Cheng “Charlie” Saephan, a 46-year-old immigrant, couldn’t contain his joy as he held up a giant check for $1.3 billion, wearing a bright blue sash that read “Iu-Mien USA.” Saephan’s incredible luck in winning the massive Powerball jackpot in Oregon earlier this month has not only transformed his life but also brought attention to the Iu Mien people, a southeast Asian ethnic group with roots in China.
Many Iu Mien fled from Laos to Thailand and eventually settled in the United States after the Vietnam War. At a news conference at the Oregon Lottery headquarters, where Saephan was revealed as one of the jackpot winners, he proudly declared, “I am born in Laos, but I am not Laotian. I am Iu Mien.”
During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military enlisted the help of Iu Mien in Laos, many of whom were farmers, to engage in guerrilla warfare and provide intelligence and surveillance to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh Trail. After the war and the fall of the U.S.-backed government in Laos in 1975, thousands of Iu Mien fled to avoid reprisals from the new Communist government, escaping through the jungle and across the Mekong River into Thailand.
More than 70% of the Iu Mien population in Laos left, with many ending up in refugee camps in Thailand. Thousands of these refugees were allowed to come to the U.S., with the first waves arriving in the late 1970s and most settling along the West Coast. Despite their rich traditions in storytelling, basketry, embroidery, and jewelry-making, many initially struggled to adapt to Western life due to cultural and language barriers and a lack of formal education.
Today, there are tens of thousands of Iu Mien in the U.S., with many attending universities or starting businesses. Many have also converted to Christianity from traditional animist religions. Portland and its suburbs have a significant Iu Mien community, with a Buddhist temple, Baptist church, active social organization, and various businesses and restaurants.
Cayle Tern, president of the Iu Mien Association of Oregon, who arrived in Portland with his family in 1980 at the age of 3, is now running for City Council. He believes Saephan’s Powerball win is significant for other Iu Mien, stating, “It means so much because all of us came with so little. I take pride in seeing our members of the community advance and flourish, and I just feel so good for him.”