about Farm/Military Tax Relief Acts of 2008, I immediately thought of my neighbor down the road. The email read,
Congress Enacts Farm Bill Overriding Bush Veto; The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, also known as the Farm Bill, has finally been enacted into law. The Senate on May 22 successfully overrode President Bush’s May 21 veto of the bill by a convincing 82-13 vote. The House overrode the veto the day earlier by a lopsided margin of 316-108. What does this mean?
Impact, The Farm Act’s tax title provides significant benefits to farmers, ranchers, and timber producers, while raising revenue from certain gentlemen farmers, ethanol producers, and large corporations. The environment and the nation’s food supply, however, may prove to be the biggest winners.
My neighbor is not a farmer by trade, so this wouldn’t help him much. He is Hmong, and has been living down the road from us for about 8 years. We were curious as to what he is doing down there, debating on what he is growing in what appears to be a rice paddy. What got most of us curious is the amount of water he has in his field, and the raised borders around it. Of course, as a former farmer’s daughter, I have answers for those curious lookers, which are my co-workers and my boss.
My boss thought that the water is to prevent the weed from growing, which I thought is rather funny, but I offered an answer that I thought was the most sensible at the time and that the raised borders are made to collect the rain water, but my boss didn’t think it makes sense, so I offered to find out for him, but years after years, I never have the courage to do so.
Then last year his wife came to apply for a job, I begged one of the supervisors to hire her, and she did, but not because of my begging, but because she has a good work history. I finally had a chance to ask her if I could go down to take some pictures of her husband’s rice paddy, she couldn’t speak Lao, but was about to speak English and said that I could.
During my lunch break, I walked to this rice paddy, her husband came to open the door, and luckily he could speak Lao. He said he grows sticky rice (sweet rice), and purple rice, and the water is to prevent the weed from growing (I hate it when I’m wrong, I need to tell my boss that he is right). I asked if the raised borders help to collect enough rainwater, and he said with the drought that we had the last couple of years, it was not enough.
I noticed that he didn’t have any fish in his rice paddy, but I spotted many tadpoles. The harvest time is around mid August.
He has some Koi fish, and this plant is an herb used in chicken soup. I’ve never seen it before but it smells real nice. He said that many Hmong grow their own rice.
A little history: The Hmong are a Southeast Asian mountain people who came to the aid of the United State in the Vietnam War. When US were forced to withdraw the Hmong were abandoned, persecuted by the Communists for helping the US, and forced into refugee camps in Thailand. In the mid 1970’s the US recognized its debt to them and began resettling some of them in this country. Of approximately 300,000 Hmong living in the US, more than 100,000 live in California; about 60,000 in the Central Valley.
Nomads, the Hmong are known for packing what they can carry, and heading off on foot in search of new places to settle. With a tradition of large families and few modern skills, survival in cities is difficult. With little English, most get on low-wage jobs, and can’t support a family. The Hmong have farmed for hundreds of years, which is why so many find the Central Valley an ideal location. There are over 1,200 Hmong families farming in the Valley.
More photos of Rice Paddies from Laos (see below for photo credits.)
Photo credits:
- Rice paddies in Laos photo by megan tapley at Flickr
- Rice planting photo by tashandsmoked at Flickr
- Laos photo by glorrrrr at Flickr
- Family resting while working in rice paddy photo by Grant and Melanie at Flickr
- Girl in rice paddies photo by huggy47 at Flickr
- Rice paddies, ban na photo by huggy47 at Flickr
- Rice Paddy in Vientiane photo by Fiona Louise at Flickr
- Hunter in the rice paddies photo by Lisa and Alec at Flickr
14 comments
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June 4, 2008 at 4:49 am
giiid
Your articles are very interesting, and your photos beautiful. I enjoy both. I have made a link to your blog.
Greetings Birgitte, Denmark,
June 4, 2008 at 7:41 am
Ginger
Hi Birgitte, thanks for your visit. Your blog is also interesting and have beautiful photos, it’s interesting how we can share our photos and experiences just by blogging. I also add you to my blogroll
June 4, 2008 at 9:45 am
hmongpros
Where is this rice paddy you’re referring to? Is it in Arkansas or in the Carolinas? Nice photo and please do share more about your site, your neighbor, which I may even know…
Ua tsaug = Thanks!
Ua koj tsaug = Thank you!
Ua meb/neb tsaug = Thank you, you two!
Ua mej/nej tsaug = Thank you all!
-Tzianeng,
White Bear Lake, MN
June 4, 2008 at 10:47 am
ascandaloussin
NIcely done about the Hmong history!!! As a Hmong myself, I never new we were nomads. My parents had never said anything about us migrating from place to place besides the mirgrat from China to Laos/Thailand after teh war between the Hmong and the Chinese. From as long as I’ve known it we had always settle down up in the mtns and farm, we settle villiages and stay there. Hey I guess I had learn something…
The rice paddy reminds me of my old backyard. My parents had acres and acres of rice paddy, they are rather pretty from start to end of the harvest season. My parents had said with a dry rice paddy, there are more work to do, so they always insist on doing a water rice paddy.
You should really try spending a couple of hours working on the field. My parent’s used to make me help them, it’s a great experience, but pretty tiring!
June 4, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Ginger
Hi hmongpros, Ua tsaug for your visit. It’s not in Arkansas, but I’m wondering why you guess the Carolinas, must be the reflection of the Carolina blue sky in the fishpond.
When I last spoke to my neighbor, he said that many of his Hmong friends grow their own rice if they have about 2 or more acres of land, this one is not real big, and not enough to feed his family, and I think he is only planting rice as a hobby because he works second shift. I didn’t dare ask to take his photo, he might be camera shy, but he is real nice and said that I can come and take the picture anytime. I will do 2 or 3 more posts until harvest time in mid August.
Hi ascandaloussin, the history is from Hmong American Community, Inc., very interesting information, and I learn something new also. I knew a little bit about the Hmong culture from reading a Thai Book that they made into a movie called Tai Far See Kram (Underneath The Blue Sky).
My parents were farmer when we lived in Thailand, so I’m familiar with the rice planting and harvesting. I don’t know if my neighbor will let me help, I would love to help them harvest, seeing their rice paddy everyday is making me homesick.
June 4, 2008 at 8:36 pm
ascandaloussin
your comment to Hmongpro, they don’t actaually grow their own rice, with what they can grow would not last them an entire year, so it is only for feasting.
Interesting, I think i should check out that movie! I am a big thai lakorn fan, so I am sure I can watch this movie, it’s just the matter of finding the movie. It’s harder to find Thai movies then it is to find Thai lakorn.
When and if your neighbors allow you to help with their rice paddy, it would be a great experience. I was born in Laos, but I was too young to know the place, but I do hope one day, I would be able to go to both Laos and Thailand, those two places are just so beautiful.
June 4, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Ginger
Ascandaloussin wrote: your comment to Hmongpro, they don’t actaually grow their own rice, with what they can grow would not last them an entire year, so it is only for feasting.
Yes, might be because his land is not that big, and he has a large (extended) family. Sometimes I think we do certain thing, such as growing rice, or growing Asian vegetables not because we make profit from it or even having enough to eat, but we do it more so for our souls, it’s the connection that made us feel like we’re at home (in a strange land), we’re doing what we do best, and this is something that I can understand and relate to because I was also born in Laos, seeing someone doing something like this always made me smile, the world seems like a nicer place to live, it’s especially great early in the morning when I get to work, I could hear their roosters crowing.
Tai Far See Kram (Underneath The Blue Sky)
The book/movie is about P’ek Hmong, he went to a university in town and fell in love with a Thai N’ek. After graduation, she followed him home to a small village, they got married. He was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to live with his family, so he built her a new hut, and it was a big adjustment for her. He was faithful to her, even though in the Hmong culture, the men can have more than one wife, and I don’t know how true this is, but the girl can choose her man before she settles down. N’ek new life is peaceful, except for the part that N’rai is trying to steal P’ek, and made N’ek run back home (I think she is also pregnant,) and she finally did. But P’ek went and try to get her back but his trip was not successful, then N’ek realized that she loves P’ek and decided to give up the conveniences of the city life just to be with him.
I think that’s how it goes, it has been over 20 years since I read it,
I don’t even know if I still have the book, I moved so many times.I found the book, I’ll post the cover for you to see, P’ek’s name is Lee Jang, and N’ek Mutharee.June 4, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Tai Far See Kram (Underneath The Blue Sky), « Nye Noona
[...] June 4, 2008 in Book Tags: Thai Book This is an interesting Thai book about a Hmong man sharing his life with a Thai woman, Tai Far See Kram (Underneath The Blue Sky), summary posted here. [...]
June 6, 2008 at 2:47 am
lyn
thank you Nye Noona, I beginning to appreciate your blog more and more every time I visit.
June 6, 2008 at 6:54 am
Ginger
Lyn, thanks for your visit and kind words. I enjoy writing blog and love reading and doing research, it helps put things into perspective for me, I think we blog about the things that we enjoy most, as your blog is a great Lakorn blog.
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