The Split Horn: Life Of A Hmong Shaman In America

TheSplit Hornchronicles the seventeen-year journey of a Hmong shaman and his family transplanted from the mountains of Laos to Appleton, Wisconsin. As a shaman, Paja Thao ministers to the physical and spiritual needs of friends and family with elaborate rituals that bridge the natural and spirit worlds. His young daughter’s narration provides insight into the transition from an Asian village to Middle America.

To his dismay, Paja’s children are losing touch with their family’s ancient traditions as they turn to TV, computer games, and Christianity. Only his youngest daughter, age fourteen, who studies Hmong traditional dance, seems interested in her culture. Paja’s sixteen-year-old son, Xue, works at the local pizza parlor and spends most of this time with his American girlfriend, and Paja’s concern about family unity deepen when Xue reveals his girlfriend is pregnant.

Saddened by the splintering of his family, Paja conducts a ceremony and while in trance, discovering that his own soul has strayed from his body. He spirals into depression and spends a year unable to heal himself or perform rituals for others. Ultimately, his personal crisis sets off a family and community response that helps restore the shaman’s strength and reunite his family.

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