The Imagined ox Horn Souvenirs of China Hmong and European Vikings

In the context of tourism, the imagined ox horn souvenirs may be equal to the stereotype of Hmong people in China or the Vikings in Europe. Regarding tourism souvenirs, anthropology focuses on the construction of cultural meanings and the narration of special historical scenes.

Ox horn culture is typical in Hmong people’s areas where it has an exclusive explanation of religion and myth. The ox horn items such as ox horn wineglasses are used in many rituals and festival ceremonies. Even if some Hmong groups use goat horns, mass production has set the ox horn image as dominant Hmong souvenirs in southwestern China.

In Europe, Victorian archaeologies may take the two ox horns next to the buried Viking helmet as decorations on the helmet for granted. Whether the Vikings wear horned helmets or not is still a controversial issue. However, owing to the entertainment medium, wearing ox horns has become a classic image of Vikings in history, impacting the souvenirs of Viking heritage tourism.

Based on the published materials, this paper compares and discusses these two cases of ox horn souvenirs. Authenticity and commodification are antinomic, but the construction of the imagined cultural icons in both cases is worth investigating.