Anthro fieldnotes
Define and give a bit of its significance, such what these people/things/practices/rules are and do in the book (go to other side of page or a new one if necessary):
Txiv neeb
A shaman who was believed to have the ability to enter a trance and negotiate for his patient’s health. Was mainly used by Hmong people who couldn’t conceive children.
dab a malevolent spirit that was detaining a child birth.
hu plig soul calling, which in Laos was always the third day after child birth.
Are qaug dab peg and epilepsy the same thing? Write how you think each one is the same or different.
They are basically the same thing because they both refer to an illness.
Quad dab peg means the spirit catches you and you fall down.
(Chapter 4) What were some of the refugees’ conceptions of Western doctors and the health care system? Why were txiv neebs better than doctors?
They thought the Western doctors would chop them up and eat them or sell them as food.
Txiv neebs were better than doctors because they would go to the patient’s homes instead of making them go to the hospital. They also came up with diagnostics rather quickly.
In chapter 2, Fadiman discusses soupe de poisson (fish soup). Why do you think Fadiman finds it significant? Why use it to talk about Hmong history? What histories do we learn about in this brief chapter?
Fadiman finds it interesting because you can’t catch a fish without a pole, and for a pole you need a hook, and for the hook you need to know what kind of fish you are catching and so on. In the short histories you learn about the violent past of the Hmong people and what happened in China.
How did you feel when the court ordered Lia Lee to be taken away from her parents (p. 59)? Do you believe it was the right decision? Was any other solution possible in the situation?
I believe it was unfair because they were only doing in what they
Txiv neeb
A shaman who was believed to have the ability to enter a trance and negotiate for his patient’s health. Was mainly used by Hmong people who couldn’t conceive children.
dab a malevolent spirit that was detaining a child birth.
hu plig soul calling, which in Laos was always the third day after child birth.
Are qaug dab peg and epilepsy the same thing? Write how you think each one is the same or different.
They are basically the same thing because they both refer to an illness.
Quad dab peg means the spirit catches you and you fall down.
(Chapter 4) What were some of the refugees’ conceptions of Western doctors and the health care system? Why were txiv neebs better than doctors?
They thought the Western doctors would chop them up and eat them or sell them as food.
Txiv neebs were better than doctors because they would go to the patient’s homes instead of making them go to the hospital. They also came up with diagnostics rather quickly.
In chapter 2, Fadiman discusses soupe de poisson (fish soup). Why do you think Fadiman finds it significant? Why use it to talk about Hmong history? What histories do we learn about in this brief chapter?
Fadiman finds it interesting because you can’t catch a fish without a pole, and for a pole you need a hook, and for the hook you need to know what kind of fish you are catching and so on. In the short histories you learn about the violent past of the Hmong people and what happened in China.
How did you feel when the court ordered Lia Lee to be taken away from her parents (p. 59)? Do you believe it was the right decision? Was any other solution possible in the situation?
I believe it was unfair because they were only doing in what they