The Hmong (Meo) live in houses that sit right on the ground, not on stilts as do most on the other tribes. However, the main floor of their houses is not at ground level, but rests upon a kind of above-ground basement or root cellar that they use for food storage. Moreover, their house-fronts slope outward and downward, an architectural feature that is the trademark of their villages.

The Hmong , even more than the other tribes, practice a strict male-female division of labor. One custom that especially illustrates this is that of giving a newborn boy a gift of metal from which he will one they forge a weapon, whereas newborn girls receive no special gift.

The Hmong are a diligent, patient, and independent people, fond of wearing their silver ornaments during ceremonies and much devoted to the sky spirit they believe has created both the world and their own ancient way of life.

• TRADITIONAL LOCATION(S): Eastern and Central sectional of Thailand
• MAJOR TRIBAL DIVISIONS: Blue Hmong (Mong Njua) & White Hmong (Mong Deaw) - all in 12 Clans.
• POPULATION: (1992) est.: 68,000 in Thailand but estimates fluctuate due to unrestricted border crossings to Laos.
• LANGUAGE(S): Miao-Yao grouping of the Sino-Tibetan family.
• FAMILY GROUP: Extended Family: parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and children.
• RELIGION: Traditional: Animists. Transitory: less than 1% Christian
• VILLAGE SETTLEMENTS: High in the lee of a mountain; some now swell in secluded low land areas.

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