Hundreds of Iu Mien took part in the long goodbye to Fin Siew Saechao – an ancient three-day funeral ceremony that ended with her burial Sunday afternoon.
A cherished member of Northern California's Iu Mien community, Saechao, 64, was among nine Sacramentans who died after their bus flipped over on the way to the Colusa Casino Resort on Oct. 5.
At her family's Oak Park home Sunday, buffalo horns, bells, drums and cymbals rang out to the spirit world to ensure Saechao's soul would find its way safely into Iu Mien heaven.
The hardest part came at midnight Saturday when Saechao's family had to say their final goodbyes and tell her they couldn't talk to her, or love her, anymore.
"We were all crying," said her only son Chai Saechao, a sheet metal worker. "We told her, 'Mom, you are in heaven, don't worry about us,' so her spirit doesn't come back."
The funeral rites began Friday evening and continued around the clock, orchestrated by Fou Meng Saelee, a shaman – or spirit-healer – from Oroville. The ceremony, which Iu Mien elders believe dates back 15,000 years to their roots in China, was assisted by several Sacramento shamans.
Similar ceremonies have been going on throughout Sacramento since the bus crash, with more to come.
Sacramento, home to 6,000 Iu Mien, is considered the Mien capital of the United States.
Four Iu Mien, known as Mien for short, died along with four Hmong refugees as a result of the bus crash. Bus owner Daniel Cobb also died.
The Hmong and Mien are distinct tribes from the mountains of Laos. They were driven out of China centuries ago.
Both cultures practice shamanism, or spirit worship. During the Vietnam conflict, the CIA recruited the Iu Mien and Hmong to fight a secret jungle war against the Lao and Vietnamese communists.
The shamans who guided Saechao's spirit included several veterans of the secret war. Yao Luang Saetern, 62, of Sacramento, said he was handed a rifle at 12 and fought for 16 years "until my Lao country is gone to the communists."
Fin Siew Saechao was born in Nam Tha, Laos, on Jan. 1, 1944. She went to Thailand in 1983 and arrived in Sacramento in December 1994 with a daughter and son from separate marriages.
She made her mark here as a master gardener who could cultivate anything, whether it was chickens, vegetables, or friends. She nurtured her many grandchildren.
"She took care of all my kids – she raised my kids," said Meuy Saechao, her daughter-in-law who works as a waitress in a Thai restaurant.
"She accepted all my friends, she trusted everyone, and she joked around a lot and made you smile," recalled her grandson Sarn Saechao, 13, who plans to become an astronaut. "She had a good time. She used to barbecue chicken, and it was delicious."
Her granddaughter, Muang Saechao, 21, who has two kids of her own, added: "She had a really good heart. Even though I made mistakes, she always accepted me."
A few blocks away, a similar ceremony was conducted for Muang Fo Saephanh, 68, a beloved Mien grandmother of 10. Her husband, Chiem Hinh Saelee, 79, is still in intensive care, said one of their daughters, Fahm Saelee. "He told us the bus was swerving before it actually crashed," she said.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating whether the driver – who witnesses said was asleep at the wheel – was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or if there's a medical explanation.
Both grandmothers went gambling about twice a week.
"She played penny slots," said Saephanh's oldest daughter Tracy Saechao. "She told me she had nowhere to go when all us kids are working. On the bus, there's lots of joking and talking. In March, my mom won $1,000 at a casino drawing and gave it to the grandkids."
During the extended ceremonies, each family sacrificed cows, pigs and chickens to serve to their many friends and relatives from as far away as Redding and Visalia.
Immediate family members are forbidden to eat meat during the three-day event, said Chai Saechao. And sex is forbidden for relatives and friends.
Call The Bee's Stephen Magagnini, (916) 321-1072.
