My Shaman Lineage

Peb caj ces neeb yog neeb txwv zeej, txwv txoob, ntoo thiv hau dub, lub rooj neeb luv, ntaug rooj. Kuv caj ces neeb los ntawm peb Yawg Koob Suav Tub Lis, yug rau xyoo 1915 /1920, nyob rau hauv Xam Neua, Houaphan Province, Laos. Nws txiv, los sis kuv Yawg Suab, yog Yawg Txawj Liag Lis. Tom qab xyoo 1930s, peb Yawg Suab Txawj Liag Lis coj peb tsev neeg khiav raws cov kwv tij mus rau Pov Kaws in Luang Prabang, Laos. Yawg Koob Suav Tub Lis thiab Pog Koob Zuag Lauj nkawm mam log yug kuv Yawg Vaj Tsheej Lis nyob rau Os Las, Laos, rau xyoo 1945. Kuv pog thiab kuv yawg nkawm mam los sau lub neej thiab yug tau kuv hlob thiab kuv txiv nyob rau Haim Xaub, Laos.

Hmong shaman lineages are uniquely defined by our shaman veil, our master, and our family ancestry. Shamanism runs deeply through my family bloodline. The last shaman in my direct lineage was my great-grandfather, Shoua Tou Lee, born around 1915 / 1920 era and in Xam Neua, Houaphan Province, Laos. Our lineage is marked by wearing a black veil and using a short shaman bench, following the traditions of ancestral shamanism. My grandpa assisted his dad in the rituals.

In the 1930s, my great-great-grandfather, Txawj Lia Lee, relocated his family to Pov Kaws, Luang Prabang, Laos, following relatives. Shortly after, great-grandfather Shoua Tou Lee and great-grandmother Zoua Lor followed the Lor in-laws and had my grandfather, Vang Cheng Lee, in Os Las, Laos, in 1945. My grandparents married in 1964 and had my eldest uncle and my dad in Haim Xaub, Laos. According to my grandma, my great-grandpa Shoua Tou Lee was already a shaman when she married my grandpa in 1964. She recalls my grandpa mentioning that his dad became a shaman at a young age. She recalls my great grandpa Shoua Tou Lee's loud and bold chanting during shamanic rituals.

My grandpa occasionally spoke about his father to me but it wasn't often. He would say, "When you perform ua neeb, you're loud like my dad was," or, "You stomp the shaman bench hard like your great-grandpa." I would joke with him, asking if he could be my assistant because the younger generation doesn't listen well to my chants. He would laugh and say that those days were long behind him.

My grandpa used to say, "Ua li qhov koj paub thiab txawj xwb. Dab neeb qhia li cas ces ua li ntawd. Nws thiab li yog qhov tseeb," which translates to, "Just do what you know and are capable of. Whatever your shaman spirits teach you, just follow them. This way you stay on the true path." He would often remind me, "Make sure you stay in the middle of the bench. Feel with your feet when you're over the bench." Before every ritual, he meticulously examined the altar to ensure everything was ready. He would strike the gong a few times to check its sound, nod in approval, and then sit back and listen. I often wondered if he ever thought about his own father, if he recalled the hundreds of times he accompanied him to people's homes, helping as his father jumped and stomped on the shaman bench. Or if, when looking at my altar, he remembered how his father's altar looked. I often wondered if he worried that his great grandson had to carry the lineage, or that he felt proud someone was chosen to carry his father's lineage.

My grandpa is no longer with us, but he safeguarded my great-grandpa Shoua Tou Lee's shaman bell, the only remaining artifact from our ancestors. The farthest generation we can go back to is my great, great grandpa's generation, Yawg Suab Txawj Liag Lis. Prior to this knowledge, we know little about our family whereabouts. What we can put together is that our family came from China to Vietnam and stayed there for a generation. In the 1870s, our family migrated from Vietnam to Laos. From 1870s to 1915, we do not know the whereabouts until when my great grandfather was born anywhere from 1915 - 1925 in Xam Neua, Houaphan Province, Laos. I am blessed that my grandpa entrusted me with this precious heirloom. This shaman bell connects me to my ancestral roots from that era, serving as a seed for our shaman lineage and ensuring that future shamans maintain a bond with our heritage. It is the only remaining answer we have to our elders. When my time comes, I will also pass it down to the next shaman in our family.

TFL Hmong Shaman