A Miao proverb states, "Fish swim in water, birds fly in the air, Miao live on the mountains." The Miaos live in the cold, wet mountainous regions of southwestern China and many villages are only accessible by several days' journey by foot.
Festivals provide opportunity for young people from other villages to meet. The girls will dress in their finest embroidery and don their most exquisite silver jewelry and headdresses, as boys look for a woman they might hope to marry. They dance to the beat of Miao drums, as couples steal off into the forest to sing love songs to each other, or play the romantic melodies on tree leaves or bamboo instruments.
Population and Geographical Distribution
The Miao are one of the 55 official minority people groups of mainland China. The Miaos live in the cold wet mountainous regions of southwestern China and many villages are only accessible by several days’ journey by foot. A Miao proverb states "Fish swim in water, birds fly in the air, Miao live on the mountains." Although the Miao originally inhabited the rich river valleys of central China, centuries of oppressive governments pushed them further south and higher into the mountains to seek refuge from their enemies. Because of this dispersion and isolation, the various Miao groups are separated from each other by language, dress, and customs; varying greatly from region to region, and often even village to village.
There are about 7.6 million Miao in China. Half of the Miaos live in Guizhou Province and the other half are scattered throughout Hunan (15%), Yunnan (15%), Sichuan, Guangxi, and Hubei (17%). The Miaos can generally be divided into four main groupings. The groups are the Northern, Eastern, Western and Far-Western. OMF efforts are now focusing on the Far-Western Miao which number between 2.5-3 million. They are scattered throughout southern China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and a large refugee community in the United States. The Far -Western Miao call themselves Hmong.
Language
The Miao language is part of the Hmong-Mien group in the Austro-Thai language family. However, some authorities consider them part of the Sino-Tibetan famly of languages. There are 35 dialects among the Far-Western Hmong having varying degrees of mutual intelligibility. A written script based on the Latin alphabet was created in 1956. Some Mandarin is used, but few Miao children are fluent in Mandarin.; however, the Big-Flowery Miao us the Pollard script developed in the early 1900s by Samuel Pollard.
Culture
The Miao are a friendly, affectionate people who enjoy music, festivals, and entertaining guests. They live in close-knit communities, their villages often made up of one or two clans.
Livelihood
The main economic activities are agriculture and hunting. Miao produce tung tree oil, mulberry, hemp, cotton, corn, rice, maize and vegetables. They also raise ducks, chickens, pigs, sheep, and some cows and horses. Few Miao have an education past elementary school. Most children drop out of school to help on the farms. Of the handful that do graduate from high school and even college, few return to their home villages. Most seek an easier way of life in the cities.
Religion
The Miao practice animism and ancestor worship, but the younger generation has been greatly secularized by Marxist ideology. Much of Miao religious activities is focused on appeasing and exorcising local spirits, demons and ancestral ghosts. Spirits can be benevolent or mischievous, protecting or bringing harm to men, beasts, and crops. Elaborate rituals and animal sacrifice are used for protection. The Chinese government, however, discourages the practice saying it is wasteful.
Openness to Christianity
Each Miao group has varying percentages of Christians. Some Miao villages are totally Christian. For example, the Big-Flowery Miao are around 60 percent, whereas the Black Hmong are close to 0. White and Blue Hmong are seeing large numbers of people come to Christ with other groups currently hearing the gospel. Although weak in doctrine and training, dedication and fervor are high among Miao Christians. Hundreds of Hmong leaders are currently receiving Bible training in non-formal settings. Gospel broadcasts are currently available in Blue and White Hmong, with current plans to develop broadcasts in Black, Sinicized, and Big-Flowery.
The Bible is translated in only three of the many Miao dialects with a new translation starting among the Sinicized. Many dialects still do not have their own writing system, much less any portion of scripture. If the Bible were to be translated, the Miao would first need to be taught to read it. Within China, the Big Flowery Miao have the New Testament and are attempting to complete the Old Testament themselves. The Blue and White Hmong translation from the Greek was completed in 2005.
Missions
Mission work among the Miaos was due largely to the efforts of Methodists and the China Inland Mission early this last century. Churches, schools and clinics were established. Currently all Hmong groups are being presented with the gospel.