MIGRATIONThe term “Miao region” appeared frequently in Chinese classics before
the 19th century, referring to areas south of the Yangtze River inhabited
by the Miao and other ethnic minorities.
The Miao kept migrating over thousands of years. Legend goes that the migration
began about 5,000 years ago, coinciding with the eastward expansion of their
domain by tribes under the Yellow Emperor, believed to be the ancestor of
the current Han Chinese, from areas on the upper reaches of the Yellow River.
These tribes met resistance from tribes collectively known as Jiuli on the
middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. A fierce battle was fought
in Zhuolu, north China, between the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou, chief of
the Jiuli. Chiyou was defeated, and his people began moving southward, marking
the beginning of a continuous migration attributed to the Miao and other
ethnic groups.
The migration continued until half a century ago. As a result, the Miaos are
found in most parts of south China, the southwest in particular, as well
as in parts of Indo-China. Migration has also caused the Miaos to become
an international ethnic group. China has over 9 million ethnic Miaos, whose
compatriots, numbering more than one million, are found in Vietnam, Laos,
Thailand, Myanmar, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Argentina
and Australia.
Migration of the Miaos is, from a cultural perspective, a miracle of global
caliber. It is the most favored theme in the oral history of the Miaos.
Even today, the Miaos still perform the ritual of “sending” the dead to
their ancestral home. At burials, the burial master sing the “Song of Direction”
to guide the dead souls on the way to the birthplace of their ancestors.
Miao costumes bear traces of this migration.
Also due to migration, the Miao ethnic group has more branches than any other
ethnic minority group in China, and these differ from one another in laguage
and folkways. Diversified regional culture of the Miao has developed fully,
giving rise to those gorgeous costumes of the Miao.
