Zhen,

kuv yeej ib txwm ntseeg hmoob dabneeg, not word for word, but the idea
seems to be "logical" in a way. the notion of hmoob lees is closer to
chinese...and that moob lees may be from moob dawb is something very
very new to me, and i dont' buy it...simply because all hmong elders,
green, back, and white, do agree that hmong dawb is from hmong lees.
the more interesting fact is that it is the hmong dawb who "freely"
said that "yes, we came from hmong lees"....i didn't listen to YPX's
words, so kuv kuj tsi paub his reasoning for saying such a thing, but
it is very likely that his conclusions are based on chinese
books...but do know that the "victor's words" are always off from the
"truth" in some ways...and to based something on a false premise is
not a good thing to do.

as for sub tuam and siv yig...yes, you are right on the dot. this
story is probably one of the most important story to any hmong..and
all should know this story. since cov "dawb huv" tsi kam los leeg
rooj 4 no, lawd tsi "ntxug" sub as desired by siv yig, they are
forever branched off from sivyig's way of "ntxug sub"....and yes,
ntxug means to "cut" (the original idea was to "cut" pog
sub)....however, regardless of what cov "dawb huv" decided, sub tawg
sub ntsha, vij sub vij sw (caused by pog sub) yeej puv ntuj puv teg
lawm tiag...because of this, cov "dawb huv" kam lwm tej vij sub vij sw
no nrog lub xyoo tshiab mus rau hnoob poog xwb (ua kom cov sub no xob
los txog cov dawv huv xwb). cov uas leeg rooj 4 no ces, lawd thiaj li
"dib" pog sub every year kom nws tawm tuaj es yuav nrhiav kev "tua"
pog sub kom tuag to rid of vij sub vij sw....

keep in mind that after siv yig is gone, muaj ib tus txiv hmoob muas
sawv los and tries to tua pog sub...this txiv moob muas is now,
referred to as "txiv mum" or "txiv muas"....at the time that he was
trying to kill pog sub tuam. nws thiab tub kwm lis ntso sawv ntxov
ntxov, with bow and arrow, and swword...tus txiv hmoob muas seev tias:

"lis tsi nyob hu hnub, tus tsiaj 3 taw nkhib sawv hu hnub, lis tsi
nyob hu hli, tus tsiaj 3 tis nkhaus sawv hu hli, ntxuaj tis tthawv
txhav xub puab, pog sub tuam nrog nkauj hnub tawm li plaws qab ntuj
ntsuab...kuv txiv sis muas tua 3 hnee chob nplho pog sub tuam qhov
quav....nws tuag ntshaub hau li ntsuav...."

of course, at that time (so goes the story), pog sub tuam hnov, nws
thiaj li tooj sab pem ntuj los nrog txiv sis muas thiab tub kwm li
ntsos nkawd sis tua...however, pog sub tuam laus heev lawm, nws kov
tsi yeej, ces nws rov tooj sab mus pem ntuj lawm...nkaws xuas hneev
tua los tsi raug thiab...pog sub tuam thiaj hais tias:

nej siab tsi zoo, muab kuv tus txiv thiab tub tua tuag lawm, tseem
hais lus saib tsi taus kuv, tseem khwv tua kuv thiab, kuv mus, txog 9
hli ntuj lis tsauj...kuv mam tuaj pauj, txog 8 hli ntuj li tshiab, kuv
mam tuaj thiab...this was the "promise" made by pog sub tuam...peb cov
hmoob lees thiaj li tog txog lub 8 hli, 9 hli, peb thiaj li "dib" pog
sub tuaj es rov tua seb puas tau....temsis, pog sub tsi tuaj lawm...

niam no ces, peb thiaj li muab xov liab, xov dawb, xov dub los xuab ua
pog sub tuam, khi pem tus nqeeb, and put all the clan members inside a
circiclar rope/string, while tus txiv mum dib pog sub early in the
morning, going around the group of people (similar to the occasion
where ssiv yig tua tau sub tuam), with a sword, and another person
with a bow. tus txiv mum no, ntuag ntuag tag ces, nws thiaj li tib
riag cov niag xov liab, dawb, dub nawd kom tu nrho....tus uas nqa
hneev los..xa ti hnee pem ntuj thiab....peb ntxug sub ces ntxug li no
xwb.

yaweh