“Our ancestors hold the key to our identity, and through their stories we learn ours.”  – Unknown

I grew up thinking that I was an immigrant. I thought my parents came to the U.S. to embark on a journey to fulfill their own aspirations. I thought they were choosing to seek opportunities that were beyond their borders and available only in the land of the free and home of the brave. It wasn’t until I was much older when I started asking more questions, when I learned that there is a clear distinction between an “immigrant” and a “refugee.”

I am a refugee. I am Iu Mien.

In 2006, I decided to visit the homeland of my ancestors in order to feed my own curiosity about the ”who, what, when, where, and why” of the Iu Mien.  I studied abroad at Peking University (北京大学) from 2006 to 2007.  During my undergraduate studies, I encountered many people who asked what nationality I am.  你是哪国人？In actuality, they wanted to know what ethnicity I am. Very few thought I was Chinese.  Most assumed I was Vietnamese. When I told them I was American, some were immediately surprised and asked how could that be since I have the black hair, a petite stature, and the face of someone from the East, not the West? I couldn’t claim I was Thai. Sure, I was born in Thailand, but I left the country at age two and never learned the language or culture.  Could I tell them I was Chinese?  I knew my ancestors descended from China, but how long ago and exactly from where, I wasn’t sure. I realized then that my uncertainty about my identity was the reason I was in China.

Fast forward one decade to the present!  I am a wife, a proud mother of two, and a graduate student at Guangxi University for Nationalities (广西民族大学, GXUN), located in Nanning, China.  GXUN, also known as MinDa (民大), is nestled in the province of Guangxi, located in the southern part of China.  Remarkably, this very province is where my earliest recorded ancestors found their resting place!   I believe that our ancestors are always watching over us, guiding us and protecting us.  Although I knew that our people had once settled in Guangxi, with Iu Mien villages still thriving today, it was only when I stood on the very soil they once walked upon that I discovered my direct ancestors had been buried here.  My ancestors brought me back to my homeland so I can honor their lives and give them a voice.  

Honor the lives of your ancestors and give them a voice! Go to my Research Project: “Ancestral Maps” post to learn about my current research project!