Buyang people

Buyang
Total population
	2,000
Regions with significant populations
	Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan and Napo County, Guangxi in China
Languages
	Buyang, Zhuang, Southwestern Mandarin

Last updated June 04, 2024

The Buyang people are an officially unrecognized Kra ethnic group living in Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan and Napo County, Guangxi in China. 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. In Yunnan, the Buyang are classified by the Chinese government as Zhuang, while they are classified as Yao in Guangxi (Li 2006).

Names

The name Buyang comes from the Zhuang pu˨jaaŋ˨˦ (alternatively pu˨ȵaaŋ˨˦), which means "other people." The Buyang of Napo County, Guangxi call themselves the ʔia˧hrɔŋ˥˧, while Guangnan Buyang call themselves pa˧ha˧. 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 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, 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.^[1]

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 Yunnan and Guangxi from Guizhou 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 Qing Dynasty. 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:

The majority resided in the Hongshui River (Hongshui He 红水河) valley. Today, the river serves as a border between northwestern Guangxi and southwestern Guizhou.

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-era chronicle had also mentioned a people called the Puyang 普央 living in Guangnan (Li & Luo 2010).

According to Holm (2003:15),^[2] the Buyang used to build hanging coffins, including hanging coffins on cliffs above a large bend in the Hongshui River near Banwen village 板文村, Sihe Township 四合乡, Donglan County, Guangxi.

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)^[2]

Holm (2003:159-160)^[2] reports that the Buyang continue to exist in the legends of the Zhuang people of Donglan County, Guangxi and the Buyi people of Xingyi, Guizhou.

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)^[2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kra–Dai-speaking peoples</span> Ethnic groups of southern China and Southeast Asia

The term Kra–Dai peoples or Kra–Dai-speaking peoples refers collectively to the ethnic groups of southern China and Southeast Asia, stretching from Hainan to Northeast India and from southern Sichuan to Laos, Thailand and parts of Vietnam, who not only speak languages belonging to the Kra–Dai language family, but also share similar traditions, culture and ancestry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gelao people</span> Ethnic group in China and Vietnam

The Gelao people are an ethnic group of China and Vietnam. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. However, many Gelao are also variously classified as Yi, Miao, and Zhuang by the Chinese government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zhuang languages</span> Various Tai languages used by the Zhuang people of southern China

The Zhuang languages are any of more than a dozen Tai languages spoken by the Zhuang people of Southern China in the province of Guangxi and adjacent parts of Yunnan and Guangdong. The Zhuang languages do not form a monophyletic linguistic unit, as northern and southern Zhuang languages are more closely related to other Tai languages than to each other. Northern Zhuang languages form a dialect continuum with Northern Tai varieties across the provincial border in Guizhou, which are designated as Bouyei, whereas Southern Zhuang languages form another dialect continuum with Central Tai varieties such as Nung, Tay and Caolan in Vietnam. Standard Zhuang is based on the Northern Zhuang dialect of Wuming.

Gelao is a Kra language in the Kra–Dai language family. It is spoken by the Gelao people in southern China and northern Vietnam. Despite an ethnic population of 580,000, only a few thousand still speak Gelao in China. Estimates run from 3,000 in China by Li in 1999, of which 500 are monolinguals, to 7,900 by Edmondson in 2008. Edmondson (2002) estimates that the three Gelao varieties of Vietnam have only about 350 speakers altogether.

Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in southeastern Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China, and is the easternmost prefecture-level division of the province. It borders Baise, Guangxi, to the east, Vietnam's Hà Giang Province to the south for 438 kilometres (272 mi), Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture to the west, and Qujing to the north.

Buyang is a Kra language spoken in Guangnan and Funing counties, Yunnan Province, China by the Buyang people. It is important to the reconstruction of the hypothetical macrofamily Austro-Tai as it retains the disyllabic roots characteristic of Austronesian languages. Examples are "to die", "eye", "head", and "eight".

The Rau people, also known as Lao, were an ethnic group of ancient China. Their descendants are the Zhuang, Buyei, Tay–Nùng and other Kra–Dai-speaking peoples.

The Kam–Sui languages are a branch of the Kra–Dai languages spoken by the Kam–Sui peoples. They are spoken mainly in eastern Guizhou, western Hunan, and northern Guangxi in southern China. Small pockets of Kam–Sui speakers are also found in northern Vietnam and Laos.

Funing County is located in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in the east of Yunnan province, China. It is the easternmost county-level division of Yunnan, bordering Guangxi to the north, east and southeast, and Vietnam's Hà Giang Province to the south.

Guangnan County is located in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China. The seat of Guangnan, known today as Liancheng (莲城镇), was the heart of the Gouding Kingdom (句町) that lasted approximately 400 years, from 111 BC to 316 AD.

Malipo County is under the administration of the Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in the southeast of Yunnan province, China, bordering Ha Giang Province to the southeast.

The Kra languages are a branch of the Kra–Dai language family spoken in southern China and in northern Vietnam.

Tianlin County is a county in the west of Guangxi, China, bordering the provinces of Guizhou to the north and Yunnan to the south. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Baise.

Napo County is a county in the west of Guangxi, China, bordering Yunnan province to the north and northwest as well as Vietnam's Cao Bằng and Hà Giang provinces to the south and west, respectively. It is under the administration of Baise city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yang Zhuang language</span> Tai language of Guangxi, China

Yang Zhuang is a Tai language spoken in southwestern Guangxi, China, in Napo, Jingxi and Debao counties.

Paha or Baha is a Kra language spoken in northern Guangnan County, Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan. The two villages are located near the border with Longlin County, Guangxi. Paha is often considered to be part of the Buyang dialect cluster and is the most divergent form. Although listed in Ethnologue as Baha Buyang, Weera Ostapirat classifies Paha separately from the other Buyang varieties.

Li Jinfang is a Chinese linguist at Minzu University in Beijing, China. Li, an ethnic Zhuang, is a leading specialist in the Kra-Dai languages of southern China, especially the Kra (Geyang) branch. Li's doctoral dissertation focused on the Buyang language, and was published as Studies on the Buyang Language in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Tai languages</span> Tai language branch of China and Southeast Asia

The Northern Tai languages are an established branch of the Tai languages of Southeast Asia. They include the northern Zhuang languages and Bouyei of China, Tai Mène of Laos and Yoy of Thailand.

The Zhuang have a rich variety of customs and culture.

Hagei (Hakei) or Green Gelao is a Gelao language spoken in China and Vietnam.

References

↑ "gxdqw.com". www.gxdqw.com. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
1 2 3 4 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.

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.