Hmong Resettlement in French Guiana

Within the Hmong refugee diaspora, the Hmong of French Guiana are fairly unique in that many have achieved economic autonomy through market farming while also residing in rural, ethnically homogeneous villages that help to preserve cultural and linguistic traditions.

This article explores some observations made over a three-month period in 2001 in French Guiana regarding the adjustment of Hmong villagers since first being resettled in 1977.

Results from formal questionnaires conducted with local villagers (n = 180) revealed that more Hmong in French Guiana had lower rates of high blood pressure, were more satisfied with where they lived, and had less desire to return to Laos compared to a sample of Hmong in the United States (n = 108).