Introduction
The origin of the Hmong-Mien is closely linked to the origin of the Han Chinese as both tribes have been living in adjacent regions since 3000 BC.Hmong-Mien are called Miao-Yao (苗瑤) aka San Miao (三苗) in China.
Homeland
Hmong-Mien homeland is in Hunan province in central China where they have been living for more than 3000 years.
They are the natives along the Middle Yangtze River basin and were there earlier than the Han Chinese.
Original homeland
The ancestors of Hmong-Mien were called Dongyi (東夷) or 'Eastern barbarians' who used to live in Shandong province to the east of the ancestors of Han Chinese.The proto-Hmong-Mien established the Dawenkou culture in Shandong where nine tribes lived.
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| Ceremony of Dongyi worshipping ox |
Proto-Hmong Mien's earliest ancestral leader was Chi You (蚩尤) and according to archaeologists, he established his capital around Yanggu (陽谷) in western Shandong province and commanded nine sub-tribes.
Chi-You is pronounced Si-Yau in Hmong language meaning father-grandfather.
First wave - Migration to Yangtze River
The ancestors of Hmong-Mien led by Chi You and ancestors of Han Chinese led by Yellow and Red emperors both fought to control the Lower Yellow River basin.
Chi You was defeated at the Battle of Zhuolu (涿鹿) in Hebei province around 2704 BC which triggered the migration southwards.
There were also later conflicts with the ancestors of Han Chinese (Emperors Yao, Shun and Yu) until the Xia dynasty (2070 BC-1600 BC) along the path of their migration southwards.
The ancient song of the Hmong-Mien called 'Song of crossing Mountains and Rivers' recorded this migration from the north to their present location. Their ancestors crossed the three rivers which are Yellow River, Huai River and finally Yangtze River before reaching Dongting Lake (洞庭) in Hunan province around 1700 BC.
The documentary video below narrates the origin of Hmong-Mien in more details.
Early Hmong-Mien kingdom
Around 1700 BC, they formed another kingdom called San-Miao/Three-Hmong between Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake.The Hmong-Mien kingdom was later annexed into the Chinese Chu state around 1050 BC. The rulers of Chu state were Han Chinese and not Hmong-Mien as often mistaken.
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| San-Miao kingdom (approximate boundary in purple) |
The constant war leading to the annexation of Chu state by the Qin state in 223 BC caused a massive migration of the Hmong-Mien people to south-western Hunan and also to northern Guangxi where they were known as the 'Wuling people'.
They were called 'barbarians of Wuling' by the Chinese due to their location in the five river tributaries of Wuling (武陵) prefecture in south-western Hunan.
Second wave -Migration to southern China
During the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD), the Hmong-Mien people started to migrate to southern China.
By 669 AD, the She people had migrated to southern Fujian from Jiangxi province.
In 724 AD (Tang dynasty), there was a Hmong rebellion led by Ka Hang Jiong (覃行章) which triggered a migration westward towards eastern Guizhou after it was suppressed by the Tang army.
During 1044-1048 AD (Song dynasty), a rebellion from the Mien people triggered a migration to both Guangxi and Guangdong.
Third wave - Migration to South East Asia
During the late 1700s-1800s, the Mien people migrated from Guangxi to northern Vietnam in order to escape from the Qing army.
During 1795-1806 AD, there was a failed Hmong rebellion in Hunan and Guizhou which triggered a migration to northern Laos during 1810-1820 AD after it was suppressed by the Qing army.
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| Hmong rebel leaders |
Fourth wave - Migration to USA and Australia
During 1960-1975, the Hmong people called 'Highland Lao' under the leadership of General Vang Pao helped the Americans to fight the communists in Laos.
The Hmong people in Laos is called 'Lao Suung' which means 'Highland Lao' even though they are not ethnic Lao.
After the communist takeover of Laos in 1975 AD, many Hmong refugees from Laos escaped to Thailand to avoid persecution especially during 1975-1979.
Most of the Hmong refugees were housed at Ban Vinai Refugee Camp in Loei province of northeastern Thailand.
During 1975-1997, many Hmong refugees from Thailand were resettled to California, Minnesota, Wisconsin in the USA. A few were resettled to other western countries such as Australia.
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| American Hmong |
Hmong-Mien culture
The worship of the ox which is an essential animal for them when they started farming in their original homeland is reflected in their cultural artifacts.
The two most important musical instruments used in their cultural festivals are the reed pipes and the Hmong drums.
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| Chiyou Jiuli City in Chongqing |
Hmong-Mien languages
After the failed Hmong rebellion of 1739-1741 AD, Emperor Qianlong forbade the usage of their writing to prevent future rebellions. All visible books written in Hmong script were destroyed by the decree as they were used during the rebellion to disseminate vital information.
The Hmong people engraved their writing on several large rocks in southwestern Hunan to preserve it and it was rediscovered during 2011-2014 AD.
Some historical facts were made into sewing patterns in their clothing. For example, the three lines represents the three rivers crossed in their migration path.
The link below shows many similarities between proto-Hmong Mien language and proto-Chinese language.
http://www.sealang.net/sala/archives/pdf8/downer1963chinese.pdf
http://www.sealang.net/sala/archives/pdf8/downer1963chinese.pdf
Hmong-Mien subgroups
There are three main branches:- Hmongic/Miao: Hmong, Hmu, Bunu, Pa Hng, Xong
- Mienic/Yao: Lu Mien, Kim Mun, Biao Min, Dzao Min
- She: San-Hak, Ho-Ne
This is a map of the current distribution of Hmong-Mien people.
The Hmongic people who originated from Yuan River basin in western Hunan, live mainly in western part of southern China. The Hmong is the largest Hmong-Mien subgroup in North America and Australia.
The Mienic people who originated from Xiang River basin in eastern Hunan, live mainly in central part of southern China and also northern Vietnam.
The She people who originated from Gan River basin in Jiangxi, live mainly in the eastern part of southern China.
The She people in Jiangxi, Fujian and Zhejiang have lost their native tongue and adopted a Sinitic language similar to Hakka language.
Conclusion
The Hmong-Mien people are the natives of the Lower Yellow River and Middle Yangtze River basins in China.
They were gradually pushed into southern China and also mainland South East Asia due to the expansion of the Han Chinese.
As an ethnic minority, they have managed to preserve their languages and customs even after living together with the Han Chinese for thousands of years.
Sources
- Chinese history of Chu <楚居>
- Tai settlement and Tai linguistics in southern China. Author: Jerold A. Edmondson.
- Genomic Portrait of Guangdong Liannan Yao Population Based on 15 Autosomal STRs and 19 Y-STRs. By Yaoqi Liao et al.
- Transnational Aspects of Lu-Mien Refugee Identity. By Jeffery McDonald.
- Hmong Americans. https://geriatrics.stanford.edu/ethnomed/hmong/introduction/history.html
- Hmong writing. https://kknews.cc/culture/g4je8z8.html
- Hmong writing. https://kknews.cc/travel/pao95j.html
- Hmong migration history. https://kknews.cc/culture/4e2q8a3.html
- Yao migration history. https://kknews.cc/travel/bxxl6rj.html
- Daxi culture. https://kknews.cc/culture/omeqoq.html
- Origin of She. https://kknews.cc/culture/gvbrrgy.html
- Origin of She. https://kknews.cc/culture/3jp8ne8.html
- She language. https://kknews.cc/culture/nglqg.html
- Migration of Mien. http://www.360doc.com/content/17/1001/18/8378385_691609187.shtml
- Vietnam war. https://kknews.cc/culture/oy259mp.html
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Thank you so much for authoring this informative post! I recently did an ancestry test that came back with 4% Hmong-Mien. This was such a fascinating read, great job! :)
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