Guizhou is the province with the largest Miao population. 51.3% of the Miao people in the country live in Guizhou Province. The Miao ethnic group has the widest distribution area within the province. Almost all cities and counties have Miao - inhabited villages. Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, and southwest Guizhou Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture are the concentrated areas of the Miao ethnic group.
The origin of the Miao ethnic group is very ancient. Due to different distribution regions, they call themselves “Meng”, “Gha”, “Mao”, “Qua”, “A - Hmao” and so on. The Miao ethnic group has its own language. The Miao language of the Han - Miao - Yao language family is divided into three major dialects, seven sub - dialects, and twenty - three local dialects. The three major dialects of the Miao language are Qiandong, Qianxi and Chuan - Qian - Dian Miao languages.
The Miao people like to live in clusters. Usually, one clan or multiple clans live together, forming villages of different sizes. Villages are built by mountains. Some are at the foot of mountains by rivers, some are on the mountainsides, and some are near the mountain tops. The houses are mainly of wooden structure, mostly two - storey, and few are three - storey. Those on the mountainsides are mostly of the stilted building style.
The Miao ethnic group has a wide distribution, and its livelihood patterns are those of living near the border areas and having long - term fixed cultivation of rice as the main, and also having the situation of taking mountainous land to plant corn as the main and having experienced the process of slash - and - burn farming. There are also those living in high - cold mountainous areas and taking animal husbandry as the main. No matter which economic type, they take the mountain area as the living background, rely on the mountains and live off the mountains, and have formed a set of survival wisdom suitable for themselves. The Miao people especially like to eat sour food. Almost every household makes sour soup, sour vegetables, sour peppers, etc. by themselves. The Miao people also like to drink alcohol.
There are relatively large differences in the costumes of the Miao ethnic group. Generally speaking, men have their hair tied up and wear headscarves, wear collarless jackets, wide - crotch and wide - leg pants in winter, and use belts to cinch their waists. In winter, they wrap their legs. Women tie their hair up in a bun, wrap their heads with cloth, wear jackets without buttons, and generally use flower belts to fasten the clothes. Miao women all like to wear silver ornaments, especially young women. Now, they are still the main decorative items for young women, and men generally don't wear them anymore.
Silver ornaments are divided into silver crowns, silver jackets, silver neck rings, silver bracelets, silver earrings and other types according to their uses. In terms of craftsmanship, there are forged and cast ones. Forged ones are mainly silver rings, silver flowers, silver sparrows, silver butterflies, silver needles, silver hooks, silver ropes, silver chains, silver earrings, etc. Of course, this is not absolute. For example, hollow and floral - shaped neck rings and bracelets are also exquisitely made works. Silver ornaments can be divided into three major types: The first type, represented by southeastern Guizhou, has a very high level of craftsmanship, and the number of ornaments is also large. The number of ornaments worn by a married woman can reach thirty or forty, more than fifty or sixty, and a few can reach two or three hundred. The main feature is that they like to wear silver crowns and silver jackets. Various accessories are welded on the silver jackets, mostly dozens to more than a hundred pieces. The accessories are all exquisitely made, and the most prominent one is the inlaid large silver horns that are more than two feet high. The silver jacket gets its name because there are many silver ornaments worn on the clothes. The second type is the Songtao and Tongren areas. The main feature is that many silver flowers are inserted on the headscarf, a silver shawl is draped over the shoulders, and many large silver flowers are embroidered on the chest apron. The earrings are very delicate, and the level of craftsmanship is also very high. The number of silver ornaments used to be large, but has gradually been simplified now. The third type is the area west of Guiyang. The number of silver ornaments is small, only a few silver hairpins, silver combs, and silver flowers are inserted in the hair bun on the head. These three regions also have common features, that is, they all wear silver earrings, neck rings, and bracelets.
The Miao ethnic group worships ancestors, believes in ghosts and gods, and some also believe in other religions. The main festivals include: Gucang Festival, Miao New Year, Eating New Festival, April 8th, Tiaohua Festival, Lusheng Festival, Sisters' Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, etc.
