Kam people: Difference between revisions

The '''Kam people''' ([[Kam language|Kam]]: {{lang|kmc|Gaeml}}, {{IPA-xx|kɐ́m|}}), officially known in China as '''Dong people''' ({{zh|c={{linktext|侗族}}|p={{linktext|Dòngzú}}}}; endonym: {{serif|Gaeml}}), {{IPA-xx|kɐ́m|}}),are a [[Kam–Sui peoples|Kam–Sui people]] of Southern China, areand one of the 56 [[List of ethnic groups in China|ethnic groups]] officially recognized by the [[China|People's Republic of China]]. They are famed for their native-bred ''Kam Sweet Rice'' ({{zh|c=香禾糯}}), [[carpentry]] skills and unique architecture, in particular a form of [[covered bridge]] known as the "wind and rain bridge" ({{zh|c=风雨桥}}). The Kam people live mostly in Easterneastern [[Guizhou]], Westernwestern [[Hunan]] and Northernnorthern [[Guangxi]] in China. Small pockets of Kam speakers are found in [[Tuyên Quang Province]] in Vietnam.<ref>Edmondson, J.A. and Gregerson, K.J. 2001, "Four Languages of the Vietnam-China Borderlands", in ''Papers from the Sixth Annual Meeting of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society'', ed. K.L. Adams and T.J. Hudak, Tempe, Arizona, pp. 101-133101–133. Arizona State University, Program for Southeast Asian Studies. Expand.</ref> The Kam people call themselves Kam, Geml, Jeml or Gaelm.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities|publisher=Routledge|year=2005|isbn=1-57958-468-3|editor-last=Skutsch|editor-first=Carl|location=New York|pages=408, 409}}</ref>

The Kam are thought to be the modern-day descendants of the ancient [[Rau peoples|Liáo (僚) peoples]] who occupied much of southern China.<ref name=Geary>D. Norman Geary, Ruth B. Geary, Ou Chaoquan, Long Yaohong, Jiang Daren, Wang Jiying (2003). ''The Kam People of China: Turning Nineteen''. (London / New York, RoutledgeCurzon 2003). {{ISBN|0-7007-1501-0}}.</ref> Kam legends generally maintain that the ancestors of the Kam migrated from the east. According to the migration legends of the Southern Kam people, their ancestors came from [[Guangzhou]], [[Guangdong]] and [[Wuzhou]], [[Guangxi]]. The Northern Kam maintain that their ancestors fled [[Zhejiang]] and [[Fujian]] because of [[locust swarm]]s. Some scholars (mainly Chinese) also believe that the Kam were a branch of the Bai Yue from the first century CE. The Bai Yue inhabited the Yangze RiberRiver basin after the collapse of the Yue Kingdom around the first century CE which led to the establishment of many small chiefdoms.<ref name=":0" />

The first explicit mention of the Kam (or Dong) people come from Ming Dynastydynasty sources. Many Kam rebellions took place during the [[Ming dynasty|Ming]] and [[Qing dynasty|Qing Dynastiesdynasties]], but none were successful in the long run. The Qing developed extensive irrigation systems in the area and rice harvests increased significantly but this mostly benefited the local landlords. The Kam were further exploited after the first Opium War of 1840–1842 by western forces, capitalists, landlords, usurers and Qing officials.<ref name=":0" />

The [[Kam language]] ([[Endonym|autonym]]: {{serif|lix Gaeml}}) is a [[Kra–Dai languages|Tai–Kadai]] (Chinese: ''Zhuang–Dong'') language.[http://www.ethnologue.org/show_family.asp?subid=90182] ''[[Ethnologue]]'' distinguishes between twothree Kam languages,varieties withas theseparate codesbut {{ethnolink|kmc}}closely forrelated Southernlanguages: KamNorthern Dong [doc], (Southern Dong) [kmc], and [[Cao Miao language|Cao Miao]] [cov].<ref>{{ethnolinke25|doc|Dong, Northern}}</ref><ref>{{e25|kmc|Dong, forSouthern}}</ref><ref>{{e25|cov|Cao Northern Kam (Northern Dong).Miao}}</ref> [[Sui language|Sui]], [[Maonan language|Maonan]] and [[Mulam language|Mulao]] are the languages most closely related to Kam. Historically, Northern Kam has been influenced by Chinese much more than has Southern Kam.<ref name=":0" />

[[File:Kam-Sui_autonomous_prefectures_and_counties_in_China.png|thumb|center|350px|Kam-Dong (red) and Sui (purple) autonomous prefectures and counties]][[File:Kam-Sui people.png|thumb|center|350px|Distribution of the Dong and other Kam-Sui ethnic groups in China]]

| '''Guizhou province'''||(whole province)||||4.62||1,628,568||35,247,695

| Guizhou ||'''''Tongren prefecture'''''||(whole prefecture)||11.41||376,862||3,302,625

| Guizhou||Tongren prefecture||Tongren City ([[Bijiang District]])||33.72||104,051||308,583

| Guizhou||Tongren prefecture||[[Jiangkou County]]||8.99||17,011||189,288

| Guizhou||Tongren prefecture||[[Yuping Dong Autonomous County]]||78.09||98,757||126,462

| Guizhou||Tongren prefecture||[[Shiqian County]]||30.49||101,990||334,508

| Guizhou||Tongren prefecture||[[Songtao Miao Autonomous County]]||2.56||14,025||547,488

| Guizhou||Tongren prefecture||Wanshan District||73.40||40,130||54,674

| Guizhou||'''''Qiandongnan Miao Dong autonomous prefecture'''''||||31.40||1,207,197||3,844,697

*Love songs -– accompanied by the [[pipa]] or niutuiqin

*'''Xing Ni''' -– An ancient figure, whose legend dates possibly from the [[Tang Dynastydynasty]] (618-907618–907).<ref name=Geary />

*'''Wu Mian''' -– Leader of a 1378 rebellion during the [[Ming Dynastydynasty]] due to drought and famine.

*'''Lin Kuan''' -– Led a 1397 rebellion but was later executed. Popular among the Northern Kam and is commemorated by an ancient tree.

*'''Wu Jinyin''' -– Wu revolted in the 1740 to resist grain taxes, but was killed in 1741.

#Building a "bridge" -– Three wooden planks are lined up side by side to express goodwill to passing people.

#Wrapping the hands -– The child's hands are wrapped to help prevent him or her from stealing things later on in life.

#First eating of meat dipped in wine at six months old -– considered a major milestone.

#Receiving the breath -– listening for last words and the person's the last breath.

#Drinking clear tea -– Three spoonfuls of "clear tea" and a small pieces of silver are placed into the recently deceased person's mouth.

#"Washing" the corpse -– The corpse is covered with wet money paper.

#Putting on the graveclothes -– Old clothes are taken off.

#Arranging the "dream bed" -– The [[suona]] is played during the vigil.

#Starting on the road -– A red cock is killed, and the corpse is removed from the dream bed and placed into a coffin. White headcloths are worn by the mourners (also practiced by the Han Chinese).

#Holding the memorial ceremony -– Presents are distributed.

#Going up the mountain -– Coffins are usually placed high up on a mountainside.

#Placing the coffin into the "well" -– A chicken is killed and prayers are said. The chicken is then lowered into the grave and pulled back out again for later consumption.

#Holding the funeral receptions -– Lunch and dinner are held.

#Returning to the mountain -– The sons return to the grave to build a grave-mound. The dead person is called to "go back home" to live at the altar to the family's ancestors.

#"Transferring the sons" (if the dead is female) -– This is a ceremony in which the duties of [[filial piety]] are transferred from the deceased mother to her eldest brother or the eldest brother's representative.

An average-size Kam village has 200&ndash;300200–300 homes, although the smallest ones have only 10&ndash;2010–20 and the largest ones have more than 1,000.<ref name=Geary /> Kam villages typically have:

*Village entrances -– to protect against intruders, and also are where "blocking the way" ceremonies are held

*Drum towers -– usually found only in southern Kam areas today. Drum towers may be village towers or extended-family towers (Geary 2003:47).

==Agriculture and Economyeconomy==

*Water buffalo: 1&ndash;31–3 per household

*Pigs: 1&ndash;31–3 per household

*Chickens: 2&ndash;202–20 per household. Hens raised by the Kam generally lay around 100 eggs per year.

*Ducks: 2&ndash;42–4 per household (about half of all households). Ducks tend to destroy rice seedlings and are thus less preferable than chickens.

*Geese: 2&ndash;42–4 per household (about one-tenth of all households). They are recent introductions from the Han Chinese.

*King Lin's Day -– commemorates Lin Kuan, a northern-Kam hero of the 14th century

*Best Weather Day -– Jiang Yingfang, the "[[Robin Hood]]" of the Kam people who led a rebellion in the 19th century, is celebrated on this day.

* [[Su Yu]] ({{lang|zh|粟裕}}) (1907-19841907–1984), the first four-starsenior general of the People's Liberation Army

* Wu Hongfei ({{lang|zh|吴虹飞}}) (1975-1975–), singer for the [[Chinese rock]] band [[Happy Avenue]] ({{lang|zh|幸福大街}})

* Sen Fluke ({{lang|zh|裕虹虹}}) (1945-1945–), Pastor for the Golden Singers ({{lang|zh|幸福大街}})

* [[Li Ting (diver)|Li Ting]] ({{lang|zh|李婷}}) (1987-1987–), gold medalist in the 10 meter synchronized platform [[Diving (sport)|diving]] at the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] at [[Athens]], [[Greece]]

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080415205326/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/05/china/guizhou/amy-tan-text ''National Geographic'' article about the Kam of Dimen, Liping County, Guizhou], by [[Amy Tan]] (2008)

* [https://books.google.com/books?id=aSduHAAACAAJ&dq=inauthor:berlie&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=0&cd=28 ''Sinicization of the Kam (Dong People), a China minority'' (in French)/ ''Sinisation d'une minorité de Chine, les Kam (Dong)''], [[Jean Berlie]], 95 pages, s.n. editor, published in 1994.