Yao people

From Freepedia

The Yao nationality (瑶族, pinyin: Yáo zú; Vietnamese: Dao) are an ethnic group. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where they reside in the mountainous terrain of the southwest and south. In the last census, they numbered 2,637,421 in China.

Different groups

There are several distinct groups within the Yao nationality of China, and they speak several different languages: several languages called Mien (Chinese: Miǎnyǔ 勉语) and Bunu (Bùnǔyǔ 布努语), which are Miao-Yao languages; Lakkia (Lājiāyǔ 拉珈语) and Zhuang, both Tai-Kadai languages; and Chinese. Another large group officially categorised as Miao speak Mien.

The Bunu call themselves Nuox [no13], Buod nuox [po43 no13], Dungb nuox [tuŋ33 no13] or according to their official name Yaof zuf [ʑau21 su21].

Populations of Yao also live in Northern Laos, Northern Vietnam and Burma. There are around 60,000 Yao in Northern Thailand, where they are one of the six main hill tribes. The lowland-living Lanten of Laos are related to the Mien.