Mythologies of the MANG People
The Mang (Chinese: 莽人; pinyin: Mángrén; Vietnamese: Mảng) are an ethnic group living primarily in Lai Châu, northwestern Vietnam, where they are one of Vietnams' 54 officially recognized ethnic groups. There are also about 500 Mang living in the Yunnan province of southern China, where they are officially termed an undistinguished nationality. The Mang language is part of the Pakanic branch of the Austroasiatic language family.
The Mang people once depended on slash-and-burn methods for growing rice and corn, along with hunting, gathering, and fishing as supplementary food sources. This lifestyle led them to migrate periodically from the mountain forests, such as when the soil grew less fertile. To more sedentary ethnic minority groups living nearby — such as the Hani and Dai — they were like ghosts, wandering without a home. After permanently migrating from the forest, the Mang community split into three village teams — the administrative units governing villages. In 2009, the Mang were classified as part of the Blang ethnic minority, becoming the last minority group within Chinese borders to gain official recognition. At the time, I was curious about how the Mang had changed after experiencing rapid modernization. I set off from Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, and finally reached Jinshuihe Township’s Nanke Village — deep in the mountains — on my third day of traveling. Covering an area of 115 square kilometers, Nanke comprises 10 groups of villagers.
More than 2,200 Mang people were counted in Vietnam during the 1989 census. They inhabit a mountainous area between the Da and Nam Na rivers in northwest Vietnam's Lai Chau Province. The Mang live in the four districts of Sin Ho, Muong Te, Phong Tho and Muong Lay. In 1997, a mere 408 Mang people lived in the remote and backward mountains of southern China. The little-known Mang inhabit thick forests and mountain slopes in the Mengla District of Jinping County, near the Vietnam border. Their homes are a two hour hour trek from the nearest road. The low population of the Mang is due to inbreeding, which has caused many Mang women to become sterile. Disease, malnutrition and poor hygiene cause a high infant mortality rate. More than 2,000 Mang are located directly across the border in the Ha Giang area of Vietnam, where they are one of their nation's 54 official ethnic groups, hygiene cause a high infant mortality rate. The Mang on the Chinese side of the border are so isolated that they were not even aware of the existence of any members of their ethnic group in Vietnam, even though the two live less than 50km apart. The Mang in Vietnam live in the same area as the Thai, Hani and Hmong. Despite being influenced by these groups for a long time, the Mang have retained their own culture. The neighbors of the Mang despise them and call them Mang U, which means "cowardly Mang'. Mang houses are built on stilts and have thatched straw roofs. On the top of of their roofs are fixed two carvings of dragons—common among Mon-Khmer speaking peoples. They believe these dragons can protect them from harm and disease. In the past, at the onset of puberty, young Mang girls were tattooed around their mouths for adornment. This custom is still seen in more remote Mang settlements. The Mang's diet consists primarily of rice and corn. They also raise pigs and hunt for rabbits, mice, and occasion-ally small deer. They hunt frequently because they have little food in their village. On the day of a Mang wedding, friends and relatives of the groom arrive early at the bride's home and stage a mock kidnapping. They carry her away. They believe the struggle will ensure a better marriage for the couple. When a Mang woman is about to give birth she is required to leave her home and live in a temporary hut in the forest. The Mang believe the village will be defiled if she gives birth in her home. She is required to cut the umbilical cord herself and to stay in the hut for about three weeks, preparing her own meals. Only then is she allowed to return home. Each Mang person has five or more family names. The names are derived from the names of sacred animals. Each lineage has its own totem. Chiefs, called mon dam, are assigned to each clan. The chief is responsible for all affairs of his clan, including the management of education, culture, economic and religious events.
The Mang are mostly animists and practice ancestor worship, traditions that have been handed down for generations. Mostly farmers, Mang people have an average income of about $400 per year or $30 per month. Most Mang live in the rural areas of northern Vietnam. The Mang people group has a population in Vietnam of 3,700. The Mang say they do not know where they come from. They have no special celebrations and do not even observe the popular Chinese Spring Festival. Despising themselves and feeling no self-worth, the Mang told one visitor, "We have no reason to live except to survive." The Mang have been included in a list of undetermined minorities by the Chinese authorities. They are known by different names to different peoples in the area. The Dai call them Chaman; the Hani know them as Manbu; and the Kucong call them Ba'e. Mang is the self-name of this group.
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