Ziyun Yi - heirs of the lost kingdom

Yunnan was the last one of the provinces to be incorporated into the Chinese empire, since only it begun being governed by the authorities of Peking with the foundation of the dynasty Yuan in 1271. Only 18 years earlier, the last one of the systems independent from Yunnan, the Kingdom of Dali, had succumbed before the Mongolian warriors.

The Conquest of the South nevertheless, it did not start until the beginning of the XVth century, with the dynasty Ming, and it was a process slower and much less cruel than the Conquest of the West produced in North America in the later centuries. As it many indigenous populations had time to go adapting to a coexistence with the Chinese colonists, to establish rules of political, military or cultural resistance, or to go displacing slowly towards more inhospitable, poorer regions, and of difficult communication. The result of it is a rich ethnic panorama that spreads over the whole south-west of China, in which the progeny of the invaders and those of the invaded ones have already forgotten the origin of his blood feud, coexisting like neighbors during generations.

Only one detailed historical and ethnological research will allow us to do to us an idea of the real composition of this one a rich panorama.

A few years ago, the student of origin Yi, Bai Xingfa (1) was attracting attention on the scientific community with the discovery of a people, considered a branch of the Yi, which possibly are the progeny of one of the least well-known political systems of the Yunnan of the XIth and XIIth centuries: the Kingdom of Ziqi.

The Zijun or Shamudai, since he is named this progeny, are at present approximately 20.000 persons who live in the outskirts of the lake Dianchi, inside the Kunming municipality, in the Guandu area.

According to the Chinese historical records the central Yunnan region was populated at the beginning of the dynasty Tang by a series of peoples named commonly like Wumang. At the end of the same dynasty, the Chinese conscious of the ethnic diversity of the above mentioned region, were making sure that it was inhabited by 36 tribes, most of which one believes that they are ancestresses of the different branches of the Yi. One of these 36 tribes, called Xiemotu, at the beginning of the XIth century is liberated of the hegemonic power of the kingdom of Dali, which in those years was dominating the Yunnan province, establishing the called Kingdom Ziqi.

It is not known much of this kingdom. It is thought that it reached a rapid political and commercial development, exporting to his neighbors especially horses and cloths. Neither the origin of his decline is known, possibly the absence of political will provoked his fall, dispersing the villages that were composing it. One of these emigrated towards the shores of the lake Dianchi where it is even nowadays.

In fact, the name of this Kingdom Ziqi they support a big resemblance in the local dialect with the denomination of the proper Zijun. Another name by which they are known, Shamudai or Samadu, has been used by small changes, to name them for more than 800 years. Since during the dynasty Yuan Ximodu was called, and during the dynasties Ming and Qing, Samodu.

In a good number of historical documents the existence of this people is described in this location. It is said that they even had a proper writing that his priests or Xibo were using in the sacred ceremonies.

In the last 200 years the Chinese Han they were established in this region. The cultural shock produced a weakening of the culture Zijun. The discrimination suffered to hands of the newly arrived persons provoked that they were to leave gradually his language, garment and customs. In such a way that nowadays it is thought that scarcely they remain the people using his vernacular language in a pair of counties.

Almost all his customs have disappeared the same way, leaving only some traces in the most important ceremonies or in his traditional holidays. For example, the marriage they were always celebrating it at night, marrying only the people of different surname. The husband had to pay a quantity in cash like dowry to the family of the wife, who from the moment of the wedding was going on to belong to the family of the husband. The men, on the other hand were remaining at the parents up to his death.

Most of his holidays also have disappeared, preserving only the Holiday of the Torches and the Holiday of the Lanterns.

(1) Bai Xingfa. - Yi zu zijun ren of zuyuan ji qita (The origin of Zijun Yi). In Yixue yanjiu, 2 (p. 13-15). Kunming. 1998

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