Re: MItzvah music and dance

[Alex J. Lubet <lubet001...>]

There are some Hmong who believe themselves to be descended from the '
lost tribes of Israel '.  From what I know, which is limited, these
folks are among the 10 percent of Hmong who have converted to
Christianity.  Those couple of cultural connections I cited are probably
coincidental.  What isn't coincidental is that their immigrant
experience, efforts to preserve their language, notions of diaspora and
Zion (their homeland in Laos), large commitment to social service, both
on behalf of themselves and the general community, and tendency towards
liberal Democratic politics are all things we can relate to.  Not
wanting to get us off the topic of music, one of my major performing
endeavors is a duo with a Hmong spoken word artist.  There are
definitely Jewish elements in the work I do in this ensemble and we
recently performed for Shabbat service at the local Jewish Humanist
congregation.

As far as I can tell, the Hmong language is Yiddish read from left to
right with four tones and no vowels.  (Just kidding, I think.)



Lori Cahan-Simon wrote:

> Are you saying that they think they are Jewish or that there are
> similarities in culture?
>
> Alex J. Lubet wrote:
>
>> There are Hmong who refer to themselves as the 13th tribe.  Those
>> who adhere to
>> the traditional Hmong religion still sacrifice animals.  A Hmong
>> elder I know
>> claims they shlog kapores.  Easy to see why I enjoy them so much.
>>
>>
>>
>> Leonard Koenick wrote:
>>
>>
>> > To stretch this thread (Pun intended) even farther, I have some
>> > cross-stitched cloths created by the Hmong that I use as Challah
>> > covers.
>> > Most would say it is Bedouin.
>> >
>> > Leonard
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
>> > [mailto:owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org]On Behalf Of Alex J. Lubet
>> > Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2002 6:50 PM
>> > To: World music from a Jewish slant
>> > Subject: Re: MItzvah music and dance
>> >
>> > Thank you, Leonard.  This will enable me to tell a funny, if
>> > tangential,
>> > story.
>> > In one of my other lives, I am active in work on behalf of the
>> > Hmong
>> > community,
>> > who came to the United States as refugees from Southeast Asia,
>> > having fought
>> > on
>> > the American side during the Indochinese war.  Traditional Hmong
>> > music, even
>> > if
>> > in
>> > strumental, is so married to the Hmong language that Hmong people
>> > at one
>> > time
>> > did not regard it as music at all, and credited American GI's with
>> > introducing
>> > them to music, that is, '60s rock music.  I was performing any
>> > fundraiser
>> > for a
>> > Hmong women's organization once in one of the other acts was a
>> > Hmong rock
>> > band.
>> > While much of their repertoire was their own Indochinese brand of
>> > rock, they
>> > also did American songs from the '60s which had become icons in
>> > their
>> > culture.
>> > One of these was Chubby Checker's Limbo Rock, which they played for
>> > the
>> > traditional Hmong dance!  At least they knew their own dance, even
>> > if the
>> > tune
>> > had changed!  I didn't hear it that night, but I have been informed
>> > that Roy
>> > Orbison has also become a Hmong cultural icon.  Think Pretty Woman
>> > in a
>> > language
>> > with four tones.
>> >
>> > Leonard Koenick wrote:
>> >
>> >
>> >>  A few comments that I hope are at least mildly related:
>> >>
>> >>  It is not just our Jewish community that has lost the ability to
>> >>  do its
>> >>  social dances.  The general population has done the same.  I
>> >>  trace that
>> >>
>> > back
>> >
>> >>  to Chubby Checkers and the Twist as the beginning of the
>> >>  inability of
>> >>
>> > people
>> >
>> >>  to dance together.
>> >>
>> >>  Don't be too quick to believe that other ethnic groups have
>> >>  maintained
>> >>
>> > their
>> >
>> >>  own ability to dance to their historic cultures.  A few years ago
>> >>  I went
>> >>
>> > to
>> >
>> >>  a nightclub in Philadelphia for what was called "Greek Night"
>> >>  with a minor
>> >>  apprehension that I was going to a fraternity party.  Busloads of
>> >>  Greeks
>> >>
>> > had
>> >
>> >>  chartered the place.  The music was fine but the only dancing
>> >>  that was
>> >>
>> > done
>> >
>> >>  was the same as current popular dancing. I.e. standing alone and
>> >>  bouncing
>> >>
>> > up
>> >
>> >>  and down.  The only difference was a sop to tradition by holding
>> >>  their
>> >>
>> > arms
>> >
>> >>  over their heads while dancing.  All the same regardless of the
>> >>  tune.
>> >>
>> >>  Leonard Koenick
>> >>
>> >>
>> > --
>> > Alex Lubet, Ph. D.
>> > Morse Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of Music
>> > Adjunct Professor of American and Jewish Studies
>> > Head, Division Of Composition and Music Theory
>> > University of Minnesota
>> > 2106 4th St. S
>> > Minneapolis, MN 55455
>> > 612 624-7840 612 624-8001 (fax)
>> >
>> >
>> --
>> Alex Lubet, Ph. D.
>> Morse Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of Music
>> Adjunct Professor of American and Jewish Studies
>> Head, Division Of Composition and Music Theory
>> University of Minnesota
>> 2106 4th St. S
>> Minneapolis, MN 55455
>> 612 624-7840 612 624-8001 (fax)
>>
>>
>> ---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
>> ---------------------+
>>