The Buyang people are an officially unrecognized Kra ethnic group living in Wenshan Prefecture,

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

and Napo County,

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. They are closely related to the Laha, Qabiao, Gelao, and Lachi. The Buyang language is spoken, although many Buyang are now shifting to Zhuang and

Southwestern Mandarin Southwestern Mandarin (), also known as Upper Yangtze Mandarin (), is a Mandarin Chinese dialect spoken in much of Southwestern China, including in Sichuan, Yunnan, Chongqing, Guizhou, most parts of Hubei, the northwestern part of Hunan, the nor ...

. In

, the Buyang are classified by the Chinese government as Zhuang, while they are classified as Yao in

(Li 2006).

Names

The name Buyang comes from the Zhuang ' (alternatively '), which means "other people." The Buyang of Napo County,

call themselves the ', while Guangnan Buyang call themselves '. In Napo and Jingxi counties, many Zhuang are called "Buyang" by other Zhuang groups. In southeastern Guizhou and Tianlin, Longlin, and Xilin counties of Guangxi, many villages also contain the word ''yang'' 央, suggesting that those villages may be formerly Buyang-speaking areas that had been assimilated by the

Zhuang people The Zhuang (; ; , , Sawndip: 佈獞) are a Tai-speaking ethnic group who mostly live in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. Some also live in the Yunnan, Guangdong, Guizhou, and Hunan provinces. They form one of the 56 ...

. The Buyang of Guangnan County and Funing County are officially classified as Zhuang, while those in Napo County are classified as Yao. This is because Buyang clothing appears similar to Yao clothing, and many Zhuangs and Hans have mistaken the Buyang as Yao and have called them: *Tu Yao 土瑶, "native Yao" *Tie Yao 铁瑶, "Iron Yao" *Liu Yao 六瑶, "Six Yao" The Buyang of Napo County are also called the Liu Yao 六瑶 ("Six Yao") because they used to live in six villages (Li & Luo 2010). According to the ''Napo County Gazetteer'' (那坡县志), this exonym dates back to the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

, when the "Six Yao" lived in the villages of Nianyi 念益, Guolie 果列, Yancun 燕村, Rongtun 荣屯, Gonghe 共和, and Shanhe 善合.

Culture

Traditional Buyang clothing resembles that of the Gelao and Lachi peoples, although many have now switched to Zhuang-style clothing. Today, most Buyang celebrate Zhuang festivals, although the Guangnan Buyang (or Paha) celebrate the Dragon-Worshiping Festival and the Yin Day, or New Year, Festival.

History

The Buyang people may have originally migrated to their present locations in

and

from

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

province in the north, which is now occupied by the Gelao people. Various types of historical evidence suggest that the Buyang were much more populous in the past. For instance, many village names in Xilin County, Longlin County, and Napo County begin with Yāng (央 or 秧), suggesting that they may have formerly been Buyang-speaking areas from at least the

. Today, the dominant languages in these areas are Bouyei and Yang Zhuang. Li (1999) states that the following counties were formerly inhabited by Buyang speakers, but no longer have any: * Guangxi Province ** Yishan County ** Huanjiang County **

Nandan County Nandan (, ) is a county of Hechi City, in the northwest of Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South ...

Donglan County Donglan County (, Zhuang: ) is a county of northwest Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China ...

** Pingguo County ** Nanning County ** Longlin County ** Xilin County ** Napo County ** Jingxi County ** Debao County *

Guizhou Province ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

Luodian County Luodian County () (Bouyei language: Lachos xianq) is a county under the administration of Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in the south of Guizhou province, China, bordering Guangxi to the south. The climate in the area is humid subt ...

Wangmo County Wangmo County () ( Bouyei: Weangzmox xianq) is a county in the southwest of Guizhou province, China, bordering Guangxi to the southeast. It is under the administration of the Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. Administrative divisio ...

** Ceheng County **

Zhenfeng County Zhenfeng County () (Bouyei language: Miangxguz xianq) is a county in the southwest of Guizhou province, China. It is under the administration of the Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. Administrative divisions Zhenfeng County is divide ...

** Anlong County ** Xingren County ** Xingyi *

Yunnan Province Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

** Qiubei County The majority resided in the

Hongshui River The Hongshui River is a major river in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. It is one of the main rivers in the basin of the Xi River, which in its turn is one of the main tributaries of the Pearl River. Because it flows thr ...

(Hongshui He 红水河) valley. Today, the river serves as a border between northwestern

and southwestern

. A legend among the Buyang of Guangxi recounts that once there were three Buyang brothers living in poverty. One stayed in Guangxi, another went to Yunnan to escape poverty, and yet another migrated to northern Vietnam. The third brother who migrated to Vietnam could have been the ancestor of the En (Nung Ven) or the Qabiao people. A

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

-era chronicle had also mentioned a people called the Puyang 普央 living in Guangnan (Li & Luo 2010). According to Holm (2003:15),Holm, David. 2003.
Killing a buffalo for the ancestors: a Zhuang cosmological text from Southwest China
'. DeKalb, IL: Southeast Asia Publications, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Northern Illinois University. the Buyang used to build hanging coffins, including hanging coffins on cliffs above a large bend in the

near Banwen village 板文村, Sihe Township 四合乡,

. :The Buyang are reported to have been "banished to 'the edge of the sky and the corner of the sea,' that is, much further south, after a losing a contest of wits with the Bouyei’s apical ancestor Baeu Rodo. Even now, however, when the wind blows at night the villagers still light lamps, because otherwise the returning ghosts of the Buyang will mistake their houses for caves, and fly into them. On such nights women’s clothing is festooned on trees, as a way of keeping the spirits of the Buyang at bay. — quoted from Holm (2003:15) Holm (2003:159-160) reports that the Buyang continue to exist in the legends of the

and the

Buyi people The Bouyei (also spelled ''Puyi'', ''Buyei'' and ''Buyi''; , or "Puzhong", "Burao", "Puman"; ; ) are an ethnic group living in Southern Mainland China. Numbering 3.5 million, they are the 10th largest of the 56 List of ethnic groups in China, ...

Xingyi, Guizhou Xingyi () (Bouyei language: Xinyyiq siq) is a county-level city and seat of the Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in the southwest of Guizhou, Guizhou Province, China. Administrative divisions Xingyi has 12 subdistricts, 17 towns and ...

. :The Buyang themselves say that their ancestors came from Guangdong and Guangxi. In fact, traces of the Buyang are widespread. In the former Xingyi prefecture in southwestern Guizhou, and in Xilong sub-prefecture in far northwestern Guangxi, there are numerous names of villages and stockades that contain 'yang' as an element. The majority of inhabitants of this area call themselves either Bouyei or Zhuang. According to local legends, however, it was the Buyang who originally opened up the area and constructed the paddy fields. This circumstance is still commemorated each year on the 6th day of the 6th lunar month, when the local Zhuang and Bouyei kill a chicken and present offerings of wine in the fields to the "Buyang rice-fields," commemorating the Buyang and thereby praying for an abundant harvest. — quoted from Holm (2003:159-160)

References

* Diller, Anthony, Jerold A. Edmondson, and Yongxian Luo ed. ''The Tai-Kadai Languages''. Routledge Language Family Series. Psychology Press, 2008. * Li Jinfang (1999). Buyang yu yan jiu. Beijing: Central University for Nationalities Press. * Li Jinfang and Luo Yongxian. ''The Buyang language of South China: grammatical notes, glossary, texts and translations''. Pacific Linguistics Publishers, Australian National University, 2010.

Names

Culture

History

References

See also