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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

agentive Hmong, memory, minorities, lychee orchards

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Anthropology

Abstract

Racialized environmentalism and politicized economics converged in July and August, 2000, when a coalition of Thai farmers, Royal Forestry Department (RFD) and other government officials blocked off roads leading to Hmong farms in the mountains in Thailand. This coalition collaboratively targeted Hmong lychee orchards that had almost reached maturation (it takes lychee trees 10 years to fully mature). According to my respondents, the Thais who cut down the trees came from three mountain villages that overlook the mountain valley where the fields are. Similarly, the RFD office is in the mountains near one village and overlooking the fields. According to Hmong, these local Thais identified Hmong fields and cut down Hmong lychee trees, leaving Thais and other ethnicities’ orchards standing. Sitting in front of his small shop thirteen years later, one man said “It was very sad. I cried and cried. Tears filled my eyes and I cried a lot.”

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