Next Monba
Distribution and Population:The Miao ethnic minority has a population of 8,940,116 which is larger than most of minority groups in China. After immigration in a long history, today they live mainly in Guizhou, Yunnan, Hunan, Hubei, Hainan Provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Prefecture. They are divided into several branches, such as Black Hmong, White Hmong, Striped Hmong, etc.
Language:
The Miao language, which belongs to the Miao-Yao group of the Sino-Tibetan phylum, has developed into three dialects: the dialect of western Hunan Province, the one of eastern Guizhou Province and the one of ChuanQianDian (Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan). Due to a long time living with the Han and other people, they can also speak the Chinese, Dong and Zhuang languages. They have been writing their own Miao language based on Latin since 1956.
Religion:
The Miao people believe that everything in nature has a spirit, which incombination are mighty enough to control their lives. Every time there are disasters, they will invite a wizard to perform ceremonies designed to drive out the devil ghost.
They worship their ancestors so much that memorial ceremonies are very grand. Sacrifices such as wine, meat, and glutinous rice are costly. Some Miao also believe in Catholicism or other Christian religions.
Food and Food Culture:
The staple food of the Miao ethnic minority is rice. Other dishes are meat and acidic soups. Pickled vegetables, hot seasonings and home-made wine are common at the table. Glutinous rice becomes a must during festivals and celebrations.
Crafts:
The Miao people are very skilled at handicrafts, such as embroidering, weaving, paper-cutting, batik, and jewelry casting. The Miao embroidery and silver jewelry are delicate and beautiful. From hats, collars, and cuffs to skirts and baby carriers, the patterns on their clothes are extremely colorful, complicated but with clean lines. Girls of around seven will learn embroidering from mothers and sisters, and when they become teenagers, they are quite deft.
Clothes:
Clothes of the Miao ethnic minority are diverse across regions. Men wear short coats and trousers, while women decorate themselves with very dainty and dazzling skirts and jewels. On their skirts, there are many patterns taking themes from life such as flowers, birds, etc. One of the most attractive, pleated skirts has as many as forty layers!
Festivals:
Divided by regions, the Miao people celebrate their festivals at different times, but they all have many, like the Dragon Boat Festival, the Huashan Festival, the Pure Brightness and the New Rice Tasting Festival (Chixin Jie). Among these, the Miao Spring Festival is the most important one that is held during the lunar ninth to the eleventh month.
The New Rice Tasting Festival is worth mentioning. To express their gratitude for the harvest,
they will stream the newly ripe rice, brew wine with new rice, cook dishes with newly-picked vegetables and freshly caught fish.
The Lusheng dance is a unique musical performance of the Miao ethnic minority during nearly every celebration. While playing the lusheng, a kind of wind instrument, they dance in demanding patterns, and sing to each other.
Recommended Video Clips:
Miao Minority Dance
Bagpipe Dance of Miao Ethnic Group
Dance During Miao Festival
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Q & A on Miao Nationality
1.
Jan. 12,2010 19:00 Reply
Mr.Vang(USA) said:
There is no Green Hmong by itself, according to Mr. Nkajpov Vaj (1865-1975), the Green Hmong long time before were those who ate people or killed and ate their own family member. The Green Hmong may exist in White, Strip, and Black Hmong. This Green in Hmong mean killer, murder. In Laos it existed some before 1960. But now no more Green Hmong who killed themself or family member for food. These Green Hmong, now during the new year, they may take sticky rice and made a litle puppet to remember their Green ancestors.
2.
Jan. 8,2010 19:30 Reply
Mr.Vang(usa) said:
Mr. Yeng, Hmong Black is also known as (Hmoob Laug) the very first groups that migrated to vietnam, laos, and burma from china. Hmong Black are a mixture of Hmong White, Hmong Strike and Hmong Green all together. There are only 2 dialect for the western Hmong people that they speak, which is Hmong White and Hmong Green. Hmong Leeg have the same dialect as Hmong Green but they prefirm to call themselve Hmong Leeg because legend say that Hmong Green use that first baby to sacific to their ancestor. I'll get to back to answer some more question when i get the chance.
3.
Nov. 23,2009 15:15 Reply
Mr.Zhang(usa) said:
Mr. Yeng, black hmong is identify by the kinds of clothes they wear and the region where they live. As you know about green, white and stripe hmong. it's the same. I can tell you most black hmong lives in Guangxi and north vietnam. As about chinese. Remember chinese means the people who lives in china. Majority of the people in china are han. Since so many tribes has melt to become han and I would estimate close to 80% of our people has become han due to many wars. We are more related to chinese than thai or laos. Just think about our surname, it is the same as Han chinese not even close to thai or laos. We have the same surname like the Han because some of our ancestor (Hmong) miao has become han chinese. you got it. It's like this country, a lot of india tribe has be come america. you can't tell the different unless you see those people who are still at the reservation.
Nov. 29,2009 16:51
Ms.Moiyin(USA) replied:
If you really look at history.. it doesn't show much.. here is what I I have discover from history.. The Chinese and Hmong are one Family.. Hmong does mean the people.. When we say "peb hmoob" it means ,"we the people". All the tribes..etc.. are all HMONG.. China got it's name from Emperor Qin Shihuangdi (first name)Chin.. Hmong people call them Suav (lastname)..
4.
Nov. 2,2009 13:28 Reply
Mr.Yeng(USA) said:
I don't really get it, I know that there is Hmong White, Hmong Stripe, and Hmong Green??? But I never knew something exist as Hmong Black? Is it just the way we are label depending on how we dialect our meanings? Or is it something else too? Please, if anyone has any information about this topic or question email me at yeng09@live.com because I would like to know what's the difference and what we really are... Are we chinese related or just completely diverse??? so it kind of have a difference there and questioning that need to be answer. I want to know if anyone can help to distinguish hmong and miao because there are a lot of explaination to do for our culture and people.
5.
Oct. 20,2009 07:22 Reply
Mr.thao(USA ) said:
its common sense that we are not natives of laos, vietnam, or thailand..we never had a written language so nothing was ever documented of where were from or what we've done. all we knew was what the elders told us of us being from china. now were living in the USA and we have the education and the knowledge to study and research of our history and where were from and we did just that..we know we are from the miao people. hmong and miao is the same people and we both call ourselves hmong but miao is just what others call us and some hmong just got used to it and named there selves miao. when we lived in laos, the laos people named us meo but us that are from laos never called each other meo;it was just what they called us. in our language we have names for other groups of people too. if they were to come live amongst us and we call them by the name we have for them one day they might call themselves that