RARE! Lisu Hill Tribe Teak & Snake Skin Banjo

OK, here\'s the deal... I just got back from a trip to the Golden Triangle Region where I was fortunate enough to find this rare Lisu Hill Tribe teak & snake skin banjo. The head is covered in snake skin which acts as the sounding board, the strings are made of wire and the rest of the banjo is made of teak wood. Stringed instruments like this have been made and played by men and women of the Lisu Hill Tribe for centuries and are still used today for personal enjoyment and during festivals.This is a beautiful piece that you can learn to play or use for home or office decor. (I have included a brief history of theYao People below).

Dimensions: Approx 20 inches X 4 inches (can be seen in photos above)

Materials:Teak Wood, Snake Skin, Wire

Age: Unknown

Don\'t let this unique opportunity pass you by. Buy it Now!

Thanks for your time and consideration... Dobuydon

SHIPPING (PLEASE READ)

I will ship your item via InternationalRegistered Air Mail as soon as payment is received. Registered Mail is the mostreliable and secure method of shipping and guarantees that your item willarrive. I have never lost any registered mail shipments. Normal shipping timeto most locations is 10-14 business days. Sometimes it can take longer… pleasebe patient. Onceyour shipment arrives, a signaturewill be required. If no one is available to sign for the shipment the postoffice should leave a notice and you may have to go pick up your item.

Expedited shipping viaInternational Express Mail Service (EMS) is available for an extra charge.Normal shipping time to most locations via EMS is 5 working days. Please emailme for a price quote if you desire express shipping.

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PROBLEMS–If you haveany problems I ask that you please email me so that we can resolve any issuesbetween ourselves.

ONCE YOU RECEIVE YOURSHIPMENT-Iask that you please email and let me know that you have received the shipmentas soon as possible. If you are happy with the item and with the service that Ihave provided, I ask that you please leave POSITIVE response. I strive toprovide 5 STAR products and services...Thanks again for your support….Dobuydon.

TheYao nationality(its great majority branch is also known asMien;Traditional Chinese:瑤族,Simplified Chinese:瑶族,Pinyin:Yáo zú;Vietnamese:người Dao) is a government classification for various minorities in China. They form one of the55 ethnic minority groupsofficially recognized by thePeople\'s Republic of China, where they reside in the mountainous terrain of the southwest and south. They also form one of the54 ethnic groupsofficially recognized byVietnam. In the last census in 2000, they numbered 2,637,421 in China, and roughly 470,000 in Vietnam.

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1History

• 1.1Early history
• 1.2Emigration
• 1.3Laotian Civil War
• 1.4Immigration to the United States

2Culture

3Religion

4Marriage

5Groups and languages

6Written languages

7References and sources

8Films

9External links

10See also

[edit]History[edit]Early history

The origins of the Yao can be traced back 2,000 years ago, starting in Hunan Province. The Yao andMiao peoplewere among the rebels during theMiao Rebellionsagainst theMing dynasty. Around 1890 theGuangdonggovernment started taking action against Yao in northwestern Guangdong.[1]

Some members of theYao minoritylive inWugang, Hunan.[2][3]One branch of the Wugang Yao were known as \"Tang\" (擋).[4]The hill lands of Hunan are home to Yao tribes.[5]Yao working in agriculture usually learn the dialect of Chinese of the Han Chinese who employed them.[6][7]

[edit]Emigration

From the late 1800s to early 19th century, the Yao migrated into theThai highlands,Vietnamand the highlands ofLaos. The migration was agitated by theopiumtrade said by the Chinese government. But TheIu Miensay all the emigration was because of the Chinese taking their land.

[edit]Laotian Civil War

During theLaotian Civil War, Yao tribes of Laos had a good relationship withU.S.forces and were dubbed to be an “efficient friendly force.”[8]This relationship caused the Laotian government to target Yao tribal groups for revenge once the war was over. This triggered further immigration intoThailand, where the tribes would be put into camps along the Thailand-Laos border.

[edit]Immigration to the United States

After obtainingrefugeestatus from theThai governmentand with the help of theUnited Nations, many Yao people were able to obtain sponsorship into theUnited States(although many remain in Thailand). Most of the Yao who have immigrated to the United States have settled along the Western part of the U.S., mainly in NorthernCaliforniasuch as Visalia, Fresno,Oakland,Oroville, Redding, Richmond,Sacramento, but also in parts ofOregonlike Portland, Salem, and Beaverton, as well as the state ofWashingtonin Seattle and Renton. SeeMien Americanfor those identified as Mien.

[edit]CultureThe back of a child in China in a Yao costumeA red Yao woman in Vietnam

The typical houses of the Yao are rectangular and they have structures made of wood and bamboo. Normally it has three rooms: a room and two dormitories in the lateral side. Each one of these rooms has a small oven to cook.

The men and the women cover their heads with a black or red scarf. Some women substitute this scarf by a turban that can adopt different forms.

The traditional suit of the women is of bright colors. They also decorate their shirts with decorations made out of silver.

In Vietnam, Yao people celebrate many exciting and meaningful festivals such as Nhơn chung lỉnh (literally: Red rice, Green rice\"), Nhiang chằm đao (literally: Jumping Festival).

[edit]Religion

The Yao,Iu-Mien, have a religion based on medieval Chinese (Taoism), although many have converted toBuddhismand some toChristianity. Though some people have converted to other religions, many still remained practicing their traditions.

[edit]Marriage

Marriage is traditionally arranged by go-betweens who represent the boy\'s family to the girl\'s parents. If the union is acceptable, abride priceis negotiated, typically ranging from three to ten silver bars, worth about $100 U.S. dollars each, a partial artifact from the opium trade. The wedding takes place in two installments, first at the bride\'s house, followed by a procession to the groom\'s house where a second ceremony occurs.

[edit]Groups and languagesA Yao stilt house in Vietnam

There are several distinct groups within the Yao nationality, and they speak several different languages, The Iu Mien make up 70% of the Yao populace.

• Miao–Yao languages
  • The Mien speakMienic languages(Chinese:Miǎnyǔ,Traditional Chinese: 勉語,Simplified Chinese: 勉语) , including:
    • Mian–Jin languages
      • Iu Mien, 2,172,000 speakers (1,699,750 in China, 350,000 in Vietnam, 40,000 in Thailand, 20,250 in Laos, 60,000 in the United States, 2,000 in France)[1]
      • Kim Mun(also known as Lanten), more than 300,000 Yao people[2]
      • Biao Mon, 20,000 speakers[3]
    • Dzao Min, 60,000 speakers[4]
    • Biao-Jiao Mien, 43,000 speakers[5]
• Lakkja language(aTai–Kadai language)
• Chinese
  • about 500,000 Yao speak Chinese dialects

In addition to China, Yao also live in northernVietnam(where they are called Dao), northernLaos, andBurma. There are around 60,000 Yao in northernThailand, where they are one of the six mainhill tribes. The lowland-living Lanten of Laos, who speakKim Mun, and the highland-living Iu Mien of Laos are two different Yao groups. There are also manyYao living in the United States, mainly refugees from the highlands ofLaoswho speak theIu Mien language. The Iu Mien do not call themselves \"Yao\". Not all \"Yao\" are Iu Mien. A group of 61,000 people on the island ofHainanspeak the Yao languageKim Mun139,000 speakers of Kim Mun live in other parts of China (YunnanandGuangxi), and 174,500 live in Laos and Vietnam.[9]

The Bunu call themselvesNuox[no˩˧],Buod nuox[po˦˧no˩˧],Dungb nuox[tuŋ˧no˩˧], or their official nameYaof zuf[ʑau˨˩su˨˩]. Only 258,000 of the 439,000 people categorised as Bunu in the 1982 census speak Bunu; 100,000 speak Zhuang, and 181,000 speak Chinese and Bouyei.[citation needed]

[edit]Written languages

After the Eleventh Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of theCommunist Party of China, the Guangxi Nationality Institute and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences together created a new Yao writing system which was unified with the research results of the Yao-American scholar Yuēsè Hòu (Traditional Chinese: 約瑟·候/Simplified Chinese: 约瑟·候). The writing system was finalized at a one-day conference in 1984 in Ruyan County,Guangdong, which included Chinese professors Pan Chengqian (盤承乾/盘承乾), Deng Fanggui (鄧方貴/邓方贵), Liu Baoyuan (劉保元/刘保元), Su Defu (蘇德富/苏德富) and Yauz Mengh Borngh; Chinese government officials;Mien AmericansSengfo Chao (Zhao Fuming), Kao Chiem Chao (Zhao Youcai), and Chua Meng Chao; David T. LeeUnited StatesLinguist Herbert C. Purnell, who developed a curriculum and workshop presentations on language learning in East and Southeast Asia; and Yao Seng Deng fromThailand. The US delegation took the new writing system to the Iu Mien community in the United States where it was adopted with a vote of 78 to 7 by a conference ofMien Americancommunity leaders.[6]This writing system based on the Latin alphabet was designed to be pan-dialectal; it distinguishes 30 syllable initials, 121 syllable finals and eight tones.

For an example of how the unified alphabet is used to write Iu Mien, a common Yao language, seeIu Mien language.

There is a separate written standard for Bunu, since it is from theHmong/Miaoside, rather than the Mien/Yao side, of theMiao–Yao languagefamily.

A variety of Yao is, or was, written inNüshu, an indigenous script.

Officially illiteracy and semi-literacy among the Yao in China still stands at 40.6%, as of 2002.

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