Shong Lue Yang
Shong Lue Yang (RPA: Yaj Soob Lwj [jâ ʃɔ́ŋ lɨ̂], Pahawh: 𖬌𖬤𖬵 𖬘𖬲𖬞 𖬖𖬲𖬤; September 15, 1929 – February, 1971) was a Hmong spiritual leader and creator of the Pahawh script, a semi-syllabary for writing dialects of the Hmong language, as well as the Khmu language.
Shong Lue Yang | |
|---|---|
𖬌𖬤𖬵 𖬘𖬲𖬞 𖬖𖬲𖬤 | |
Yaj Soob Lwj | |
| Pronunciation | [jâ ʃɔ́ŋ lɨ̂] |
| Born | September 15, 1929 in the village of Fi Tong, near the city of Nong Het, Laos |
| Died | 1971 (aged 41–42) assassinated in the village of Nam Chia |
| Known for | Creator of both Pahawh Hmong and Pahawh Khmu writing systems, and the Hmong ChaoFa Flag |
Coming under suspicion by opposing forces, he was assassinated in February 1971, during the Laotian Civil War. It was also rumored that general vang pao gave his brother-in-law, who has killed many people, the order to kill Shong Lue Yang due to fear and jealousy. He is honored as the "Mother of Writing" (Niam Ntawv) among the Hmong people. Like the Cherokee Sequoyah of the early 19th century in Indian Territory (now United States), Shong Lue Yang is one of the few people from a pre-literate society known in history to have independently created an effective writing system.