The Miao nationality (Miao ), in the 2000 census, the total population of the Miao people is: 894,0116 people, mainly distributed in Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, Hubei, Hainan, Guangxi and other provinces (regions). The Miao Mountains and Wuling Mountains, where the Miao live, have a mild climate, surrounded by mountains and water, and dotted with fields and dams of various sizes. It produces rice, corn, grain, wheat, cotton, roasted tobacco, rape, and oleander. In addition to this, it is also rich in timber resources and mineral resources. The ancestors of the Miao people can be traced back to the Chi tribe active in the Central Plains in the primitive social era. During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the Miao ancestors began to establish the "Three Miao Country" in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, engaging in agricultural rice cultivation. The Miao have migrated many times in history, roughly from the Yellow River Basin to Hunan, to Guizhou and to Yunnan. The Miao have their own language, which belongs to the Miao branch of the Miao-Yao language family of the Sino-Tibetan language family. Originally there was no national script, but in the late 1950s a Latinized phonetic script was created. Nowadays, most people use Chinese as their common language. The Miao have a long history of music and dance, and the Lusheng Dance, a favorite of the masses, is highly skilled. The Miao's arts and crafts, such as flower picking, embroidery, brocade weaving, batik, and jewelry making, are magnificent and colorful, and are internationally renowned. There are many Miao festivals, the more grand festivals have been "Miao New Year", "April 8", "Dragon Boat" festival.
The Miao used to call themselves "Mou", "Meng", "Touch" and "Mao", and in some areas they called themselves "Ga Brain". The Hmong used to call themselves "Mou", "Mung", "Touch", "Mao", and in some areas "Ga Brain", "Go Xiong", "Beltso", "Answer a few", etc. They called themselves "Long-skirted Hmong". He called himself "long-skirted Miao", "short-skirted Miao", "red Miao", "white Miao", "green seedling", "flower seedling" and so on. After the founding of New China, they were collectively called the Miao.
The Hmong have a long history, and there are records of the Hmong's ancestors from more than 5,000 years ago in ancient Chinese texts, which are known as the "Southern Barbarians" from the Yellow River basin to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. The Miao do not have a written language, and the Miao language belongs to the Miao branch of the Miao-Yao language family of the Sino-Tibetan language family. Miao people live in the high mountains, mainly agricultural, crops include dry rice. Baogu, buckwheat, potatoes and beans, cash crops are hemp, usually their own hemp, their own textile. The Miao people have a rich oral folk literature, such as ancient songs, poems, love songs and so on. The Miao people are also good at dancing, and the Lusheng dance is the most popular.
The Miao have their own language, which is divided into three major dialects: Xiangxi, Qiandong and Chuanqianyan.
After 1956, a script program in the form of the Latin alphabet was devised. Because of the long history of interaction between the Miao and Han Chinese, a large proportion of the Miao are fluent in both Chinese and Chinese.
The Miao region is mainly agricultural, supplemented by hunting. The Miao's arts and crafts, such as flower picking, embroidery, brocade weaving, batik, paper-cutting, and jewelry making, are magnificent and colorful, and are famous both at home and abroad. Among them, the batik craft of the Miao people has a thousand-year history. There are more than 130 kinds of Miao costumes, which are comparable to those of any other ethnic group in the world. The Miao are an ethnic group that can sing and dance well, especially famous for their love songs and wine songs. The lusheng is the most representative musical instrument of the Miao.
Edit [Religious Customs]
The Miao used to believe in the spirit of all things, worship nature, and worship their ancestors. The "Drum Festival" is the biggest festival of the Miao folk. Generally, it is a small festival for seven years and a large festival for thirteen years. In the lunar calendar from October to November of the B Ohio Day, when to kill a bullock cattle, jumping Lusheng dance, sacrifices to see the ancestors. Food time to invite friends and relatives *** get together, in order to enhance the relationship, family harmony.
The main beliefs of the Miao people are nature worship, totem worship, ancestor worship and other primitive forms of religion, the Miao traditional society superstitious ghosts and gods, prevalent witchcraft. There are also some Hmong who believe in Christianity and Catholicism. Very few Miao believe in Buddhism and Taoism.
Traditionally, the Hmong people have a number of giant or odd-shaped natural objects, often considered to be a spiritual manifestation, and therefore worship them, wine and meat offerings. Typical natural objects of worship include boulders, caves, trees and forests. In addition, the Miao believe that some natural phenomena or natural objects have a divine or ghostly nature, and the Miao language often does not distinguish between ghosts and gods, or the two words are used together. In most cases, ghosts are considered to be abandoned or aggrieved souls and tools transformed, often bringing disasters, sickness, plague or other misfortunes to humans, such as the so-called Eastern ghosts, Western ghosts, sow ghosts, hanged ghosts, tiger ghosts, and so on, which are known as evil ghosts. And natural phenomena with spirituality are often considered good ghosts, with a certain degree of divinity, such as the god of mountain, the soul of grain, the god of cotton, the god of wind, the god of thunder, the god of rain, the god of the sun, the god of the moon, and so on. For good ghosts and bad ghosts, the Miao people's sacrificial method is also different. The good ghosts are sent and welcomed, and the sacrifices are more sincere, while the evil ghosts must be bribed and cajoled until they are driven away.
In many areas, the Miao people also believe that there are many monsters in nature. For example, cows cover themselves with feces in their stalls or spin around in their stalls, stamping feces into circles, pigs eat piglets or lie down in their troughs, ducks eat duck eggs, tigers go into the fields, two snakes cross their tails, and hens make the chirping sound of roosters, etc. All of which are considered to be the corresponding evil spirits.
In some Hmong areas, the cult of man-made objects are land Bodhisattva, the land milk, the family god, sacrificial bridge, wells and so on. Land Bodhisattva Miao called land ghosts, generally by a few stone base, land house is mostly wooden or with three slate built, extremely simple, set in the village next to the intersection or the roadside pedestrian resting place. The belief in the family god exists in some of the Miao in the Sichuan-Guizhou-Yunnan dialect, that is, they set up the idol of "family god" at home. The bridge festival is popular in most parts of Southeast Guizhou. Dragons are also worshipped and sacrificed to by the Miao in various parts of the country.
Totem worship. Many of the eastern region of the Miao and Yao *** with the worship of Discus (a kind of sacred dog). They have been told the story of "the mother of God, the father of the dog" for generations, and regarded Discus as their ancestor. Some Hmong in the central region believe that their ancestor, Jiang Yang, originated from the heart of a maple tree, and thus regard the maple tree as their totem. In other areas, the Hmong worship buffalo and bamboo as their totems.
Universally, ancestor worship occupies a very important place in Miao society. They believe that although their ancestors are dead, their souls are always with their children and grandchildren, and they must make offerings of wine and meat on New Year's festivals, and even honor their ancestors in their daily diets. Many regions hold ancestor worship ceremonies on a regular or irregular basis. In western Hunan, there are "knocking on a stick pig" and "sacrificing an ancestor with a cow", in southeastern Guizhou, there is "eating a bullock", and in Qianzhong, there is "knocking on a barang". In Qiandongnan, there is the custom of "eating bulls", and in Qianzhong, there is the custom of "knocking barangs". Among them, the eating of bullocks in southeast Guizhou is still prevalent and is the most typical. Eating bullu is also known as the Festival of Drum Offering, Drum Society Festival, Drum Zang (bullu) Festival, to clan (drum society) as a unit, held once every seven or thirteen years. They believe that the souls of their ancestors reside in the wooden drums, and the drums are played to summon the souls of their ancestors to enjoy the offerings of their children and grandchildren. The officiating priest is known as the bullock dirty head, and the bullock dirty cattle are specially bred for this purpose. Each festival lasts for three years.
Most Miao people believe in witchcraft. The main sorcery activities are over the Yin, divination, God referee, ghost sacrifices, in addition to compulsion and so on. Sorcery activities are presided over by sorcerers. Most of the sorcerers are non-professional. They play the role of presiding officers in the various primordial worship and witchcraft activities mentioned above, and in some places, the sorcerers also serve as village elders. In addition to being familiar with the ritual methods, most sorcerers can also tell the genealogy of their branches, the major historical events of their people and the routes of their migratory origins, and are familiar with all kinds of myths and legends, ancient songs, ancient lyrics and folk tales, and some sorcerers also have the functions of singers and dancers. Therefore, sorcerers are important inheritors of traditional Miao culture and play the role of intellectuals in Miao society. In addition, sorcerers also master certain medical skills and know some herbs, which are supplemented by scientific medicine while driving away ghosts for people.
In addition to these traditional beliefs, since modern times, with the Western missionaries deep into China's interior missionary, in the junction of Yunnan-Guizhou-Chuan area, Guizhou Kaili, Hunan Yuanling and other areas of some of the Miao people converted to Christianity, and a few Miao faith in southeast Yunnan Catholicism. Especially in the northeast of Yunnan and northwest of Guizhou, the Christian faith was once strong and influential. Foreign missions or missionaries opened many primary and secondary schools, medical institutions, and even implemented some economic development projects in the Miao areas, which played an indelible role in the progress of the Miao society and the improvement of their political status. Famous pastors include Dang Juren of Anshun, Bak Geli, Zhang Dao Hui and Wang Shude, the first two of whom died in the Hmong area.
After the establishment of new China, the influence of Christianity and Catholicism declined for a time, and in recent years there has been a certain trend of recovery. However, now that Christianity and Catholicism are practicing the "three selves", there are many differences in social organization, social influence, and even the content of beliefs between Christianity and the pre-1950 Christian faith.
Foreign Hmong, there are a few Hmong in Vietnam and Laos who believe in Catholicism. There are also Hmong in the United States, France and other Western countries who believe in Christianity and Catholicism. The Hmong in Laos and Thailand are also influenced by Buddhist culture. Nevertheless, traditional ancestor worship and the concept of the soul are still largely preserved in their societies.
Edit [Ethnic Calendar]
The Hmong are one of the oldest ethnic groups in China, and one of the earliest settled ethnic groups in China.
In the ancient times, the Miao culture and technology were very developed, as can be seen generally from the recently excavated Miao ancient calendar. The Miao calendar has enriched the Chinese and world calendar systems.
According to Prof. Chen Jiujin, a famous Chinese astronomer, the Miao have an ancient calendar system. So far, no one else has been able to project and write the ancient calendar of the Miao people, and the author would like to try.
According to the author's testimony: China's Hmong ancient calendar system is a yin and yang calendar, based on the solar calendar.
Miao ancient calendar to the twelve signs of the zodiac, time, day, month, year, a year 365.25 days, the solar calendar year 365 days, leap year 366 days.
Each year is divided into a moving month, a partial month, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September and October, of which January, March, May, July and September are the longest day of the month, which is the 31st day of the month; and a moving month, a partial month, and the shortest day of the month, which is the 30th day of the month, are the 7 months of January, March, March, April, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, etc. The Hmong calendar uses the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac to keep track of the time, day and year.
The winter solstice is the first day of the year, the first day of the year, the first day of the festival, and the first day of the gas, and it is the first day of the year in the Chinese calendar, which is the "Zi Zhenren Tuan" (子正人统).
The year is divided into two annual seasons: the Winter Solstice (Yangdan) and the Summer Solstice (Yindan), and the day before the Winter Solstice is the Great Year of the Miao Calendar.
The year is divided into three seasons: the cold season, the warm season, and the hot season, and is divided into the first half of the year and the second half of the year, with the cold season, the warm season, and the hot season each taking up two months in each half of the year, and the cold season, the warm season, and the hot season each taking up four months in the year.
The first half of the year is characterized by "cold and hot" and the second half by "hot and cold", and the cycle repeats itself year after year. 4 years and 1 intercalary month, with an additional value of 1 day, in the month of the leap, that is, at the beginning of the year, on the 31st day of the leap month.
The last day of October in the Hmong calendar is New Year's Eve (the day before the winter solstice).
The first day of the moving month, Zi, U, and Yin, are the days of the Heavenly Years, the Earthly Years, and the Human Years, respectively. Therefore, there is a Hmong custom of "not going out on the first day of the year".
Miao calendar in addition to the use of twelve signs of the zodiac to remember the time, day, month and year, but also with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, natural numbers to assist in remembering the time, day, month, year, for the elderly to wish for a long life: "I wish you 120 years of life".
Twelve zodiac sources, and the ancient Chinese twelve clans related. With the twelve signs of the zodiac to remember the time, day, month, year, a year divided into 12 months, a day divided into 12 hours, years, months, days, hours fixed, day according to the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, the cycle of use. The system is based on "Jian" as the first day, fixed cycle of use.
The twenty-seven constellations are related to the nine trigrams of the Miao people.
Miao ancestors also use the corresponding orientation of the house and the zodiac to assist in remembering the time, day, month and year, the day is divided into night, morning, day and nightfall four periods, and the zodiac with the "gate, hall, left house, house, the right house, roof", observing the sunrise and sunset. In the lunar calendar, the period from the full moon to the next full moon is one month, and each month is divided into 27 quarters. In the lunar calendar, there are 358 days in an ordinary year and 387 days in a leap year. The moving and partial moons are short days; January through October are long days. The longest day of the month is 30 days, the shortest day of the month is 29 days, and the leap month is 29 days. Hmong ancient calendar, whether solar or lunar calendar in the age of the mouse, the age of the year, the age of the Shen set leap, every 4 years a leap, leap moving month. Miao ancient calendar embodies the "one into three, trinity" of the Miao generation of philosophical views and "nine trigrams" three-dimensional thinking (i.e., before and after, left and right, up and down, table, or in the middle of the East, South, West, North, Middle, Southeast, Southwest, Northwest, Northeast).
The ancestors of the Miao people worshiped the sun, the moon and the stars, and regarded the three lights as the purest of all.
The Miao forefathers believed that the primary substances that make up everything in the universe are the three kinds of thunder, dragon and kui (meaning water, fire and gas), which are recorded as the "three specialties"; and the "five elements" are, in order of priority, light, gas, water, earth and stone. Yao (also known as Mr. Guigu) to submit to the Yellow Emperor (self-proclaimed son of heaven), the big Kui sister Rayon (Leizu) married to the Yellow Emperor as his wife, Yao in order to curry favor with the Yellow Emperor to change the nine hexagrams for the eight trigrams (Han book that Fuxi system gossip, there is a mistake), to change the one into three (yang, yin, not yang, not yin) for two (yang, yin), to change the three-dimensional thinking for the plane of thinking. Will be ten Ganzhi and twelve zodiac signs combined with the creation of the heavenly stems, earthly branches, sixty Azi (Han book has this record). Changing the 27 lodges into 28 lodges. Will be five elements according to the plane orientation and produced by the gold, water, wood, fire, earth (west, north, east, south, center), and at the same time with the gold, water, wood, fire, earth stars, the sun and the moon to match the creation of the seven Yao calendar. The Seven Yao Calendar is the earliest surviving calendar in China.
Chinese Miao calendar and the ancient Egyptian calendar with the solar calendar, but 6200 years earlier than the Egyptian calendar more than 3,800 years ago, 365 days per year, 4 years a leap; the difference is that the ancient Egyptian calendar leap year additional day for 6 days, the Miao ancient calendar leap year additional value for 1 day. The ancient Hmong calendar is consistent with the solar return year length of 365.25 days, and the Tengu cycle is 1,460 years old, which is highly accurate.
The ancient Chinese Miao calendar has been a great guide to the ancient Miao people engaged in agricultural production (mainly rice production), and has also been used by the folk to choose good luck. (For details, see Shi Qigui's "Report on the Field Study of the Miao People in Western Hunan").
The time limit for the use of the Chinese Miao calendar is at least 10,000 years, with the lower limit being the 33rd year of the Guangxu reign (1907 AD). According to the Yongsui Zhili Zhi: "Father and son pass on, using rats, cows, tigers and horses to remember the year and month, dark with the calendar." (Qing? Yang Ruizhen wrote, Tongzhi seven years) Qing? Dong Hongxun, Guangxu thirty-three years of lead-printed book "Guzhangping Hall Zhi" also has the same record. According to the collection in the Beijing Museum "Qianlong sixty years of Miao bandits file" in the original folders and arrested Miao leaders of the "offerings" and people involved in the suppression of the uprising of the year compiled by the historical books or local history records: agreed on the date of the uprising of Phoenix, Qianzhou, Yongsui, Songtao four halls of the Qianlong sixty years on the sixth day of February (Lunar Calendar). According to Wu Tim half of the "confession" in the explanation that this day is the first day of the first month of the Miao year (Miao lunar year), the uprising date set for this day, take the old to the new meaning. Later, due to leakage of information, the uprising was advanced to the 18th day of the first month (lunar calendar). This is a major historical event related to the ancient Hmong calendar as recorded in history books.
China's ancient Hmong calendar and the United Nations announced the "future calendar program" (see the second issue of the "data card" in 1988 "the future of the calendar", sponsored by the Inner Mongolia branch of the Xinhua News Agency) has a different and the same wonderful combination. Miao ancient calendar than the current Gregorian calendar, the number of days per month of the lunar calendar, and intercalary law is simple, easy to grasp and use.
Chinese Miao ancient calendar system shows that the twelve signs of the zodiac, the seven Yao calendar and twenty-seven, twenty-eight constellations are produced in China, after the introduction of Babylon, India and other countries. From this, we can see that the Chinese Hmong calendar is the mother of the Chinese calendar and the mother of the world calendar.
The months and seasons of the Miao calendar are shown in the following table:
Months of the Miao Calendar in December and the 24 Seasons
Zodiac Signs Constructed System Seasons Seasons November
Rat Zi Winter Solstice, Little Cold Cold Season December
Niu Ushi Great Cold, Spring Cold Season January
Tiger Tor Tor Tor Rain, Sting, Warm Season February
Rabbit U Mao Vernal Equinox, Qingming Month
Edit [Ethnic Festivals]
The Miao people are an ethnic group rich in ancient civilization and rituals, and their annual festivals are unique and distinctive. Miao traditional festivals are divided into functional meaning: ⒈ agricultural activities festivals; Piao material exchange festivals; ⒊ men and women socializing, love, choose a spouse festivals;⒋ ritual festivals; careful commemorative, celebratory festivals. According to the chronological order, there are twelve months in a year, and each month has more than one festival. In the moving month (Rat or Zi month), 1-15 days (from the first Zi day to the second C day) is the festival of playing New Year, in which the first Zi day is the festival of heavenly age, the Miao people don't go out (far away from home); the first ugly day is the festival of earthly age, during the period of the first ugly day to the second ugly day (from 2-14 days), the people have to go to visit their relatives and friends, to congratulate each other for the new year, men and women singing songs to each other, playing with dragon lanterns and lions, etc.; the second C day is the festival of the second year. The second Yin day (15th) is the year of the tail (burning dragon lanterns). The first ugly day of the partial month (ox month or ugly month) is the Social Day, also known as the Dragon Head Festival, in which the Miao people offer sacrifices to the God of the Land, catching dragons, and Anlong (dyeing rong in Miao). the first c day of January (tiger month or c month) is the festival of material exchanges and socializing between men and women (known as the March 3 Street Festival in Chinese). the first unday of February (rabbit month or month) is the festival of the King of the Ox (known as the 8th day of the 4th lunar month in Chinese), and the festival of socializing between men and women is Cherry Club and Buddha's Birthday. the first e day and second e day of March (dragon month or month) is the Festival of the Dragon King (known as the 8th day of the 4th lunar month in Chinese). The first e day and the second c day of March (Dragon month) are respectively the Little Dragon Boat Festival and the Big Dragon Boat Festival, of which the Little Dragon Boat Festival was later called the Qu Yuan Festival and the Song Master's Festival in honor of the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan of the Miao people (surnamed Mi).The first si day of April (Snake month or Si month) is the Dragon Festival (known as the June 6 or June Festival in Chinese), and the Festival of the Eating of the New Year (the ripening of the barley).The first zi day of May (Horse month or Woo month) is the Festival of the Lesser New Year (the summer solstice day, the day of the yin day). The first day of the month of May (Horse or Woo) is the Koyasai Festival (Summer Solstice Day, Yin Day). Tsuka a noon day for the Seven Charms Festival (Miao said seven sisters, that is, the seven stars of the Big Dipper). June (sheep month or not) of the second c day for the Duck Festival, the second e day to catch the Autumn Festival. July (monkey month or month of shen) of the first shen day of the Festival of Wine (glutinous rice harvesting to brew sweet wine, rice wine). august (chicken month or month) for the Festival of Sacrifices (the main vertebrate cattle, eating pigs, jumping incense, return Nuo wish, Anlong and other ancestor and soul worship activities). September (dog month or month of hu) Hunting Festival (dog month or month of hu), eating new Festival (barley ripening). month or Hundred Days) Hunting Festival, choose a day to sacrifice the three gods of Meishan, began hunting. October (pig month or Ohio month) dd, noon for eating pigs in the soup festival (kill the New Year's pig), Zaoshen Festival (Zaoshen Festival), New Year's Eve (New Year's Eve, the Han Chinese say that the Hmong people celebrate the New Year in October).
Edit [food habits]
The Miao in most areas eat three meals a day, with rice as the main food. Deep-fried food is most common in the form of deep-fried poi. If you add some fresh meat and pickled vegetables as filling, the flavor is more delicious. Meat mostly from livestock, poultry raising, Sichuan, Yunnan and other places of the Miao people like to eat dog meat, there are "Miao dog, Yi wine," said. Miao cooking oil in addition to animal oil, mostly tea oil and vegetable oil. Chili pepper is the main condiment, and some regions even have the saying that "no spicy dishes". Miao dishes are varied, common vegetables are beans, melons and greens, radish, most of the Miao are good at making soybean products. Hmong people everywhere generally like to eat sour dishes, sour soup is a must for every family. Sour soup is made from rice soup or tofu water, which is put into tile jars and fermented for 3-5 days before it is used to cook meat, fish and vegetables. The preservation of food among the Hmong people is commonly done by the pickling method, where vegetables, chicken, duck, fish, and meat are preferred to be pickled into sour flavors. Almost every Miao family has a pickled food jar, collectively known as the sour altar. The Miao people have a long history of brewing wine, from the making, fermentation, distillation, blending, cellar have a complete set of technology. Oil tea is the most common daily drink. The Miao people in western Hunan also have a special kind of Wanhua tea. Sour soup is also a common drink. Typical foodstuffs include: blood dunking soup, chili bone, turtle and phoenix soup of Miao township, Mian Cai Po, worm tea, Wan Hua tea, pounded fish, sour soup fish, etc.
Edit [Wedding and Funeral Customs]
The food that is also essential in the process of marriage between young men and women is glutinous rice. Miao people in Chengbu, Hunan province, painted with mandarin ducks sticky rice poi as a token to give to each other; when the wedding is held, the bride and groom to drink the cup of wine, the bridegroom, the bride and groom will also be invited to eat painted dragon and phoenix and Bong dolls pattern of sticky rice poi.
[Costume Features]
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If the dressed-up Miao girls converge together, it will surely become a beautiful silver world. Like to wear silver jewelry is the nature of the Miao girls, they pull hair in a bun on top of the head, wearing about 20 centimeters high, beautifully made silver flower crowns, flower crowns inserted in front of the 6 uneven heights of the silver wings, most of the above made two dragons playing with the beads pattern. In some areas, in addition to inserting silver pieces of silver crown, but also inserted about 1 meter high silver bullhorn, the tip of the horn Department of colorful floats, more noble and magnificent. Silver crown along the lower edge of the circle hanging silver flower belt, hanging a row of small silver flower pendant, wearing a silver collar on the neck has several layers, more than a silver piece of beaten flowers and small silver ring even set and become. Chest wearing silver locks and silver pressure collar, chest, back wearing a silver cloak, hanging many small silver bells. The earrings and bracelets are all silver. Only the two sleeves show embroidery in a fiery red color, but the cuffs are also inlaid with a wider circle of silver ornaments. Miao girls often have several kilograms of dress, some of which have been inherited for several generations. Known as "flower clothes and silver Sai Tianxian" beauty. Miao silver craft, ornate and elaborate, ingenious, fully displaying the wisdom and talent of the Miao people. Miao girl's skirt called pleated skirt, but in fact a skirt on the pleats have more than 5,000, and the number of layers, some as many as thirty, forty layers. These skirts from weaving cloth to bleaching and dyeing sewing, all the way to the final drawing embroidery, are the girls themselves to complete independently, plus hand-embroidered flower belt, flower chest pocket, really colorful, beautiful.
More than half of the Miao live in Guizhou, and the rest are distributed in Hunan, Yunnan, Guangxi, Sichuan and other places. Miao people's food is mainly rice, supplemented by miscellaneous grains such as bulgur, millet, sorghum, wheat and potatoes. The Miao people are most fond of glutinous rice. The side dishes are mainly melons, beans, vegetables and chili peppers, green onions and garlic used as condiments. Meat includes pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks and fish.
The Miao people's tastes are mainly sour and spicy, and they are especially fond of chili peppers. Daily dishes are mainly sour and spicy soup dishes. Sauerkraut is fresh and delicious, easy to make, can be eaten raw, can also be cooked. Usually eat fresh vegetables or beans, Miao family also mixed with some pickles or sour soup. People increase appetite. In addition, the Miao family's fish cooked in sour soup is a flavorful dish, the practice of sour soup with water, salt boiling, take fresh fish to remove the bitter bile, into the sour soup cooked into this dish, this dish is tender and fresh soup, fragrant and delicious, can be done throughout the year.
The Miao family can process and preserve smoked bacon, cured meat, cured fish, dried fish, sausages and so on. Among them, pickled fish is a traditional delicacy of the Miao people. The method is to cut open the fresh fish, gutted, smeared with salt, chili powder, put on the fire above the roasting to half dry, and then people altar sealed. When eating, take out and steam. This fish has a crisp bone, moderately salty and spicy, fragrant and delicious characteristics.
The Miao people also like to make tofu, tempeh, processing pig enema, blood tofu. Love to eat hot pot. Miao men and women love wine, and most families can make their own wine. They make their own wine indica and use native glutinous rice, bulgur, sorghum, etc. to brew aromatic sweet wine, bubble wine, burnt wine, cellar wine, etc.
Origin of Hmong Clan Name
Hmong clan name is ancient and was first seen in the oracle bone inscriptions. Before the Tang and Song dynasties, there were the names "Three Miao", "Southern Barbarians", "Jing Barbarians" and "Wuling Barbarians". These appellations mixed Miao with other ethnic groups. After the Song Dynasty, Miao was separated from a number of mixed "barbarians" as a single ethnic name.
The self-proclaimed name of the Miao, in the western region of Hunan, the Miao called "Gelao Xiong" (fruit bear), while in other areas called "Mao", "Mang" or "Meng". In other regions, they are called "Mao", "Mang" or "Meng". Mang" or "Meng" means "heart of the tree" in the Miao language of Qiandongnan, and legend has it that the heart of the maple tree gives birth to "Meibang Meiliu" (Mother Butterfly), "Meibang Meiliu" (Mother Butterfly), "Meibang Meiliu" (Mother Butterfly), and "Meng" (Mother Butterfly). Butterfly mother), "Meibangmeiliu" to give birth to the distant ancestor of the Miao people "Jiangyang", so the "Mang" or "Meng" as a clan The name of the tribe is "Mang" or "Meng". The local area is called "ga haun", which means Wu, perhaps a remnant of the ancient Wu clan totem. Historically, the Hmong were given different names in front of the word "Hmong" according to their dress and place of residence, etc. After 1949, they were collectively known as the Hmong.
On the origin of the Miao, there is a connection with the clans or tribes known as the "Southern Barbarians" that lived in the area from the Yellow River basin to the Yangtze River basin and south of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River more than 4,000 years ago. Some people believe that the ancient history of the legendary era of Chi for today's Miao honored ancestor, and the Miao have a kinship relationship. Some people believe that the ancient three Miao and Miao have a relationship. Some people believe that today's "Miao" can be traced back to the ancient "mane" people. In addition, there are also minestone, Yelang, Baxian Nanxian barbarians, Panhou barbarians, Wuling barbarians, and so on.
In recent years, some people have proposed that the legendary era of Chi You, Tang Yu Xia era of the three Miao, Yin and Zhou era of fashion, the Spring and Autumn and Warring States era of Jing barbarians, Qin and Han era of Qianzhong barbarians or Wuling barbarians, are included in the Miao ancestors, is the ancestors of the Miao people in the history of the different eras of the different names.
All in all, according to historical records and legends, the ancestors of the Miao people lived and breathed in the Qingjiang River basin in present-day Hubei Province and the Dongting Lake area in Hunan Province during the Yin and Zhou dynasties. Around the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, there were Miao ancestors in Ba Shu, Yelang, and Jingzhou. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, most of the Miao ancestors settled in the areas of Wuling County, Sheke County, Yuechuan County, Ba County, and Nan County, while a small number of them continued to migrate to the Duliu River Basin in Southeast Guizhou. Afterwards, they continued to migrate due to wars, famine, disease epidemics, heavy births, and the loss of farmland.
Editing the five great migrations in the history of the Miao people
According to the research of experts, the five great migrations in the history of the Miao people are as follows:
The first great migration was the first great migration of the Miao people to their origin in present-day Sichuan, Yalong River, Minjiang, Bajiang, Jialing River, the upper and middle watershed zones, along the Yangtze River, migrating eastward to the north and south shores of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River: the south shore of the reach the dongting, Pengli; those on the north bank reached the Jianghan Plain. They lived here for many years, and with the development of production, the life improved, the population increased, and the level of science and technology and culture also increased. This is the first time the Miao people from west to east of the great migration, the cause of the great migration is the ancient Qiang people south of the people, forcing the Miao ancestors to migrate to the east, the time is about a number of tens of thousands of years ago (the primitive primitive society).
The second great migration, is the Miao ancestors in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River after living for a long time, many powerful, called "Jiu Li", and the south of the Yandi tribe conflict, defeated the Yandi tribe, part of the chase Yandi tribe straight to the north bank of the Yellow River. Here and after many years, the power of the Jiu Li tribe more and more powerful. At this time the birth of Chi You, smart and learned, brave and good at war, and later became the leader of the Jiu Li tribe, manufacturing a variety of weapons, strong military power, and come to the upper reaches of its Yellow River Huangdi armed conflict. At first, the Yellow Emperor lost nine battles, later united with the Yandi tribe, etc., and Chiyu war in Zhuo Lu's field, the result of Chiyu defeat was killed, body head different mound. From then on, although the ministries of the Nine Dawns struggled with the Yellow Emperor for a long period of time, but eventually lost many battles because of the group of dragons without a leader. This migration from south to north, time about 4300-4600 years ago (ancient to the Yellow Emperor).
The third great migration, Chi battle failed long after the Jiu Li tribes of the various genera, part of the north to establish the state of Li; part of the captured into slavery, and later fused to the Han Chinese; a large part of the long-distance trek, back to the south. Between Dongting and Pengli in the south of the Yangtze River, the San Miao tribal alliance was established. This was a migration from north to south, before about 4200-4100 years (Huangdi to Tang Yao).
In the fourth great migration, the Miao ancestors worked hard between Dongting and Pengli, established the Three Miao tribal alliance, and then after a long period of rest and recuperation, gradually became powerful. Tang Yao was very afraid of the three seedlings, *** work, Huan Tou (i.e. "驩兜"), etc. Therefore, when Shun came to the throne, he immediately "divided the three seedlings in the north", and streamed the *** work in the state of幽州; put the Huan Tou in the Chongshan Mountain; scrambled the three seedlings in the three dangers; and put to death in the Feishan Mountain, so that the powerful tribal alliance of the three seedlings were son and daughter from now on. The powerful Sanmiao tribal alliance was divided and disintegrated from then on. Some of them fled to the East China Sea, and the ancestors of this Miao tribe also preserved an independent group. Only the one who was exiled to Sanjiu had more than one struggle, and it was not until the time of Xia Yu that they were initially submissive and lived in the area of Sanjiu Mountain. This time it was a split migration, with different directions of migration, such as the San Miao migrating from south to northwest; some of them migrating eastward; and the Huan Duo being basically untouched, i.e., moving from between Dongting and Pengli to the western part of present-day Hunan. The time was about 4100 years ago (Yu Shun - Xia Yu period).
The fifth great migration, this migration was a split return. For example, the one that was expelled to San Gui (San Miao) was the one with the strongest original power. Their overall escape in the repeated armed plunder, time and again resistance, time and again defeat, time and again escape, from the three dangerous mountains out, through the snowy mountains, across the Hunshui River (Yellow River), towards the direction of the south winds blowing step by step migration, Gansu, Qinghai, through the production of yaks, camels, "Tibet and Yi Corridor", along the Jinsha River to the south of Sichuan, northeastern Yunnan and Guizhou, the migration of this branch of the Miao people in the northwest of the country. The direction of migration of this Miao people is from north to south. Exiled to the Chongshan (Huandu), are close to the migration, that is, from the Chongshan to the east, had reached the present Hunan Changde area, and along the water to reach the Dongting, Pengli between the Zhou Dynasty as a hidden danger, King Xuan "was ordered to Fang Shu south to conquer the barbarians Fang". In the Warring States period, Wu Qi sent force to "merge the barbarians and Yue", and took possession of Dongting, Cangwu and other barbarians and Yue. The Miao people were forced to flee into the Wuling Mountains, just developed a strong point, and was repeatedly suppressed by the Eastern Han Dynasty, and was forced to "towards the place where the sun sets" to escape, and finally reached the present western Hunan, northeastern Guizhou, southeastern Sichuan and southwestern Hubei area. The direction of this Miao migration is first to the east, and then to the west. Those who fled to the east (some of the three Miao) did not settle on the east coast for a long time, but slowly left the sea and gradually returned to the west. Some of them (around 4,000 years ago) may have crossed the sea to Japan. Today, there are many cultural phenomena in Japan that are similar or even identical to those of the Qiandong Miao in China. As can be seen from the migration song of the Qiandong Miao, "Trekking through Mountains and Waters," the migration of the Miao people was a peaceful transfer without any armed fights; they gradually returned to the original residence of the Three Miao Tribal Confederation from the east to the west from the place "right by the seaside," and then, after a period of time, they returned from Dongting to the original residence of the Three Miao Tribal Confederation, in order to "look for a good place. After a period of time, in order to "find a good place", they migrated from Dongting Lake to Wuxi area by tracing the Yuan River, and then entered the Nanling Corridor along the Wushui River, and then went to Rongshui (Dahmiao Mountain) in present-day Guangxi by the northern foot of the Yuechengling Mountain, and then went northward to present-day Southeast Guizhou area. The migratory direction of this branch of the Miao people is generally from east to west. The time of this migration of the above three branches of the Miao people was about 1200 years ago (about from the Zhou to the Song period).
In addition to the above several major migrations, there are many minor migrations, but around the Song Dynasty, the vast majority of the Miao people have successively settled in the present residential areas. However, the rulers of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties still continued to "enter the suppression", Xiangxi, Qiandongnan and other places of the Miao people around the escape, but do not leave Xiangxi, Qiandongnan and Sichuan-Guizhou-Yunnan region.
In short, the historical migration of the Miao people, through many places, through all the hardships, until the nineteenth century (nearly a century) to settle down. Especially in recent decades, the implementation of regional ethnic autonomy, only to live a life of ethnic equality and peace and happiness.