This paper aims to reveal the spatial recognition of the Hmong through discussing the relation of 1) the main axis of Hmong dwellings which is composed of the ancestral alter and the main door located in front of it, with 2) the correlation of the dwelling to its surrounding geographical features and to the natural topography in relation with the mountains which surround the village.
The Hmong is an ethnic group who believe in a variety of natural, ancestral, and supernatural spirits which live in and animate all things4). Whose homelands are in the mountain areas of northern Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam (fig. 14)). And who has no tradition of written language4).
Through understanding previous studies on Hmong in terms of spatial structure of their dwellings and villages made by R. Cooper4) and Hata, et al.5)6)7)8)9), the authors derive two important components that will generate Hmong's spatial recognition as below; 1) The main axis is an important spatial element to locate the dwelling in its environment. 2) The correlation between the dwelling and the topography is surveyed both in microscopic and macroscopic comprehension of its geographical features. The rule ‘the ancestral alter upward and the main door downward’ is a fundamental spatial notion of the Hmong, which can be shared by an ordinary boy in the village. The survey tries to reveal how this rule applies to their recognition.
The geographical features of the village Keo Patu differs from those of the previous studies. The village is in a flatland surrounded by mountains and the spatial structure of the village is based on circler patterns. If the Hmong is divided into variants and generalization is dangerous4), the exploration in the field Keo Patu is worthwhile.
Through the investigation of all 81 dwellings in the village, the main axis is identified for 75 dwellings, by means of recognizing the ancestral alter or the red cloth above the lintel of the main door, or of the resident's explanation. 57 dwellings are located in the geographical features according to the rule ‘the ancestral alter upward and the main door downward’. On the other hand, 67 dwellings are located in the natural topography in relation with the mountains.
As a result, it became clear that the Hmong's spatial notion ’the ancestral alter upward, and the main door downward’ is preserved in two ways. One is as A) an simple order to generate the traditional spatial structure of Hmong villages situated on a mountain slope, and the other is in B) a resilient structure to keep the frame of the recognition by involving both conceptual understanding of natural topography in relation with the mountains and practical use of land surrounding their dwellings.
