Date: January 31st, 2026 12:59 PM
Author: zombie-like messiness
https://www.facebook.com/groups/133366264065696/posts/1958024978266473/
Eh Xiong
February 15, 2025
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***** Polygamy in Hmong Culture *****
My friend Maiko Vue recently brought up a practice that remains an Achilles’ heel in the Hmong community worldwide. Her observations are spot-on, and I’ve included a link to her comments below.
When it comes to the reasoning behind polygamy from the man’s perspective, power, status, and dominance are the primary factors. However, I believe there are multiple reasons why polygamy persists in our culture—including among Hmong people in the U.S. What baffles me, and many others, is how widely accepted this practice remains within our community.
If I had to pinpoint one key reason why polygamy continues, it’s because Hmong men know they can get away with it. We allow it, we tolerate it, and we turn a blind eye.
This is where the 18 Clan Council in Minnesota has a crucial role to play. The council should amend its bylaws to include a formal decree stating that any Hmong man found to have more than one wife under cultural practices should be reported to U.S. authorities for prosecution. We cannot hide behind weak cultural justifications and claim that as long as a man is legally married to only one wife on paper, nothing can be done—even when the entire community knows he has multiple wives.
The 18 Clan Council should actively encourage the City Prosecutor to pursue cases against known polygamists in our community. We all know who they are. All it would take is one successful prosecution to send shockwaves throughout the Hmong community in the U.S. and beyond. This would be a significant step toward ensuring that our girls and women no longer feel like second-class citizens.
Until we have a prosecutor willing to hold the 18 Clan Council accountable and ask, "By Hmong cultural standards and community knowledge, is Mr. Xiong married to two wives?"—polygamy will continue to thrive in our community.
Please, no anonymous hate mail. If you have criticism, share it openly so we can have a constructive discussion.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5829143&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5301927#49635894)