Total population | |
---|---|
c. 1,100,000 | |
Regions with significant populations | |
China, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces | |
Languages | |
Nasu | |
Religion | |
Indigenous |
The Nasu people (Chinese :纳苏; pinyin :Nàsū), are an ethnic group in the People's Republic of China. They are a subgroup of the Yi people and are mainly distinguished by their use of the Nasu language, one of five main branches of the Yi languages.
They are divided into the Eastern Nasu with more than 400,000 persons in Luquan Yi and Miao Autonomous County, the Jinghong Nasu with more than 20,000, the Panxian Nasu with more than 300,000 in Panzhou, the Southern Nasu with more than 100,000, and the Wusa Nasu.[ citation needed ] They are from Yunnan and Sichuan. [1] They are classified as part of the Yi people. [2] The Nasu language (Eastern Yi) is one of the Lolo–Burmese languages belonging to the Tibeto-Burman languages. [3]
Most of the Yi people of the Luquan 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 terms Black Yi (aristocrats) and White Yi (peasants) are properly caste distinctions, not linguistic ones. [6]
The Yi scripts are two scripts used to write the Yi languages; Classical Yi, and the later Yi syllabary. The script is historically known in Chinese as Cuan Wen or Wei Shu and various other names (夷字、倮語、倮倮文、畢摩文), among them "tadpole writing" (蝌蚪文).
Xishan District is one of seven districts of the prefecture-level city of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, Southwest China.
Luquan Yi and Miao Autonomous County is an autonomous county, under the jurisdiction of Kunming, Yunnan, China, bordering Sichuan province to the north. As of the 2020 census the population was 378,881.
Luoping County is located in Qujing City, in eastern Yunnan province, China, bordering Guizhou province to the east and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to the southeast.
Lufeng is a county-level city located in Yunnan province, China, administered as a part of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture.
Wuding County is under the administration of the Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, in the north-central part of Yunnan province, China, bordering Sichuan province to the north. Wuding's county seat is located only 5 km from the seat of Luquan Yi and Miao Autonomous County. It is a centre for titanium production.
Luxi County is located in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China. Luxi was the capital of the medieval Yi Ziqi Kingdom.
Mile is a county-level city located in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China. It is named after the Maitreya Buddha, for which there was a temple located on a nearby mountain, making it the only city in China named after a Buddha. It is a center for sugar and tobacco production in Yunnan.
Gladstone Charles Fletcher Porteous, Chinese name 張爾昌 Zhāng Ěrchāng (1874–1944), was an Australian missionary to China who served with the China Inland Mission from 1904 and became Superintendent of the work in East Yunnan. He was a skilled Bible translator, devised the romanized Yi alphabet, and translated parts of the New Testament into several Chinese dialects.
The Northern Loloish languages, also known as Northern Ngwi, are a branch of the Loloish languages that includes the literary standard of the Yi people. In Lama's (2012) classification, it is called Nisoid (Nisu–Lope), which forms the Nisoish branch together with the Axi-Puoid languages.
The Nisoish or Yi languages, which contains both the Northern Loloish and Southeastern Loloish branches, are a branch of the Loloish languages proposed by Lama (2012). Northern Loloish and Southeastern Loloish were established by Bradley (1997), while the Nisoish group combining Bradley's two branches was proposed by Ziwo Lama (2012). Lama (2012) refers to Northern Loloish as Nisoid or Nisu–Lope, and Southeastern Loloish as Axi–Puoid.
The Nasu language, also known as the Eastern Yi language or Naisu, Luquan Yi, Wuding Yi, Guizhou Yi, Weining Yi, Guangxi Yi or Longlin Yi, is a Loloish language spoken by the Yi people of China. Nasu and Wusa are two of six Yi languages recognized by the Government of China. There are also some speakers in Vietnam. Unlike most written Yi languages, Nasu uses the Pollard script. A distinct form of the Yi script was traditionally used for Wusa, though few can still read it.
Axi is one of the Loloish languages spoken by the Yi people of China. The Axi are one of the main linguistic sub-branches of Yi, and the Axi tiaoyue is a dance of the Axi speaking Yi people accompanied by the sanhu.
Tai Ya, also known as Tai Cung, Tai Chung and Dai Ya, is a Southwestern Tai language of southern China. It has one dialect, Tai Hongjin ; Red Tai.
Gepo is a Loloish language of Yunnan, China spoken by 100,000 people. The speakers' autonym is, while the "-po" of "Gepo" means 'people'. It is spoken in 6 villages of Fumin County, eastern Luquan County, and other adjacent counties to the northeast.
The Lisoish languages are a branch of the Loloish languages proposed by Ziwo Lama (2012) that includes Lisu and several of the Yi languages. David Bradley (1997) considers Lisoish languages to be part of the Central Loloish branch.
The Southeastern Loloish languages, also known as Southeastern Ngwi, are a branch of the Loloish languages. In Lama's (2012) classification, it is called Axi-Puoid, which forms the Nisoish branch together with the Nisoid (Nisu–Lope) languages.
Sanie is a Loloish language of Yunnan, China. It is similar to Samataw. There were 17,320 ethnic Sanie in 1998, but only about 8,000 spoke the Sanie language fluently. The Sanie are also known as the White Yi (白彝).
Taloid is a cluster of languages in the Lisoish branch of Lolo–Burmese.