<
https://theconversation.com/how-were-using-the-vietnamese-ethnic-savings-scheme-h-i-to-buy-back-our-cultural-heritage-204802>
"Hụi is a constant but often hidden feature of life for many
Vietnamese-Australians.
This clandestine loan-savings scheme was a way for low-income Vietnamese
refugees to buy their first family car, start a small business or make a home
deposit. In Vietnam, Hụi is also called Họ, Phường or Biêu.
These activities had existed for centuries before being recorded in
19th-century colonial texts. They survive today in rural areas and overseas
diaspora communities who have struggled to secure bank loans and legal credit.
It is interesting that multiple cultures across the Moana-Pacific use the term
“Hui” to describe a collective gathering or negotiation.
The Chinese character 會 (Huì) denotes a longhouse where meetings and secret
societies take place. In Hawaiian, Hui stands for a club, community partnership
or extended family. Similarly for Māori, Hui represents a meeting, congregation
or conference.
With rising cost of living and housing unaffordability, it feels particularly
relevant to understand how so many Vietnamese refugees, arriving with almost
nothing, managed to join the property market during the historically high
interest rates and property booms of the 1980s and 2000s."
I believe a number of other ethnic groups have something similar.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
