| The Yao nationality (Traditional Chinese: 瑤族, Simplified Chinese: 瑶族, Pinyin: Yáo zú) is a government classification for various minorities in China. They reside in the mountainous terrain of the southwest and south. In the last census, they numbered 2,637,421 in China, and roughly 470,000 in Vietnam. Their main habitats are Hunan, Yunnan, Guangdong, Guizhou, and Jiangxi together with Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Prefecture. They are divided into several branches, such as Baiku Yao (the Yao people who wear white trousers), Hong Yao (the Yao people who favor red clothes), and so on. Origins of the Yao, Iu-Mien can be traced back 2,000 years ago, starting in South China.From the late 1800's to early 19th century, the Yao migrated into Thailand, Vietnam and the highlands of Laos. The migration was agitated by the opium trade said by the chinese government. But The Iu Mien say all the emigration was because of the Chinese taking their land.During the Laotian Civil War, Yao tribes of Laos had a good relationship with U.S. forces and were dubbed to be an “efficient friendly force.This relationship caused the Laotian government to target Yao tribal groups for revenge once the war was over. This triggered further immigration into Thailand, where the tribes would be put into camps along the Thailand-Laos border After obtaining refugee status from the Thai government and with the help of the United Nations, many Yao people were able to obtain sponsorship into the United States (although many remain in Thailand). Most of the Yao who have immigrated to the United States have settled along the Western part of the U.S., mainly in Northern California such as Fresno, Oakland, Oroville, Redding, Richmond, Sacramento, but also in parts of Oregon Portland, Salem, Beaverton and the state of Washington Seattle, Renton, . See Mien American for those identified as Mien. Clothes of the Yao ethnic group differ according to the regions where they live. However, their clothes are mainly made of blue cloth with various pictorial designs on the fabric. Men like to wear front opening short robes without collars, together with long pants or knee-length shorts. The men living in Yao villages in Nandan County of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region wear white embroidered trousers. The Yao men living in Liannan Yao Autonomous County of Guangdong Province are fond of making chignons, pronounced "sheen-yon," usually decorated with pheasant feathers for their hair, and wimpling, or wrapping their heads with red cloth. Yao women like to wear side opening jackets without collars and long pants, shorts, or accordion pleated skirts. In addition, they always sew colorful and gorgeous hand-stitching work as well as embroideries on the collars, cuffs, belts and skirt hems, to make them very bright-colored and eye-catching. The Yao people have many varieties and styles of headdresses. They like to use silver hairpins, silver flowers, strings of silver beads, small arch-shaped silver planks and so on together with colorful ribbons to make head accessories. Judging from the different accessories, one can easily tell whether or not a girl is a maiden, unmarried or married woman. |
