History of the Lahu

It is thought that the Lahu come from the ancient Qiang that were populating the northwest of China in times of the first dynasties. His legends make to think that long ago they inhabited the plateaus of loess of the basin of the Yellow river. In that time the Lahu were a matriarchy. The first migration led them to the shore of the lake Qinghai. Emigrating later more to the south of the Qinghai province, up to the current Yushu prefecture.

One believes that haucía politics existed the VIIth century in the southeast of Qinghai two entiodades lahu, the called Kingdom Supi and the Kingdom Daomi, which are in fact the women's kingdoms about which they speak the documents of the dynasty Tang, which were conquered by the Tibetan ones in the VIIth century after Pipe founded the dynasty. After the defeat to hands of the Tibetan ones, the Lahu emigrated towards the south, settling in the frontier region between Sichuan and Yunnan.

The Lahu supported good relations with the Kingdom of Nanzhao, as well as with the Kingdom of Dali that happened to him in the Xth century. Later differences with this kingdom drove to the war, and to a new migration of the Lahu.

The conquest of the Kingdom of Dali for the Mongols in the year 1253 supposed a stir for all the peoples of the area. The Lahu initiated a new migration, going some to the east and others on the west. Of this moment it is from which there proceed two principal branches of the Lahu, called Lahuna went on the west and the Lahuxi to the east. This long separation has created important linguistic and cultural differences between they. The history of the Lahuxi and the Lahuna separates also.

The Lahuxi emigrate up to finding the territory of the Dai. Under the nominal domination of Tusi Dai, the lahuxi of Lincang numerous times rebel throughout the XVth and XVIth centuries against his domination. The defeated warriors are fleeing to the districts of Shuanjiang, Gengma, Cangyuan, where one still finds them nowadays. The Lahuna went to the basin of the river Lancang, which during a time was known like the river of the Lahu.

From the beginning of the XVIIIth century the history of the Lahu is defined by raisings against the authority of the Tusi (local chiefs) Dai. In fact, during two following centuries there are taken into account more than 20 raisings of major or minor duration and intensity. The proper development of the society lahu did that during the first hundred years of this period his rebellions had a component fortress

Ethnic, against the Dai that were oppressing them on behalf of they have. During the second part, the development of the inequality between the Lahu becomes clear, the chiefs share the same interests as the tusi dai, as what the rebellions have an ethnic and social character.

Between the Lahuna more removed from the centers of power, his social structure is supported until the end of the imperial epoch. Since then, for supporting under his control for the minorities of the frontier areas, the attempts of the republican government modify the traditional structure of the society lahuna. With the arrival to the power of the Communist Party, this structure is completely abolished. The Lahu are framed since then in villages, communes or teams of production as the political fashions in the capital.

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