The "World" of the Yao

The Yao have a population of about 2.6 million of mostly farmers living in mountainous areas. They go by many different names such as Miao, Jinmen, Bunu, Dao, Mien, Dzao, Bingduoyou, Heiyoumeng and Lajia. Yao is an expression that means dog or savage and was officially adopted after the founding of the People's Republic in1949. The Yao have formed many different subgroups due to historical differences in their economic backgrounds, lifestyles, manners and customs.

 

The Yao make a living through farming and forestry and have also been involved in the opium trade in the past. Many of them grow maize, rice, chilies, eggplants and lettuce. Some of their main foods are corn, rice and sweet potatoes. Throughout their daily life they mainly eat soybeans, peas, pumpkins, peppers, domestic fowl, and livestock. In some areas where the Yao reside you-cha or "oil tea" is a daily necessity. They make this by frying tea leaves in oil, then boiled in a thick and salty soup and mixed with puffed rice or soybeans. Another favorite and interesting dish is pickled birds. They clean the birds with a blend of salt and rice flour and then sealed into airtight pots. It is also common for them to do this with beef, mutton and other meats. The Yao also like to enjoy wine and tobacco. Lastly, it is considered to be taboo to eat dog meat but if it is done the meat is cooked outside.  

Yao women bringing back vegetables from her farm.

Yao women standing in rice fields.

Yao women cooking in their kitchen.



The Yao society is organized along patrilineal lines with their village being lead by a headmen. The headmen position is inherited from their fathers. The women of the group do much of the field work as well as weaving, embroidery and cloth making. while the women do those things the men hunt, clear the fields and build houses. The Yao do work together as a community when it comes to plowing and sowing.  

 

The Yao speak a Sino-Tibetan language that is similar to Miao. Although there are several Yao dialects but they are so different from each  other that members from different Yao groups from different regions will not understand each other. Because the Yao have lived with and communicated with the Han, Zhuang, and Miao nationalities for a long time they can generally speak Chinese as well as Zhuang and Miao languages. The Yao do not have their own written language so they have adopted a system of Chinese characters.

 

The Yao style of clothing is different depending on the region they live in. Men wear jackets that are buttoned in the middle or to the left and usually belted. Many of the men like to wear trousers that are long enough to touch their insteps, although some prefer shorts akin to knee breech's. The color of the men's clothing is mainly that of blue or black but in Nandan County in Guangxi most of the men wear knee-length knickerbockers. The men of Liannan County will mostly curl their hair into a long bun. They will wrap the bun with a piece of red cloth and top it with pheasant feathers. The women on the other hand have a way of dressing that varies very much. Some women like short collarless jackets, cloth belts and skirts that are either long or short. Some women prefer knee-length jackets buttoned on the middle with belts that have both ends drooping and either long or short slacks. The women like to add color by embroidering beautiful patterns onto collars, sleeves and trouser legs. The Yao women also like t wear silver bracelets, earrings, necklets and hairpins.  

 

 

 

The Yao have a complicated belief system. They believe in a plethora of gods and believe that dogs are their first ancestors. The Yao have been animists, shamanists and ancestors worshipers whose beliefs have been shaped by Chinese religions, mainly Taoism and Buddhism. Some of the Yao do believe in Christianity. The Yao do pay close attention and give a lot of focus on evil spirits and ghosts to make sure they don't cause any trouble.

 

Lastly, the Yao are masters at handicrafts and they love to sing. They use singing during festivals and weddings. The songs have helped to play a key role in passing down histories and folk tales from generation to the next. The Yao use instruments including gongs, clappers, drums and symbols. 

Yao women weaving in her home