Presenting Dong

Dong is one of the minorities of China with major population. In fact, according to the census of the year 2000 his population was reaching the persons' 3.000.000.

They live principally in the province of Guizhou (approximately 1.800.000 persons), along a stripe of flat grounds that crosses the north province on south. Also there is a numerous population dong in the south part of the nearby province of Hunan (approximately 900.000), little more than 200.000 in the Autonomous Region of Zhuang de Guangxi, and a few thousands in the province of Hubei (Prefecture of Enshi).

Dong lives close to the rivers and in generally not very high hills. His principal cultivation is the rice. They raise domestic animals, especially funks and gluttons. The development of the forests, with which Dong supports a special spiritual relation, is an economic importance activity. Since we see the basic characteristics of his economic and spiritual life it presents big resemblances with the Dai and the Zhuang, with which they share the same origin, and support clear linguistic and cultural relations. They all are a report of the peoples Dong-Dai.

They are named to themselves "Kam".

Generally it is considered that there are two well differentiated types of Dong, Dong of the north and Dong of the south.

There are important linguistic and cultural differences between they, therefore in spite of having had a common origin, there can be considered to be two differentiated ethnic groups. In general those of the north have received more influences of the Chinese culture, while the traditions preserve those of the south better dong. The typical monuments of Dong, like the Towers of the Drum, the Bridges of the Rain and the Wind, and the Temples of the Goddess Mother Sama, they all are typical ones of Dong of the south.

His language belongs to the family but Tibetan, branch Thai dong, sub-branch zhuang dong. It has two principal dialects, that of the north and that of the south, which speakers understand each other hardly. Each of these dialects has in turn three well differentiated local speech.

After 1958 an alphabet was invented for his language, but it has not been much used. Before this date they were using the Chinese characters pronouncing them according to the language dong.

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