The Miao is one of the ethnic groups recognized by the central government of China. According to the 2010 nationwide census, the total population of Miao in the world is about 13 million. There are around 9.4 million Miao people living in China. They mainly inhabit the south part of China, such as Guizhou Province, Yunnan Province, Hunan Province, Hubei Province, Sichuan Province, Hainan Province and Guangxi Zhuang’s Autonomous Region. The Miao people can be also found in Vietnam, Thailand, Burma and Laos. The Miao is also known as Hmong. They are divided into six branches, namely the Black Hmong, the White Hmong, the Red Hmong, the Embroidery-Dressed Hmong(or the Hmoob Ntxaug), the Long-Skirt-Dressed Hmong and the Short-Skirt-Dressed Hmong.
The Miao’s traditional dwelling is called Diaojiaolou House. It is a wooden building supported piles. The women of Miao are skilled at embroidering and making batik.
The History of the Miao
The Miao Ethnic Group boasts a long history of 5,000 years. It is commonly believed that the Miao people are the descendants of Chi-You. Chi-You was a legendary figure in Chinese mythology. He was the chieftain of the Ancient Jiu-Li Tribe. Around 5,000 years ago, the central China was inhabited by several tribes. Among them, the strongest ones were the Huangdi Tribe(or the Yellow Emperor’s Tribe), the Yandi Tribe(or the Red Emperor’s Tribe) and the Jiu-Li Tribe. The Huangdi Tribe and the Yandi Tribe merged to one which was called the Huaxia Tribal Confederacy or Huaxia Kingdom. Both the Yellow Emperor and the Red Emperor are considered as the common ancestry of the Han-Chinese and some other minorities of China. More ancient tribes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River were assimilated into the Huaxia Tribal Confederacy. However, Chi-You vowed that he would always struggle against the Yellow Emperor for the supreme power. The two chieftains’ forces had a fierce battle at Zhulu, the present Zhulu County, Hebei Province. The war between the Huaxia Kingdom and the Sanmiao Kingdom broke out about 4,600 years ago. The latter was defeated by the former. Then, the Jiu-Li people started their southward migration from the central China. In the 21st century B.C., they moved to the south of the Yangtze River, the present Hunan Province and Jiangxi Province. The Jiu-Li people formed the Ancient Sanmiao Tribal Alliance. The war between the Huaxia and the Jiu-Li continued in the following centuries. Some of the Jiu-Li people kept moving towards the south and the west. After the Han Empire(202 B.C.-220 A.D.) was founded, all the ethnic group in the southern China were called the Nan-Man by the Han people. During the Song Dynasty(960-1279), the Miao was officially recognized as an ethnic group by the authority.
The Miao’s Language
Most of the Miao people in Mainland China use their native language which belongs to the Sino-Tibetan Family of Languages. A small number of the Miao can also speak either the Mandarin or other minorities’ languages. The ancient Miao people created a writing system for their language a long time ago. However, the script failed to be handed down due to the long and hard migration. In the early 20th century, scholars from the Miao recreated the writing system for their language.
The Miao’s Traditional Costume
Geographically, the traditional costume of Miao falls into six categories. It is well-known for its rich and varied colors. The clothes of men are quite simple, including head scarf, jacket , long trousers and leggings. They always drape a large piece of woollen cloth over their shoulders. The clothes of women are absolutely beautiful. Women usually dress themselves in a colorful jacket and a pleated skirt for festivals or celebrations. The jacket buttons up on the right and features tight sleeves and high collar. The pleated skirt, short or long, is embroidered with exquisite patterns. They like to wear silver ornaments, such as earrings, bracelets, necklaces and hair-accessories. The women often have a pair of embroidered trousers on in ordinary days.
The Miao’s Dietary Habit
The staple food of Miao consists of rice, corn(maize), potato and sweet potato. The Miao people consume a variety of meat, like chicken, beef, pork, mutton and fish. They love sour and spicy dishes. The dishes popular among the Miao are the Sour Fish Soup, the Five-Color Glutinous Rice, the Chicken Porridge, the Fish Pickled with Salt and Rice Wine, the Grilled Chicken Wrapped with Lotus Leaves, and the Roasted Pork of Congjiang.
The Festivals the Miao People Celebrate
The Miao people celebrate many festivals, such as the Miao’s New Year, the Lusheng Festival, the Huashan(Flower-Mountain) Festival, the Sisters’ Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Spring Festival. Among those festivals, the grandest celebration of the natives is the Miao’s New Year. The time when the Miao people celebrate their New Year varies in different regions. The Miao’s lunar calendar has been applied for thousands of years. By most of the Miao, the tenth day of the tenth month is chosen to be the first day of a new year. They divide a year into only two seasons, namely the cold season and the hot season. The tenth month is the time when the seasons changes. The Miao’s New Year has been added to the list of China’s intangible cultural heritages.
The Huashan Festival is known as the Miao’s Valentine’s Day. It is the second grandest festival of the Miao. Young men and women gather together, singing and dancing. It offers them an opportunity to meet their prospective marriage partners.
The Lusheng Festival is quite popular among the Miao people who live in Guizhou Province, Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province. Lusheng is a kind of traditional musical instrument of the Miao. It looks like the bamboo flute of the Han-Chinese. A long time ago, a pheasant demon tried to cheat a pretty girl so that he could make her his wife. But the girl was not only beautiful and attractive, but also smart. She refused the demon. The demon felt angry and vowed to took her back to his lair by force. However she was rescued by a hunter who loved traveling. The hunter killed the demon and gave the girl three feathers to confirm her safety. Then, the man left the girl for his travel. The girl fell in love with the hunter at the first sight. But he did not noticed. She felt sad and wanted to show him her affection. The girl’s father made many bamboo flutes and distributed the flutes to villagers and travelers. Those people became messengers for his daughter. Finally the hunter came back and married the girl. That is the origin of the festival and the reason why the Miao people put three pheasant feathers on their hat or head scarves.
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Author: Tina Luo
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