History of the Jingpo

According to the legends of the peoples Jingpo, his ancestors were living long ago in the Tibetan plateau placed to the Northwest of the Province of Yunnan. According to the historical researches, the peoples called Xunzhuang, ancestors of the Jingpo, were living long ago in this area.

During the dynasty Tang, already they are located living to the Northwest of his current position, the chronicles of the epoch mention to them like one of the peoples that there stays under the mastery of the Prefecture West of the Kingdom Nanzhao. In order to the Kingdom of Nanzhao, and later the Kingdom of Dali, the dynasty Yuan recovers the mastery of Yunnan for China. There begins developing then between the Jingpo the system of misters Shangong (I govern in the mountains), and soon the society splits into three clear classes: noblemen, the common people and slaves.

From the dynasty Yuan up to beginning of the dynasty Qing, the society Jingpo it is supported in the primitive state. The Chinese travelers who for different motives had contact with the Jingpo describe them as a people who lives of the hunting and the compilation, which does not cultivate the ground, which is dressed in trees crust. They usually do not have chiefs, and support commerce with the Tibet, from which they proceed according to his legends. "They raise the mountains as if they were flying, and practise human sacrifices. They are skillful in the handling of the arch and the sword, and between them a big inequality exists in the number of men and women, in such a way that every man marries with between 5 and 10 women."

In fact yes they have chiefs. The domineering classes are continued. In the XVth century the system of the Tusi is imposed, or of government of the minorities for the proper etites of the same minorities, on the system of the shangong, which thus turn in tusis. These years of the dynasty Ming there arise between the jingpo two alliances of tribes called Chashan and Lima, each one with a chief Tusi.

At the end of the dynasty Ming, in the first years of the XVIth century, it realizes a big emigration on the south, the Jingpo being established in the region of Dehong, from which later some of them will keep on emigrating up to Burma In Dehong, they are established in the mountain area. In the low grounds the dai live, with a well developed culture, and they are. From both they receive the big Jingpo you influence, what does that the society Jingpo is developing towards a feudal system similar to that of his neighbors of the low grounds, in which the Shangong and chiefs of village every time are monopolizing more grounds, especially of irrigation, to the detriment of the common people, who is happening of cultivating its own fields to work like employed of the landowners, or like their sharecroppers; some going so far as to depend practically on the compilation of the fruits and wild grasses for his maintenance.

In the XIXth century the society is severely stratified. The Chinese they have suppose an oppression factor. In this century several rebellions arise between the peoples Jingpo. That of major importance was late 30 years in being suffocated.

From the 50s of the XXth century, the peoples Jingpo de China suffer big transformations. Although his society turns out to be liberated of the big inequality that had been reached in the last years of the Republic China, the influences of the communist diet have supposed a hard blow to the traditional culture Jingpo, especially during the years more blacks of the Cultural revolution.

In the nearby Burma, the Kachin were one of the founding peoples of the Union Birmana, in 1947. Unfortunately, from the year 1962 strong attempts took place for dominating the regions of the minorities, arising then Kachin Independence Army, like reaction to the attempts of the central government for finishing with his autonomy, which until the year 1994 Burmese did not come to a cease-fire with the government.

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