History of the Dulong, a secular isolation

The Dulong are not known much of the history, since they live in one of the most remote regions of China, to which during half of the year it is not possible to gain access from the exterior.

Some authors think that, since they speak a language of the family tibeto birmana, they must come from the northwest of China, which they should have emigrated towards the south for the ethnic broker placed to the west of the province of Sichuan and Yunnan, as there are tests that there did other peoples who speak languages related to his. According to his traditions they come from this one, and there are motives for thinking that they have come to the vale of the river Dulong from the counties of Lanping and Jianchuan. Nevertheless, the Dulong possibly are the first inhabitants of the region who occupy at present.

Etno-genetic studies will provide in the next years new keys on the origin of the Dulong, as well as epoch in the one that there initiated his migrations and routes that continued during the same ones.
It is anticipated that they inhabit the top basin of the river Dulong, from at least the epoch of the Kingdom Nanzhao (VIIIth century). Later there is news that were delivering imperial taxes gathered by Tusi de Lijiang, under whose jurisdiction they were officially. It is thought that in the last two hundred years, his isolation life turned out to be altered by the arrival of two powerful neighbors, the Tibetan ones for the north and the Lisu for the East. Both set on themselves on the Dulong creating important modifications in his society.

The Lisu realized sporadic expeditions to capture Dulong, whom they were supporting like slaves between them. The Dulong were trying that the Tibetan ones were balancing the regional power, and invoking his protection, they were exchanged by slaves (orphans or persons separated from the society) in exchange for cows.

Towards the ends of the XIXth century some French missionaries came to this region. In 1935 some American missionaries came to his area, which some followers had in four villages, where churches were constructed and the Christian rites followed.

Until the fifties of the XXth century they were named "Qiu", and the river where they inhabit Qiu Jiang. Since then I laugh and the people it happened to be named Dulong.

Many of them only had contact with the exterior world with the arrival of the communists after the Revolution of 1949. The socialistic reforms of the fifties did not take many innovations to a people that, in certain form he was already living in the equality, but it provoked the disappearance of some customs considered Dulong as primitive for the Chinese, as it was the tattoo of his wives, and his cows sacrifices.

Although his material progress of ha been very slow, his relations with the exterior world they have multiplied. Many young people has received occupational training in the regional centers and even in the provincial capital, Kunming.

The opening of the first highway to his region at the end of 1999 (earlier it was a necessary gait three days from Gongshan), will provoke new transformations in his society who is still not easy to evaluate.

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