article

The customs of the Ch'uan Miao

Journal of the West China Border Research Society9 • Published In 1937 • Pages: 13-70 , , plates

By: Graham, David Crockett.

Abstract
A fairly complete (for its size) general ethnography, this document deals with the following topics: language (grammar and phonology especially); historical background; subsistence; dwellings; measures; furniture; clothing; embroidery; family life; kinship terminology; ethnocentricism; village government; sports and games; music; sex; ceremonials; marriage; life cycle; magico-religious practitioners; divination; sacrifice; burial and mourning; festival-ceremonial calendary; legends; eschatology; supernaturals; amulets; and missions. Six of the 13 plates are excellent reproductions of Ch'uan Miao clothing and embroidery; the rest are concerned with clothing, ceremonial, and kinship terminology. The Miao people described here are probably Szechwan Hua (Flowery) Miao; however, they may be White Miao. For further information on the Ch'uan Miao, see HRAF document no. 9:Graham and HRAF document number 10: Graham.
Subjects
Phonology
Kin relationships
Routes
History
Tillage
Domesticated animals
Military installations
Ritual
Burial practices and funerals
Division of labor by gender
Weights and measures
Extramarital sex relations
Music
Arranging a marriage
Sexuality
Prayers and sacrifices
culture
Miao
HRAF PubDate
2009
Region
Asia
Sub Region
East Asia
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Arthur Fields
Field Date
1921-1936
Coverage Date
1920-1936
Coverage Place
Szechuan Province, China
Notes
[by] David Crockett Graham
LCSH
Ethnology--Hmong (Asian people)