Why do so many Hmong people have the name Tua (Tuam/Tuov)?

The Hmong people perform the hu plig ceremony, calling the tus plig spirit to enter the baby's body on the third morning after birth. During the hu plig ceremony, the master of ceremonies names the child with the consent of the parents and the gods and ancestors. If, for some reason, the name is unsuitable for the child, it may cause illness, disease, or stunted growth. Alternatively, if a person's tus plig spirit wanders off, is abducted by the other world, or is marked by some force such as the dragon king zaj laus, the Hmong will change the name.

There are many ways to change names, either through a ritual (ua neeb), or by sneaking into another house and adopting that homeowner as the new parent (niam txwv khuab), or walking along the main road through the village to find a destined person - the first person encountered coming from the opposite direction regardless of gender, ethnicity, and age - to adopt as the new parent (niam txiv khuab).

Once a new name has been given, it means that the person's soul has been renewed and accepted by the spirits through another soul-calling ceremony (hu plig). At that point, the old name will be actively forgotten by the community and the person who received the new name. If someone asks about the person's old name, even if you know it well, you should reply: "The person you were referring to is dead. Now we have someone else named (the new name). Is this the person you wish to meet?" - tus neeg ko twb tuag lawm, txhuab tus hua ua (lub npe tshaib) lawm xwb, koj saib puas yog tus koj nriav maj.

A Hmong male student in Tuong Duong. Photo: Dinh Tuan

Thus, for the Hmong people, a name is not only for the living to call themselves, but also for the gods and ancestors to manage and protect the soul. Therefore, whatever the name given, naming a person is extremely important among the Hmong. And, among the Hmong, a person may have many names, but at any given time only one name is considered official by the community and the gods. This official name will later be used for other related rituals.

So why is the name Tủa - Tuam/Tuôv so popular among the Hmong people?

Firstly, Tua - Tuam/Tuov is the first name in the special ordinal numbering system of the Hmong people: Tuam, Lwm, Xab, Xwm, ... Ntxawg. Many Hmong families choose this system to name their sons, with the firstborn son named Tua - Tuam, the second - Lu - Lwm, the third - Xab - Sang, the fourth - Su - Swm,... and the youngest - Ntxawg - Do. Of course, in reality, some families do not have enough children to name them in this order, so logically, the name Tuam - Tua will appear more often than the others.

Secondly, Tua-Tuam/Tuov is a word that signifies greatness and goodness. For example, Tuam Coj Teb - Great Nation. Tuam can also be used to refer to uprightness: Tuam meej tuam pem - an idiom to describe honesty, integrity, transparency, clarity, and having nothing to hide. Perhaps for this reason, the name Tua-Tuam/Tuov is often preferred by the Hmong people.

Thirdly, literally and frequently used in everyday language, Tuam also means the act of kicking something. For example: Tuam tsheb - to ride a bicycle; tuam taw - to thrash around. Sometimes, people hoping for a lively baby might also name their child Tua-Tuam/Tuov.

Of course, there is currently no official statistical table on the most popular names among the Hmong people, but for the three reasons above, Tủa-Tuam/Tuôv is certainly a name favored by the Hmong community. If you have the opportunity to name someone, you can definitely consider this name.

A Hmong child playing a familiar game. Photo: Dinh Tuan

Incidentally, I'd like to share a personal story, as my current official name is Tua - Tuam, and my surname is Khang - Khaab. I was born and raised in the Mong Lenh community of Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai. During my first ever Hu Plig (spirit summoning) ceremony, my grandfather presided over the ritual and named me Tu - Tub (meaning son) because I was his first grandson. Most of my childhood was filled with illness and disease; once, I even nearly fell into a muddy rice field and nearly died. My family then decided to change my name.

It was a mild, sunny spring day sometime between 1999 and 2000. A man, dressed in a traditional ham thuam shirt, with a slingshot containing three strands of thread (white, black, and red), a boiled chicken, and a packet of sticky rice, walked down the main road in Che Cu Nha, leading a 4-5 year old child, searching for "nam khuab - txwv khuab" - destined parents. After about 20 minutes of walking along the deserted road, they finally encountered a Hmong merchant couple, each carrying a basket laden with dried peanuts, linen, silk thread, and women's headscarves. This couple and the child were, according to their beliefs, destined to be together.

After tying together three threads that the man in the ham-thuam robe had brought along and placing them on the baby's left hand, the Mong Du merchant said something along the lines of: "We Mong people are traditionally farmers, combining animal husbandry and cultivation. We grow our own food and sew our own clothes. We don't need, and rarely need, to trade or sell. My wife and I are among the few Mong people who follow this new trend. Now, considering this fortunate encounter with this child, please name him Tua - Tuam/Tuov. We hope that the child will always be strong, capable, and grow up to contribute to positive changes in our Mong community." Afterward, a simple meal of sticky rice, a chicken, and fresh water from the nearby ditch officially marked the author's farewell to his old name and his adoption of a new one.