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| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 124,092 (2020 census) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 China (Guangxi,Guizhou) | |
| Languages | |
| Maonan | |
| Religion | |
| Taoism andanimism[1] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Dong,Zhuang |
TheMaonan people (Chinese:毛南族;pinyin:Máonán zú;Maonan:Anan, literally "local people") are one of the56 ethnic groups officially recognized by thePeople's Republic of China. There are a total of 124,092 Maonan as of 2010, mostly living in northernGuangxi and southernGuizhou insouthern China.
The Maonan people'sautonyms areʔai1 na:n6(a Maonan person),kjɔŋ5 na:n6 (the Maonan people). Their language is calledva6 na:n6 (Lu 2008:33).[2]
More than 80% of the Maonan share the same surname:Tan (simplified Chinese:谭;traditional Chinese:譚). Maonan with the surnameTan believe that they are descended from the old inhabitants of the province ofHunan that migrated toGuangxi and married Maonan women. Other common surnames found in this ethnic group are:Lu (卢/盧),Liu (刘/劉),Shi (石),Qin (覃),Wei (韦/韋) andYuan (袁).
The towns of the Maonan do not surpass more than 100 dwellings. Their towns are organized by clan. Their dwellings are very similar to those of the Zhuang; they are usually made up of two floors and constructed out of planks and clay. The upper floor is used as the living quarters while the lower one serves as a granary and stable.
Traditionally, the marriages were arranged by the parents when the future newlyweds are still children. Traditionally when a Maonan woman became a widow, the brother of her late husband took her as his wife.
During the funeral service, the children of the deceased had to "buy" water of a river to be able to wash the corpse. Before proceeding to the burial, the blood of a chicken was poured on the land to purify it and to bless the spirit of the dead person.
Maonan cuisine includes many pickled dishes, of which the most famous ones are known as thesa:m1 səm3 ta5 ma:u6na:n6 (three-sour-middle-Maonan) "The Three Maonan Sour Dishes" (Lu 2008:47).[2] These three dishes are:
Rice wine is also popular among the Maonan.
Traditional Maonan religion is both animistic and polytheistic, with heavyTaoist influences. Many deities and rituals are borrowed fromChinese folk religion. Important figures and deities are listed below (Lu 2008:51).[2]
Maonan household shrines are calledji:ŋ1 wa3 (Lu 2008:51).[2] The shrine consists of a wooden plate on a wall facing the front entrance. Names of deities and family ancestors are written on the plate.
The Maonan people also perform a redemptive ritual calledvɛ4 da:u4 in order to show gratitude toni4 fa:n1 su:i5 (cf. Chinese:Wansui Niangniang 万岁娘娘, the birth goddess). During Maonan weddings, couples ask the birth goddess for fertility. After the couple has children, they thank the birth goddess by offering 26 animals (1 ox, 7 small pigs, and 19 chickens and ducks).
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| Tungusic | |||||||||||
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| Related | |||||||||||
Underlined: the 56 officially recognised ethnic groups ranked by population in their language families according to2020 census | |||||||||||
