Religion

The official religion of Jiulie is "Ua Neeb". Though it has three forms, the most original form "Ua Neeb" itself, "Roj Paj Cai" a reformed version and "Huab Tais" a Christian influenced religion. Ua Neeb varies in a degree of philosophy and religion and is widely practiced by Jielie people.

In 1990-1993 Christians begins hostile attacks against Ua Neeb followers, in 2006-2008 an uprising of Christians begins another attack on Ua Neeb temples and burning in the cities.

Ua Neeb


Main Article: Ua Neeb and Dieties

Ua Neeb (Kaulim: 외넝) For followers of traditional Hmong spirituality, the healer is a healing practitioner who acts as an intermediary between the spirit and material world. Treatment might include herbal remedies or offerings of joss paper money or livestock. In cases of serious illness, the healer enters a trance and travels through the spirit world to discern the cause and remedy of the problem, usually involving the loss of a soul.

This ceremony, called "ua neeb", consists of several parts. The first part of the process is "ua neeb Saib": examining the spiritual aura of the situation to determine what the factors are.

If during ua neeb Saib the healer observes something seriously wrong with the individual, such as a soul having lost its way home and got caught by some spiritual being, the healer will end the first part of the ceremony process by negotiating with the spiritual being ("whoever that has control of this individual soul") to release the soul; most of the time this will do. After that, the healer would lead the soul to its home.

After a waiting period, if the sick individual becomes well, then the second part of the ceremony, referred to as ua neeb kho, will be performed, in which joss paper or livestock is used to protect the individual's sole from future illness.

Not everyone gets to become a healer; they spiritually inherit the skill through their family. Typically, there is strong chance for an individual to become a healer if their family history contains healer. This is due to the belief that ancestral spirits, including the spirits of healer, are reincarnated into the same family tree. People that inherit the skills to become a healer often experience symptoms of unexplained physical illness, bi-polar personality, and multi-personality/ schizophrenia. In reality, these symptoms are the result of the healer guides trying to get through to the Healer-to-be person. For those that still practice Ua Neeb, they're able to recognize these symptoms and cure their loved ones by helping them develop into full fledged Shamans. For those that don't practice Ua Neeb, they often turn to Christian exorcism, western medicine, and psych wards. For the few that become Hmong Healers, it is considered an honor to help their own.

Rog Paj Cai
Roj Paj Cai (Kaulim: 라배체) Literally meaning "War of the Flowering Law" is an oath to heaven to bases it's religious meaning on the four focused elements of Ua Neeb, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. It was first philosophized by Scholar Txiameng to combine a harmonic beleif of the four essencesd religions. With the spiritual beleifs of Taoism from Tsang Ku Lao, the social structures of Confucianism and a harmonic lifestyle of Buddhism. Rog Paj Cai also uses the Taeryoeng Honour Codes among their society. Though westerner may see his as nationalism, the Jiulie people see this as a form of kinship loyalty.

Buddhism of the belief of Karma and Reincarnation, Taoism of balancing life and that we must accept what life has brought down to us, Confucianism on social structure and ancestor veneration.

See Also: Temple of Chu

Huab Tais
Main Article: Christianity Huab Tais (Kaulim: 호와똬아) A recent introduction of a new religion, Christianity was brought by French missionaries in the late 1800's. Now it has been infused with both Ua Neeb and Christinanity and to some degree, Lutheran and Catholic. Four thousand years of oppression and broken promises have not destroyed hope in the Hmong people. The Hmong messianic movement attests to this hope. Some attach it to Christianity, but that would be too shallow. Christianity itself has flourished remarkably among the Hmong. This paper attempts to identify some of these reasons why Christianity has been so successful, what problems it uncovered, and how it has evolved over the years. The success of Christian missionaries among the Hmong is astounding. How do people with 4000 years of preserved culture so readily accept a foreign ideology? Suffice it to say, Christianity has not touched the Hmong without internal conflicts. As old traditions clash with new ones founded in Christianity, the Hmong polarize themselves—an instance not uncommon. The Hmong have a history of disunity. At the same time that Hmong Christians engage their fellow non-Christian brothers and sisters, they are trying to establish a new identity. Conflicts arise when fundamental Asian culture meets fundamental Western culture. Hmong culture is very patriarchal and group-oriented, which clashes with Western individualistic tendencies.

Hauj Sam
Huaj Sam (Kaulim: 호와삼) In 1044 A.D., Anawratha became the king of the Pagan Dynasty. At that time Ari-Buddhism flourished in Pagan. Ari-Buddhism was a mixture of Mahayana Buddhism, Brahmanism and native religion. Some scholars said it was a branch of Tantrism, related very closely to Asarya-Buddhism of Nan Chao and Dali kingdoms in Yunnan. Their main temple is Temple of Huasha.