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The Lahu ethnic minority
 The Lahus ethnic minority has a population of 411,500,
mainly distributed in the Lancang Lahu Autonomous County in Simao
Prefecture, Southern Lincang Prefecture and Menghai County in western
Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province. Others live in counties along the
Lancang River.
The subtropical hilly areas along the Lancang River where the Lahu
people live in compact communities are fertile, suitable for planting
rice paddy, dry rice, maize, buckwheat as well as tea, tobacco, and
sisal hemp. There are China fir and pine, camphor and nanmu trees in
the dense forests, which are the habitat of such animals as red deer,
muntjacs, wild oxen, bears, peacocks and parrots. Found here are also
valuable medicinal herbs like pseudo-ginseng and devil pepper.
Mineral resources in the area include iron, copper, lead, aluminum,
coal, silver, mica and tungsten.
The Lahu language belongs to the Chinese-Tibetan language family. Most
of the Lahus also speak Chinese and the language of the Dais. In the
past the custom of passing messages by wood-carving was prevalent. In
some parts the alphabetic script invented by Western priests was in
use. After liberation, the script was reformed and became their formal
written language.
History
 Legend says that
the forbears of the Lahu people, who were hunters, began migrating
southward to lush grassland which they discovered while pursuing a red
deer.
Some scholars hold that during the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,000
years ago, the "Kunmings," the nomadic tribe pasturing in the Erhai
area in western Yunnan, might be the forbears of certain ethnic
groups, including the Lahus. Then, the "Kunming" people still lived in
a primitive society "without common rulers." They belonged to
different clans engaged in hunting. The Lahu people once were known
for their skill at hunting tigers. They roved over the lush slopes of
the towering Ailao and Wuliang mountains.
In the 8th century, after the rise of the Nanzhao regime in Yunnan,
the Lahu people were compelled to move south. By no later than the
beginning of the 18th century they already had settled in their
present-day places. Influenced by the feudal production methods of
neighboring Han and Dai peoples, they turned to agriculture. With
economic development, they gradually passed into a feudal system, and
their life style and customs were more or less influenced by the Hans
and Dais. Customs and Habits
 Lahu men wear
a collarless jacket buttoned on the right side, baggy long trousers,
and a black turban. The women wear a long robe with slits along the
legs. Around the collar and slits are sewn broad strips of color cloth
with beautiful patterns and studded with silver ornaments. Women's
headdress extends a dozen feet long, hanging down the back and
reaching the waist. Where the Lahus come into frequent contact with
the Hans and Dais, they also are fond of the garments of those two
ethnic groups.
Their houses are built on stilts, with the space below reserved for
domestic animals. The style of building is similar to the Dais'.
Monogamy was practiced. In some areas such as Bakanai Township in
Lancang County and Menghai County in Xishuangbanna, young people were
free to choose their marriage partners, and only a few marriages were
arranged by parents. Women played the dominant part in marital
relations. After the wedding, the husband stayed permanently in the
wife's home, and kinship was traced through the mother's side. In
other areas, men played the dominant part in marriage. Betrothal gifts
were sent through a matchmaker before the wedding. On the evening of
the wedding day the
 husband was required to stay in the bride's home
with his production tools.
Traditionally, the dead were cremated. During the burial, mourners
were led to the common cremation ground by women, who carried on their
backs articles used by the deceased people during their life time. In
some places, the dead person was buried, and the tomb piled with
stones. The whole village stopped working in mourning on the burial
day. |
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