Hmong Minor at Fresno State

Hmong Minor at Fresno State Welcome to the Hmong Studies Program! Speaking Hmong helps to communicate with relatives & friends, enjoy culture, festivals, and travels to Asia.

Build your language as foundation for success! Learn a Language--Explore the Culture--Connect to Your Roots Promotion of the Hmong Minor at California State University, Fresno

Hmong proverbs reveal something remarkable about Hmong observation skills and wisdom. 🌿Our ancestors closely observed ri...
06/02/2026

Hmong proverbs reveal something remarkable about Hmong observation skills and wisdom. 🌿

Our ancestors closely observed rivers, forests, insects, animals, leaves, seeds, rain, and human behavior. From these observations, they created short expressions carrying deep lessons about life, migration, danger, relationships, justice, survival, and social harmony.

In Hmong thought, nature is not separate from human life. Water teaches adaptation. Trees teach renewal. Bees teach cooperation. Rotten meat attracting flies teaches that every action has a cause and consequence.

These proverbs also show how carefully Hmong people listened to speech, watched human behavior, and reflected on the world around them. Wisdom came not only from books, but from farming, traveling, raising families, solving conflicts, and surviving difficult times.

Though these expressions are short, they preserve generations of knowledge, memory, and ways of thinking. They remind us to observe carefully, think deeply, speak wisely, and live respectfully with others and with nature.

Very ordinary, very simple. We use them almost every day: kawm ntawv, saib ntawv os, sau ntawv mas, twm ntawv ntau ntau,...
06/01/2026

Very ordinary, very simple. We use them almost every day: kawm ntawv, saib ntawv os, sau ntawv mas, twm ntawv ntau ntau, ...

Still, they need to be taught.

Pronounce "AW" as "uh" with a big smile.

This recognition represents much more than a single publication. It reflects years of continuous learning, professional ...
06/01/2026

This recognition represents much more than a single publication. It reflects years of continuous learning, professional growth, and a commitment to improving my skills as a teacher, researcher, writer, and translator. It also reflects my ongoing efforts to strengthen and expand the Hmong Program at Fresno State, creating opportunities for current and future students to study the Hmong language and culture at the university level.

In higher education, publications are among the highest forms of professional recognition. They represent the creation and sharing of knowledge that can benefit students, scholars, and communities beyond the classroom. A publication is not only evidence of expertise; it is also a contribution to a larger intellectual conversation.

I am especially grateful to Kao Kalia Yang for recommending me for this project. The English translation of HMONG: A Graphic History by writer and artist Vicky Lyfoung was included among Fresno State's Outstanding Faculty Publications. Translating this important work from French into English allowed me to help make Hmong history and experiences accessible to a wider audience.

I thank Fresno State, my colleagues, my students, my family, and the Hmong community for their support throughout this journey. This recognition encourages me to continue learning, publishing, and building resources for future generations.

Kao-Ly Yang, PhD
Lecturer of Hmong & Coordinator of the Hmong Studies Program
California State University, Fresno

Allow me to share with you my joy of going buy vegetables at Tajlaj Muas Loob yesterday. There is a special joy in findi...
06/01/2026

Allow me to share with you my joy of going buy vegetables at Tajlaj Muas Loob yesterday. There is a special joy in finding vegetables that belong to our memories. 🌿

A bunch of zaub txhwb, a basket of zaub paj, fresh dib, taub, or qos liab are not only foods. They awaken our senses: the colors we recognize immediately, the smell of a market or a family garden, the taste of childhood meals, and the sounds of conversations around the table.

Food connects the eyes, the hands, the nose, the tongue, and the heart.

For many Hmong families, these vegetables are also part of our stories. They remind us of parents, grandparents, gardens, markets, celebrations, and ordinary days made meaningful by sharing a meal together.

The joy of eating Hmong food is more than satisfying hunger. It is the joy of remembering, belonging, and continuing a living culture.

To be Hmong is not only to speak a language or wear traditional clothing. It is also to recognize these vegetables, to know how they are cooked, to share them with others, and to carry forward the memories and knowledge that come with them.

🌿 The taste of a people is also part of the memory of a people.

05/31/2026

Don't always trust ..(woman's version)
Proverb “Pom nquab ya, tsis pom nquab zes” (“You see the pigeon fly, but you do not see its nest”) is to teach an important lesson about human judgment and appearances.

Today’s poster explores how to name male and female animals in Hmong:👉 Yuav hu niam txiv tsiaj li cas?Some animal pairs ...
05/30/2026

Today’s poster explores how to name male and female animals in Hmong:
👉 Yuav hu niam txiv tsiaj li cas?

Some animal pairs follow regular patterns:
🐈txiv miv / maum miv
🐕‍🦺txiv dev / maum dev

Others preserve older and more specialized vocabulary:
🐓lau qab / poj qaib
🐷taw npua / maum npua

Language keeps memories of culture, farming, and everyday life inside words. ✨

Do you know other Hmong animal pairs used in your family or region?
Please share them in the comments so we can learn together! 🐓🐖🐕🐎🐂

Nyob zoo,There are still seats for these courses of Hmong for beginners at Fresno City College.If you have any questions...
05/30/2026

Nyob zoo,
There are still seats for these courses of Hmong for beginners at Fresno City College.

If you have any questions, let me know.

Nyob zoo rua mej suav dlawg,Ca kuv qha rua mej txug kev muaj nqe qha ntawv Moob. Txhawb mej cov mivnyuas kuam puab kawm ...
05/29/2026

Nyob zoo rua mej suav dlawg,
Ca kuv qha rua mej txug kev muaj nqe qha ntawv Moob. Txhawb mej cov mivnyuas kuam puab kawm ntawv Moob. Thaum puab laug, puab txhaj le nkaag sab rua mej lub neej.

Nyob zoo rau nej sawv daws,
Cia kuv qhia rau nej txog kev muaj nqis qhia ntawv Hmoob. Txhawb nej cov menyuam kom lawv kawm ntawv Hmoob. Thaum nej laus ces lawv thiaj li nkag siab rau nej lub neej.

Tus neeg sau thiab ua cov duab no: Dr. Kao-Ly Yang (Nkauj hli)

05/29/2026

Don't always trust what you see ..
Proverb “Pom nquab ya, tsis pom nquab zes” (“You see the pigeon fly, but you do not see its nest”) is to teach an important lesson about human judgment and appearances.

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