| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 1,100,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| China,Yunnan andSichuan provinces | |
| Languages | |
| Nasu | |
| Religion | |
| Indigenous |
TheNasu people (Chinese:纳苏;pinyin:Nàsū) are anethnic group in thePeople's Republic of China. They are a subgroup of theYi people and are mainly distinguished by their use of theNasu language, one of five main branches of theYi languages.
They are divided into theEastern Nasu with more than 400,000 persons inLuquan Yi and Miao Autonomous County, theJinghong Nasu with more than 20,000, thePanxian Nasu with more than 300,000 inPanzhou, theSouthern Nasu with more than 100,000, and theWusa Nasu.[citation needed] They are fromYunnan andSichuan.[1] They are classified as part of theYi people.[2] TheNasu language (Eastern Yi) is one of theLolo–Burmese languages belonging to theTibeto-Burman languages.[3]
Most of the Yi people of theLuquan area do not have the autonym Luoluo and Nasu in the local dialect of Yi language means "black", hence the Black Yi (Chinese 黑彝 Hei Yi).[4][5] However, the termsBlack Yi (aristocrats) andWhite Yi (peasants) are properly caste distinctions, not linguistic ones.[6]