The Miao people have a long history and culture. As early as more than 4,000 years ago, there were many clans and tribes living in the area from the Yellow River Basin to the Yangtze River Basin and the area south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. Among them, the clans known as "Nanman" in historical records or The tribe includes the ancestors of the Miao ethnic group. Some people believe that Chi You from the ancient history and legend era is the ancestor respected by the Miao people today, so he may be related to the Miao people. Some people believe that the ancient Sanmiao people were related to the Miao people. Some people also believe that the current Miao people can be traced back to the "髳" people in the Yin and Zhou Dynasties. In addition, there are Huandou theory, Yelang theory, Bajunnanjunman theory, Wulingman theory, etc. Various debates about the origin of the Miao people have not yet been concluded in the field of history, but there are enough historical data to prove that as early as the Qin and Han Dynasties two thousand years ago, the ancestors of the Miao people had already lived in the most concentrated place in the country to this day. The area in western Hunan and eastern Guizhou was called "Five Streams" at that time. Historically, the ethnic minorities living in this area, including the Miao ancestors, were called "Wuxi Man" or "Wuling Man". Later, they migrated westward one after another, gradually forming the current distribution of the Miao people, with a current population of 7.4 million. , mainly distributed in Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, Hubei, Hainan, Guangxi and other provinces (regions)
The Miaoling Mountains and Wuling Mountains where the Miao people live have a mild climate, surrounded by mountains and rivers, and dotted with large and small fields. . It produces rice, corn, millet, wheat, cotton, flue-cured tobacco, rape, tung oil, etc. In addition, it also contains rich timber resources and mineral resources.
The ancestors of the Miao people can be traced back to the primitive society. The Chiyou tribe was active in the Central Plains. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Miao ancestors began to establish the "Three Miao Kingdoms" in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and engaged in rice farming. The Miao people migrated many times in history, and the general route was from the Yellow River Basin to Hunan. Hunan), Zhiqian (Guizhou), and Zhidian (Yunnan).
The Miao people have their own language, which belongs to the Miao-Yao branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. There was no ethnic script in the 1950s. The Latin Pinyin script was created in the late 1980s. Today, most people speak Chinese.
The Miao people have a long history of music and dance, and the Miao people have high skills in cross-dressing, embroidery, brocade, and batik. Jewelry making and other arts and crafts are magnificent and famous internationally. The Miao people have many festivals, and some of the more grand ones include the "Miao Year", "April Eight", and the "Dragon Boat" Festival.
[Ethnic Profile]
The Miao people, with a current population of 7,398,035, are mainly distributed in Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, Hubei, Hainan, Guangxi and other provinces (regions) where the Miao people live in a mild climate. , surrounded by mountains and rivers, dotted with large and small fields and dams. It produces rice, corn, millet, cotton, flue-cured tobacco, rape, tung oil, etc. In addition, it also contains rich timber resources and mineral resources that can be traced back to the ancestors of the Miao people. In the primitive society, the Chiyou tribe was active in the Central Plains. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Miao ancestors began to establish the "Three Miao Kingdoms" in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The Miao people migrated many times in history, and the general route was along the Yellow River. The river basin reaches Hunan (Hunan), Guizhou (Guizhou), and Yunnan (Yunnan). The Miao people have their own language, which belongs to the Miao-Yao branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originally had no ethnic script and was created in the late 1950s. Most people today speak Chinese. The Miao people have a long history of music and dance, and their popular Lusheng dance is very skillful. It is famous internationally. The Miao people have many festivals, and the more solemn ones include the "Miao Year", "April Eight", and the "Dragon Boat" Festival.
[Religious Customs]
The Miao people believed in animism, worshiped nature, and worshiped their ancestors. The "Drum Sacrifice Festival" was the largest sacrificial activity among the Miao people. It usually held a small sacrifice every seven years and a major sacrifice every thirteen years. It is held on the Yihai day, when a Guzi ox will be killed, the Lusheng dance will be performed, and the ancestors will be paid homage to. Invite relatives and friends to gather together during meals in order to enhance feelings and family harmony.
The main beliefs of the Miao people include nature worship, totem worship, ancestor worship and other primitive religious forms. In the traditional Miao society, ghosts and gods are superstitious and witchcraft is prevalent. There are also some Miao people who believe in Christianity and Catholicism.
Very few Miao people believe in Buddhism and Taoism.
Traditionally speaking, the Miao people often regard some giant or strange-shaped natural objects as a manifestation of spirituality, so they worship them and make offerings of wine and meat. Among them, the more typical nature worship objects include huge rocks (strange rocks), caves, big trees, mountains and forests, etc. In addition, the Miao people believe that some natural phenomena or natural objects have divine or ghost properties. 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 wronged souls and tools. They often bring disasters, illnesses, plagues or other misfortunes to humans, such as the so-called Eastern ghosts, Western ghosts, sow ghosts and hanged ghosts. , tiger ghosts, etc. are called evil ghosts. Spiritual natural phenomena are often considered to be good ghosts with certain divinities, such as mountain gods, valley souls, cotton gods, wind gods, thunder gods, rain gods, sun gods, moon gods, etc. The Miao people also have different ways of offering sacrifices to good ghosts and evil ghosts. Good ghosts are greeted and sent away, and sacrifices are more sincere. Evil ghosts must be bribed and coaxed until they are driven away.
In many areas, the Miao people also believe that there are many spirits in nature. For example, cows cover themselves with dung or roll around in the stable, trample dung into circles, pigs eat piglets or lie in the trough, ducks eat duck eggs, tigers enter the field, encounter two snakes mating, and hens give out rooster sounds. The tweets and other sounds are all related to the appearance of corresponding spirits.
In some Miao areas, man-made objects worshiped include the Earth Bodhisattva, Earth Milk, family gods, sacrificial bridges, wells, etc. The Earth Bodhisattva is called Earth Ghost in the Miao language. It is generally made of several stones. The Earth House is mostly made of wood or three stone slabs. It is extremely simple and is located at the intersection next to the village or at a resting place for pedestrians on the roadside. Belief in family gods exists among some Miao people with Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan dialects, that is, setting up idols of "house gods" in their homes. Bridge sacrifice is popular in most areas of southeastern Guizhou. The dragon is also the object of worship and sacrifice by the Miao people in various places.
Totem worship. Many Miao and Yao people in the eastern region worship Panhu (a kind of divine dog). They have told the story of "Goddess and Dog Father" from generation to generation, and regard Panhu as their ancestor. Some Miao people in the central region believe that their ancestor Jiang Yang originated from the heart of the maple tree, and therefore regard the maple tree as a totem. In other areas, the Miao people regard buffalo, bamboo, etc. as their totem worship objects.
Generally, ancestor worship occupies a very important position in Miao society. They believe that although their ancestors have died, their souls will always be with their descendants. They must offer wine and meat to their ancestors during festivals and festivals, and even their daily meals must be worshiped at all times. Many areas hold ancestor worship ceremonies regularly or irregularly. In western Hunan there are "knocking stick pigs" and "spine cattle worshiping ancestors", in southeastern Guizhou there is "eating viscera", in central Guizhou it is called "knocking Balang", in northwest Guizhou , Northeast Yunnan has the custom of beating old cows. Among them, eating Guzang in southeastern Guizhou is still popular and is the most typical. The Guzang Eating Festival is also known as the Drum Festival, Drum Society Festival, and Guzang (Guzang) Festival. It is held every seven or thirteen years based on the clan (drum society). They believe that the souls of their ancestors reside in wooden drums, and the sacrificial drum is to beat the wooden drum to summon the souls of their ancestors to enjoy the offerings of their children and grandchildren. The officiant is called Guzangtou, and the sacrificed Guzang cattle are specially raised for this purpose. Each sacrificial event lasts for three years.
Most Miao people believe in witchcraft. The main witchcraft activities include shamanism, divination, divine judgment, ghost sacrifice, etc. In addition, there are also Gu magic. Witchcraft events are hosted by shamans. Wizards are mostly non-professionals. They play the role of host in the various primitive worship and witchcraft activities mentioned above. In some places, shamans also serve as village elders. In addition to being familiar with sacrificial methods, most wizards can also tell about the genealogy of their sect, major historical events of their own nation, and migration routes. They are also familiar with various myths and legends, ancient songs, and folk stories. Some wizards are also singers. and the functions of a dancer. Therefore, wizards are important inheritors of Miao traditional culture and play the role of intellectuals in Miao society. In addition, wizards also have certain medical skills and know some herbal medicines. While exorcising ghosts, they use scientific medical methods.
In addition to these traditional beliefs, since modern times, as Western missionaries have penetrated into the mainland of my country to preach, some Miao people have converted in areas such as the junction of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, Kaili in Guizhou, and Yuanling in Hunan. Christianity, a small number of Miao people in southeastern Yunnan believe in Catholicism.
Especially in northeastern Yunnan and northwest Guizhou, the Christian faith once had strong momentum and great influence. Foreign missions or missionaries have opened many primary and secondary schools, medical institutions, and even implemented some economic development projects in the Miao areas, which have played an indelible role in the progress of the Miao society and the improvement of their political status. Famous pastors include Dang Juren, Bogeli, Zhang Daohui, Wang Shude, etc. from Anshun, the first two of whom died while serving in the Miao District.
After the founding of New China, the influence of Christianity and Catholicism declined for a time, but in recent years there has been a trend of recovery. However, the current "Three-Self" practices of Christianity and Catholicism are many different from the Christian faith before 1950 in terms of social organization, social influence and even belief content.
Among the Miao people abroad, a small number of Miao people in Vietnam and Laos believe in Catholicism. The Miao people in Western countries such as the United States and France also believe in Christianity and Catholicism. The Miao people in Laos and Thailand are also influenced by Buddhist culture. Despite this, in their society, traditional ancestor worship, soul concepts, etc. are still retained to a large extent.
[Miao Calendar]
The Miao people are one of the oldest ethnic groups in China and one of the earliest ethnic groups to settle in China.
In ancient times, the Miao culture and technology were very developed, as can be seen from the recently unearthed ancient Miao history. The Miao ancient calendar has enriched the Chinese and world calendar systems.
According to research by Professor Chen Jiujin, a famous Chinese astronomy expert: the Miao people have an ancient calendar system. So far, no one has been able to calculate and compile the Miao ancient calendar, and I would like to try.
According to the author's research: the ancient calendar system of the Miao people in China is a lunisolar calendar, with the solar calendar being the main one.
The ancient calendar of the Miao people uses twelve zodiac animals to record the hour, day, month and year. One year is 365.25 days, an ordinary year is 365 days, and a leap year is 366 days.
Each year is divided into moving month, partial month, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September and October, among which 1, The five months of March, May, July and September have the long day of the month, with the 31st day of each month; the seven months of the moving month, partial month, February, April, June, August and October have the short day of the month with the 30th day of each month. .
The "Winter Solstice" is the first of the year, the first of the year, the first of the festival, and the first of the Qi, which belongs to the "Zi Zheng Ren Tong" of the Chinese calendar.
One year is divided into two festivals: "Winter Solstice" (Yang Dan) and "Summer Solstice" (Yin Dan). The day before the "Winter Solstice" is the Miao New Year.
One year old is divided into three seasons: cold season, warm season, and hot season. It is divided into the first half of the year and the second half of the year. The cold season, warm season, and hot season each occupy two months in each half of the year. The cold season, warm season and hot season each occupy 4 months.
The first half of the year goes from "cold to hot", the second half of the year goes from "hot to cold", and the cycle repeats year after year. There is a leap at the age of 4, and the added value is 1 day. The leap is in the moving month, that is, at the beginning of the year, and the leap month is on the 31st.
The last day of October in the Miao calendar is New Year's Eve (the day before the "Winter Solstice").
The first sub-day, Chou day, and Yin day of the moving moon are respectively the Heaven Sui Festival, the Earth Sui Festival, and the Human Sui Festival. Therefore, there is a Miao custom of "not going out on the first day of the year".
In addition to using the twelve zodiac animals to record time, day, month and year, the Miao calendar also uses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and natural numbers to assist in recording time. , day, month, year, birthday wishes for the elderly: "Wish you 120 years old."
The origin of the twelve zodiac signs is related to the twelve clans in ancient China. The twelve zodiac signs are used to record hours, days, months and years. A year is divided into 12 months and a day is divided into 12 hours. Years, months, days and hours are fixed and unchanged. Days are recorded according to the twelve zodiac signs and used cyclically. In the system of construction, "Jian" is used as the first day of the day, and it is used in fixed cycles.
Twenty-seven constellations are related to the nine hexagrams of the Miao people.
The Miao ancestors also used the corresponding directions of the houses they lived in and the twelve zodiac animals to help record the time, day, month, and years, and divided the day into four periods: night, morning, day, and dusk. The compatibility of the two zodiac signs is recorded as "the entrance, the main room, the left room, the back of the house, the right room, and the roof". Observe the sunrise and sunset. In the lunar calendar, one month lasts from a full moon to the next full moon, and each month is divided into 27 nights. The lunar calendar has 358 days in ordinary years and 387 days in leap years. The moving moon and partial moon are the short days of the month; the months from January to October are the long days of the month. The long day of the month is 30, the short day is 29, and the leap month is 29.
In the ancient Miao calendar, regardless of the solar or lunar calendar, leaps are set at Sui Rat, Sui Chen, and Sui Shen. There is a leap every 4 years, and the leap moves the month. The ancient calendar of the Miao people embodies the Miao people's generative philosophy of "one divided into three, trinity" and the three-dimensional thinking of "nine hexagrams" (i.e. front and back, left and right, up and down, inside and outside, middle or east, south, west, north, middle and southeast). , southwest, northwest, northeast).
The Miao ancestors worshiped the "sun, moon and stars" and regarded the three lights as the most pure.
The Miao ancestors believed that the primary substances that make up all things in the universe are thunder, dragon, and Kui (freely translated as water, fire, and air), which are recorded as "three specialties"; the "five elements" are light, Air, water, earth, stone. Dayao (also known as Mr. Guigu) surrendered to the Yellow Emperor (who claimed to be the emperor). After Dayao's sister Leizu (Leizu) married the Yellow Emperor, Dayao changed the Nine Trigrams into the Eight Diagrams (called Fuxi System in Han Dynasty) to please the Yellow Emperor. Bagua, wrong), change one into three (yang, yin, neither yang nor yin) into one into two (yang, yin), change three-dimensional thinking into two-dimensional thinking. Combining the ten branches with the twelve zodiac animals creates the Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and Sixty Years (this is recorded in the Han Dynasty). Change 27 places to 28 places. Change the five elements according to the plane orientation and the products they produce into gold, water, wood, fire, and earth (west, north, east, south, middle), and create them in conjunction with the phases of gold, water, wood, fire, Saturn, the sun, and the moon. Qiyao calendar. "Qiyao Calendar" is the earliest existing almanac in my country.
The Chinese Miao ancient calendar and the ancient Egyptian calendar are both solar calendars, but they are more than 3,800 years earlier than the 6,200-year-old Egyptian calendar. Each year has 365 days, and there is a leap every four years; the difference is that the ancient Egyptian calendar The added value of a leap year is 6 days, and the added value of a leap year in the ancient Miao calendar is 1 day. The Miao ancient calendar is consistent with the length of the solar return year of 365.25 days, and the Tengu cycle is 1460 years old, which is highly accurate.
The ancient calendar of the Miao people in China played a huge guiding role in the ancient Miao people's agricultural production (mainly rice production), and was also used by the people to choose good luck. (For details, see Shi Qigui's "Field Investigation Report on the Miao Nationality in Western Hunan").
The time limit for the use of the ancient calendar of the Miao people in China can be traced back to at least 10,000 years, and the lower limit is the 33rd year of Guangxu (i.e. 1907 AD). According to the "Yongsui Zhili Chronicles": "It was passed down from father to son, using rats, oxen, tigers and horses to record the years and months, secretly combined with the almanac." (written by Yang Ruizhen in the Qing Dynasty, engraved in the seventh year of Tongzhi) written by Dong Hongxun in the Qing Dynasty, in the 33rd year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu The printed version of "Gu Zhangping Hall Chronicles" also has the same record. According to the original memorials and "confessions" of arrested Miao leaders in the "Miao Bandits in the Sixty Years of Qianlong" collected in the Beijing Museum, as well as the history books or local chronicles compiled by those who participated in the suppression of the uprising: it was agreed upon that Fenghuang, Qianzhou, and Yongzhou The date of the Suiting and Songtao Siting uprising was the sixth day of February in the 60th year of Qianlong's reign (lunar calendar). According to Wu Tianban's explanation in the "Proposal", this day is the first day of the first lunar month of the Miao year (the Miao lunar year), so the day of the uprising is set as this day, which means removing the old and returning it to the new. Later, due to the leak of secrets, the uprising was carried out on the 18th day of the first lunar month (lunar calendar) in advance. This is a major historical event recorded in history books and related to the ancient history of the Miao people.
The ancient calendar of the Miao people in China and the "Future Calendar Plan" announced by the United Nations (see details in the 1988 second issue of "Information Card" "Future Calendar", sponsored by Xinhua News Agency Inner Mongolia Branch) have similar approaches but similar results. . The ancient Miao calendar has a single number of days per month compared to the current Gregorian and lunar calendars, and the leap method is simple and easy to master and use.
The ancient calendar system of the Miao people in China shows that the twelve zodiac signs, the seven-day calendar and the twenty-seven and twenty-eight constellations were all produced in China and were later introduced to Babylon, India and other countries. It can be seen that the ancient calendar of the Miao people in China is the mother of the Chinese calendar and the mother of the world calendar.
The corresponding months and solar terms in the Miao calendar are shown in the table below.
The twelfth month of the Miao calendar and the twenty-four solar term months
The moving moon in the zodiac solar terms season
The rat winter solstice, the small cold season partial moon
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The cold season of Niu Chou, the cold season of Beginning of Spring, January
The rain of Tiger Yin, the warm season of Jingzhe, February
The spring equinox of Rabbit Mao, the warm season of Qingming, March
Longchen Guyu, the Beginning of Summer hot season in April
Shesi Xiaoman, the Miscanthus hot season in May
Mawu Summer Solstice, the Little Heat season in June
Sheep are not in severe heat, July is the hot season at the beginning of autumn
Monkeys are experiencing summer heat, and white dew is in warm season in August
Chickens are in autumnal equinox, and cold dew is in September in warm season
Dogs The cold season of Xushuang and the beginning of winter is in October
The cold season of Zhuhai light snow and heavy snow
[Miao Festival]
The Miao people are a people rich in ancient civilization and pay attention to etiquette. As a nation, the festivals are unique and distinctive every year. The traditional festivals of the Miao people are divided into functional meanings: ⒈ festivals for agricultural activities; ⒉ festivals for material exchanges; ⒊ festivals for men and women to socialize, fall in love, and choose spouses; ⒋ sacrificial festivals; ⒌ commemorative and celebratory festivals. In chronological order, one year is divided into twelve months, and each month has more than one festival. The 1st to 15th day of the moving month (rat or child month) (the first child day to the second Yin day) is the Wan Nian Festival, of which the first child day is the Tiansui Festival, and the Miao people do not go out (far away); The first Chou Day is the Di Sui Festival. During the period from the first Chou Day to the second Chou Day (2-14), people visit relatives and friends one after another, congratulate each other on the New Year, sing duets between men and women, play with dragon lanterns, lions, etc.; The 2nd Yin day (the 15th) is the tail year (burning dragon lanterns). The first ugly day of the partial month (Ox month or Chou month) is the She Day, also known as the Dragon Head Festival. The Miao people offer sacrifices to the earth god, Jielong and Anlong (Miao language Ranrong). The first Yin day of January (Tiger month or Yin month) is a festival for material exchange and socializing between men and women (called March 3 Street Festival in Chinese). The first day of February (the Rabbit month or the Mao month) is the Ox King Festival (called April 8 in Chinese), the social cherry gathering between men and women, and the Buddha's birthday. The first Chen day and the second Yin day of March (Dragon Moon or Chen Yue) are the Small Dragon Boat Festival and the Big Dragon Boat Festival respectively. The Small Dragon Boat Festival later commemorated the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan (surnamed Mi) of the Miao nationality, also known as Qu Yuan Festival and Singer Festival. The first Si day of April (Snake month or Si month) is the Dragon Subduing Festival (called June 6th and June Festival in Chinese) and the Salary Festival (barley ripening). The first sub-day of May (horse month or noon month) is Xiaonian Festival (summer solstice, Yindan day? Tomorrow day is Qiqiao Festival (called the Seven Sisters in Miao language, namely the Big Dipper). June (sheep month) The second Yin day of July (Monkey month or Shen month) is the Duck Festival, the second Chen day is the Autumn Festival, and the first Shen day of July (Monkey month or Shen month) is the Wine Festival (glutinous rice is harvested to brew sweet wine, rice wine). August (the Rooster month or the You month) is the festival of sacrifices (mainly activities such as bone-backing, eating pigs, dancing incense, returning Nuo wishes, and Anlong). September (the Dog month or the Xu month). During the Hunting Festival, we choose a day to worship the three gods of Meishan and start hunting. The pig eating soup festival (killing pigs for the new year), Kitchen God Festival (sacrifice to the Kitchen God), and New Year's Eve (New Year's Eve) are all held on October 10 (Pig month or Hai month). night, which is called the Miao New Year in October).
[Eating Habits]
The Miao people in most areas eat rice as their staple food. Fried cakes are the most common. If you add some fresh meat and sauerkraut as fillings, the taste will be more delicious. The meat comes from livestock and poultry. The Miao people in Sichuan, Yunnan and other places like to eat dog meat. They have "dogs for the Miao people and wine for the Yi people." " said. In addition to animal oil, the cooking oil of the Miao family is mostly tea oil and vegetable oil. Chili is the main condiment. In some areas, there is even a saying that "no dish can be made without spicy food." There are many types of Miao dishes, including common vegetables. There are beans, melons, vegetables, and radishes. Most of the Miao people are good at making soy products. The Miao people in various places generally like to eat sour dishes, and sour soup is a must-have for every household.
Sour soup is made from rice soup or tofu water. After fermentation in an earthen pot for 3-5 days, it can be used to cook meat, fish, and vegetables. The Miao people generally use the pickling method to preserve their food. Vegetables, chickens, ducks, fish, and meat all like to be pickled to make them sour. Almost every household of the Miao people has a jar for pickling food, collectively called a sour jar. The Miao people have a long history of brewing wine and have a complete set of techniques from making koji, fermentation, distillation, blending and cellaring. Camellia oleifera is the most common daily beverage. The Miao people in western Hunan also make a special kind of Wanhua tea. Sour soup is also a common drink. Typical foods mainly include: blood soup, chili bone, Miaoxiang turtle and phoenix soup, cotton cake, insect tea, ten thousand flower tea, pounded fish, fish in sour soup, etc.
[Wedding and Funeral Customs]
Glutinous rice is also an indispensable food in the marriage and love process of young men and women. The Miao people in Chengbu, Hunan, give each other glutinous rice cakes with pictures of mandarin ducks as tokens. During a wedding, the bride and groom drink cups of wine, and the officiant invites the bride and groom to eat glutinous rice cakes with pictures of dragons, phoenixes and dolls.
[Features of Costumes]
If the Miao girls in costumes gather together, it will definitely become a beautiful silver world. It is the nature of Miao girls to wear silver jewelry. They put their hair in a bun on the top of their head and wear it, which is about 20 centimeters high. They make exquisite silver corollas with 6 uneven silver wings inserted in the front of the corolla. Most of them are decorated with silver ornaments. With the pattern of two dragons playing with beads. In some areas, in addition to silver pieces, silver horns about 1 meter high are also inserted into the silver crowns, with colorful ribbons tied on the tips, making it even more noble and gorgeous. On the lower edge of the silver crown, a silver flower belt hangs, and a row of small silver flower pendants hangs down. There are several layers of silver necklaces worn around the neck, mostly made of silver flowers and small silver rings. He wears a silver lock and a silver collar on his chest, a silver cloak on his chest and back, and many small silver bells hanging down. Earrings and bracelets are all made of silver. Only two sleeves show embroidery with fiery red as the main tone, but the cuffs are also inlaid with a wider circle of silver ornaments. The costumes worn by Miao girls often weigh several kilograms, and some of them are accumulated and inherited by generations of people. It is known as the "fairy in colorful clothes and silver costumes". The craftsmanship of Miao silver jewelry is gorgeous, sophisticated and ingenious, fully demonstrating the wisdom and talent of the Miao people. Miao girls' skirts are called pleated skirts, but in fact there are more than 500 pleats on a skirt, and there are many layers, some as many as thirty or forty layers. These skirts, from weaving to bleaching, dyeing and sewing, to the final drawing and embroidery, are all done by the girls themselves. Together with the hand-embroidered flower belts and flower breast pockets, they are really colorful and beautiful. The origin of the Miao clan name
The Miao clan name is ancient and was first seen in oracle bone inscriptions. Before the Tang and Song Dynasties, there were names such as "Sanmiao", "Nanman", "Jingman" and "Wulingman". These titles confuse Miao with other ethnic titles. After the Song Dynasty, Miao was separated from several mixed names of "man" and became a single ethnic name.
The Miao people in western Hunan call themselves "绡xiong" (fruit bear), while in other areas they call themselves "Mao", "Meng" or "Meng". "Meng" or "Meng" means "tree heart" in the Miao language of southeastern Guizhou. It is said that "Meibangmeiliu" (butterfly mother) was born in the heart of the maple tree, and "Meibangmeiliu" gave birth to "Jiang Yang", the distant ancestor of the Miao people. Use "Meng" or "Meng" as the clan name. Some areas are called "Ga Nao", which means Wu, and may be the remains of the ancient Wushi clan's totem. Historically, people were given different names in front of the word "Miao" based on their clothing, place of residence, etc. After 1949, they were collectively called the Miao ethnic group. ?
Regarding the origin of the Miao people, they are related to the clans or tribes called "Southern Barbarians" in historical records that lived 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 Chi You from the ancient historical legend era is the ancestor revered by the Miao people today and is related to the Miao people. Some people believe that the ancient Sanmiao people were related to the Miao people. Some people believe that today's "Miao" can be traced back to the ancient "髳" people. In addition, there are Huandou theory, Yelang theory, Bajun Nanjun Man theory, Panhu Man theory, Wuling Man theory, etc.
In recent years, some people have proposed that Chi You in the Legend Era, Sanmiao in the Tang and Yuxia dynasties, Piao in the Yin and Zhou dynasties, Jing Man in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and Qianzhong Barbarians or Wuling Barbarians in the Qin and Han dynasties all include Including the Miao ancestors, they are different names of the Miao ancestors at different times in history.
In short, according to historical records and legends, the ancestors of the Miao people already lived in the Qingjiang River Basin in present-day Hubei and Dongting Lake in Hunan during the Yin and Zhou Dynasties. Around the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Miao ancestors were active in Bashu, Yelang and Jingzhou. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, most of the Miao ancestors settled in Wuling County, Zangke County, Yuexun County, Ba County, Nan County and other areas, and a small number continued to migrate to the Liujiang River Basin, the capital of southeastern Guizhou. Later, migration continued due to wars, famine, disease epidemics, high fertility, and farmland being abandoned.