The Iu Mien have a legend. It concerns an emperor of China named Pien Hung who was attacked by an even greater emperor, Kao Wang. Pien Hung was facing defeat when a dog, Phan Hu, broke through the lines, attacked Emperor Wang and brought back his head in victory to Pien Hung. He was rewarded with marriage to one of Hung's daughters. They ran off into the hills and eventually had 12 children. The descendants of those are the 12 clans of the Iu Mien. Many Iu Mien remember their ancestral heritage by three hand-written books: the "Book of Days" which they consult for auspicious days to marry or engage in important activity, the "Ancestor Book" which names nine generations of ancestors, and a "Mien Passport" which was issued by Emperor Pien Hung to Mien living in China, allowing them freedom to travel and cultivate land in his territory. Few, however, have their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Population and Geographical Distribution

Over 1 million Iu Mien live in the hilly counties of the provinces of Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan, Hunan and Guizhou. They are one of the Yao peoples, one of the 55 nationally recognized minorities in China. The word "Yao" is used to cover four major subgroups which are unrelated. These are divided into 15-20 people groups, each with their own language and culture. The Iu Mien are the largest of all those called "Yao," but not all Yao are Iu Mien.

Language

The Iu Mien language belongs to the Miao-Yao branch of the Han-Tibetan family, and many of its dialects resemble Miao dialects. Owing to centuries of contact with the Han and Zhuang peoples, many Yao speak the Han and Zhuang languages. There are five major dialects. Yao is a written language; written Han is also in common use.

Livelihood

The Yao living in the provinces of Hunan, Guangdong and Guangxi are dry rice farmers whose economy is similar to that of neighboring Han and Zhuang. Some Yao tribes engage in forestry, collect and sell medicinal herbs and make charcoal, as well as farm. Yao women are skilled at brocade, embroidery and batik. The Yao along Tea Hill in the Jinxiu (Yao) Autonomous County, Guangxi, work in the paddy fields and on hillsides and earn a good income from such cash crops as mushrooms, edible fungus and star anise.

Culture

The Iu Mien have been described as "slow-motion nomads" because they move their hillside villages from time to time when soil is no longer productive for their rice farming. From two to fifty or sixty might live in one house, married sons living with their parents, in wooden houses with thatch roofs. Two doors allow entry, one for men and guests, the other for women, leading to the kitchen areas. Another "big door" leads to the ancestral altar and gives easy entrance for the spirits when necessary.

Young people choose their mates with parental agreement and a substantial bride price is paid. The Iu Mien show special respect to their maternal uncles. In some places, the daughter of a paternal aunt must wed the son of a maternal uncle. The girl can only marry outside the family if the uncle has no sons, but the uncle is still entitled to a dowry from his sister's family. Harmonious relationships are very important in Iu Mien culture.

Though the women's basic costume is a black tunic and turban, everything from their loose-fitting pants to shoulder bags are intricately embroidered. The skull caps worn by babies and toddlers have large red pompoms.

The Iu Mien have a rich folk literature, including many myths, legends and folktales. They also produce many folk songs to express their thoughts and inner feelings.

Religion

The Iu Mien believe in Daoism and practice ancestor worship. They also believe in a variety of gods and demons, and fear spirits of the dead, especially spirits who were adversaries in life. Merit-making ceremonies and sacrifices regulate their relationship with the spirits.

They also believe an individual has many souls. When one soul leaves, sickness occurs; when all the souls leave, the person dies. One spirit, however, is reincarnated. Sickness is handled by a shaman, who is especially open to dealings with the spirit world. At death, a piece of silver is placed in the mouth of the deceased and a three-day ceremony follows with sacrifices of pigs and large amounts of paper money. The spirits are invited into a straw effigy of the deceased individual which is then beaten and taken out into the jungle to prevent those spirits from entering the village.

Church Situation

Early mission work by Catholic Christians brought the Roman Catholic faith to Iu Mien in Shangsi County of Guangxi and Liannan County of Guangdong. Prior to 1949 there was some Protestant mission work among the Iu Mien. Translation of the New Testament was completed in 1975 and it is being printed by Amity in China. According to some reports, there may be 10,000 Iu Mien Christians. In recent years Iu Mien living in Yunnan have come to know Christ because of gospel radio broadcasts in their language. In 2006 the complete Bible should be translated into their language.