Yi languages
|
Nuosu and dozens of others |
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (7,762,286) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| China: Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi Vietnam 4,541 (2009) Thailand |
|
| Languages | |
| Mandarin, Yi (minority) | |
| Religion | |
| Bimoism, minority of Buddhists and Christians | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Naxi, Qiang, Tibetan, possibly Tujia. |
The Yi or Lolo people are an ethnic group in China, Vietnam, and Thailand. Numbering 8 million, they are the seventh largest of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. They live primarily in rural areas of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi, usually in mountainous regions. As of 1999, there were 3,300 "Lô Lô" people living in Hà Giang, Cao Bằng, and Lào Cai provinces in northeastern Vietnam.
The Yi speak various Loloish languages, Sino-Tibetan languages closely related to Burmese. The prestige variety is Nuosu, which is written in the Yi script.
Of the more than 8 million Yi people, over 4.5 million live in Yunnan Province, 2.5 million live in southern Sichuan Province, and 1 million live in the northwest corner of Guizhou Province. Nearly all the Yi live in mountainous areas, often carving out their existence on the sides of steep mountain slopes far from the cities of China.
The altitudinal differences of the Yi areas directly affect the climate and precipitation of these areas. These striking differences are the basis of the old saying that "The weather is different a few miles away" in the Yi area. Yi populations in different areas are very different from one another, making their living in completely different ways.
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Wikipedia