The History of Yi People

Some scholars believe that the Yi are descended from the ancient Qiangpeople of today’s western China, who are also said to be the ancestors of the Tibetan, Naxi and Qiang peoples. They migrated from southeasternTibet through Sichuan and into the Yunnan Province, where their largest populations can be found today.

They practice a form of animism, led by a shaman priest known as theBimaw. They still retain a few ancient religious texts written in their unique pictographic script. Their religion also contains many elements of Daoism and Buddhism.

Many of the Yi in Liangshan and northwestern Yunnan practiced a complicated form of slavery. People were split into the nuohuo or Black Yi (nobles), qunuo or White Yi (commoners), and slaves. White Yi were free and could own property and slaves but were in a way tied to a lord. Other ethnic groups were held as slaves.

Legend

Most Yi believe they have the same ancestor, (Axpu Ddutmu or Axpu Jjutmu). It is said that Apu Dumu married three wives and had six sons: each of the wives bore two sons. In the legend, the oldest two sons leading their tribes conquered other aborigines of Yunnan and began to reside in most territory of Yunnan. The youngest two sons led their tribes eastwards and were defeated by Han, before finally making western Guizhou their home and creating the largest quantity of Yi script documents. The other two sons led their tribes across the Jinsha River and dwelled in Liangshan. This group had close intermarriage with the local.

Known History

Most Yi live in Liangshan, Chuxiong, and Honghe. At the Lizhou archaeological site (Chinese: 礼州遗址) nearXichang of Liangshan, dating to 3,000 years ago, many artifacts of the Neolithic Age have been discovered. Although no evidence proves that these ancient cultures of stone age have direct correlation with modern Yi people, their descendants, local bronze culture, may have had some influence on Yi people, as the ancestors of Yi people had frequent contact and intermarriage with local tribes, such as Dian (Chinese: 滇), Qiong (Chinese: 邛) and Zuo (Chinese: 笮), during their southwards migration from north eastern edge of Tibetan Plateau. Today, the Yi people still call the city of Xichang as ꀒꎂ (Op Rro). In spite of the affix “or-”, the root “dro” is believed by some scholars as related to the tribe Qiong (Chinese: 邛) as the pronunciation is quite close to the ancient pronunciation of Chinese character 邛.

Torch Festival of Yi

The Torch Festival, which falls on June 24 – according to the Lunar Calendar of the Yi nationality — every year, is the most important traditional holiday of Yi people.

During the festival, people burn torches for three days and nights to drive away insects from eating crops.

Meanwhile, Yi villagers also sacrifice pigs and cows during memorial ceremonies for their ancestors. In the evening, they walk around their fields with torches, and gather around bonfires, singing, dancing and playing musical instruments. Similar to Valentine’s Day, the Torch Festival also provides the opportunity for young people to select their “Mr. and Mrs. Right”.

The Chuxiong city is a part of the administrative division of the prefecture by the same name. It lies in the central part of the Yunnan Province and is approximately 100 miles from the capital city of Kunming and about 110 miles from Dali, which is a popular tourist destination for tourists and students. The city automatically becomes a part of the travel itinerary of summer programs for high school students and other study abroad programs.  

The city is marked by beautiful natural surroundings. There are rivers and mountains along with many interesting sites which give a remarkable overview into Chinese history and culture. The city is comprised of the biggest population of the Yi ethnicity. Along with Yi people, it is also the home of Han, Lisu, Miao, Dai, Hui, Bai, Hani, Zhuang minorities, just to name a few. This cultural diversity shows in the lifestyle of the people in the city and hence it can be another pivotal observation point for studying diverse cultures. Its proximity to Kunming makes it an ideal location to visit during weekends, especially since Kunming is the hub for multiple Chinese language programs as well as Chinese summer programs.