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 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 705 (1999 est.) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Vietnam:Hà Giang 903 (2019)[1] China:Wenshan | |
| Languages | |
| Qabiao •Vietnamese •Chinese | |
| Religion | |
| Animism |
TheQabiao orPu Peo people (Vietnamese:Pu Péo) are an ethnic group living inHà Giang Province,Vietnam andMalipo County ofYunnan province,China. The total population was 903 as of the 2019 census, while Liang (2007) cites a total population of 777. In China, they are classified with theYi people.[2] Their autonym isqa˧biau˧.[3] The Chinese also refer to the Qabiao as 'Bendi Lolo', which translates as 'indigenous Lolo'.[4]
Historically, the Qabiao have inhabited either side of the China-Vietnam border, although nowhere were they existing in large numbers. One survey conducted in 1990 showed that there were 307 Qabiao living in southern China, whereas 382 dwelt in northern Vietnam.[citation needed] In China, the Qabiao are concentrated near the Vietnam border, namely in the Tiechang, Matong, Punong, Pucha, and Pufeng villages ofMalipo County in theWenshan Zhuang-Miao Prefecture ofYunnan province. The Qabiao live in seven communes ofĐồng Văn District inHà Giang Province in Vietnam.[citation needed]
The Qabiao women's traditional attire consisted of an ankle length skirt. For the upper body the women usually wore two vests. Now, there is an increasingly popular custom of wearing only the inner vest. Bok tam, as the inner vest is known, consists of five panels and has buttons under the right armpit. Bands of colored cloth are sewn around the hems, neck and sleeves of the dress, which resemble the embellishments found in the costumes of theGiay.
They speakQabiao language, also called Pu Péo, is part of the Kra language family, which belongs to the bigger Sino-Tibetan family. It's spoken in China(Malipo County) and Vietnam(Hà Giang Province) . The language is at risk of disappearing because fewer people are speaking it, and it is mostly used at home or in small villages. There are no written records of the language, making it harder to keep it alive. Efforts are being made to document and preserve the language.[5]
The Qabiao practice animism.[6] Souls and spirits are cornerstones of their belief system. The Qabiao believe a person has eight souls and nine spirits, all of which control his or her actions and existence. Most Qabiao homes have a small altar at which are seen three sandstone jars. Each jar represents a generation of ancestors. Other paraphernalia include dried pumpkin and a bundle of oxtail hair attached to a stick. These items are said to be the deceased ancestors' clue to identifying their descendants.
The Qabiao have an oath of preserving the sacred forest.
The Qabiao people have the following pantheon:[7]
| Austroasiatic (Vietic) | |
|---|---|
| Austroasiatic (non-Vietic) | |
| Hmong–Dao | |
| Tai–Kadai | |
| Sino-Tibetan (Chinese) | |
| Sino-Tibetan (Tibeto-Burman) | |
| Malayo-Polynesian | |
| Immigrants and expatriate | |
The 54 officially recognised ethnic groups are ranked by population in their language families according to2019 census
| |
| Sino-Tibetan |
| ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austroasiatic | |||||||||||
| Austronesian | |||||||||||
| Hmong-Mien | |||||||||||
| Mongolic | |||||||||||
| Kra–Dai | |||||||||||
| Tungusic | |||||||||||
| Turkic | |||||||||||
| Indo-European | |||||||||||
| Others | |||||||||||
| Related | |||||||||||
Underlined: the 56 officially recognised ethnic groups ranked by population in their language families according to2020 census | |||||||||||
