Xian Ma village

(Xian Ma village, in Hou Chang township is 40km to the east of Puding in Puding county, Guizhou province, south west China)

These photos were taken in October 2000 in Xian Ma Village. The village has groups of Big Flower Miao (similar to the Big Flower Miao in Weining county in the north west of Guizhou - see discussion on migration and links of this group to the A-hmao also known as Hua Miao or Flowery Miao) and Side Comb Miao. The village had been exposed to the influence of missionaries in the past and one 60 year old Big Flower Miao woman had been taught to speak beautiful Mandarin (according to our guide) by the missionaries. The region around seemed to be inhabited predominately by Side Comb Miao. There was beautiful scenery with mountains and deeply cut rivers. Many of the houses were stone with end gables of slate-like stone. On arrival at the village we went to the school where the children, at least the girls - both Big Flower and Side Comb Miao - greeted us dressed in their festival costumes. We then scrambled down the mountainside to visit a Big Flower Miao family and then back up and down to meet a Side Comb Miao family. We had the opportunity to buy textiles from both Big Flower and Side Comb Miao back at the school. The wax resist work from both Miao groups was some of the finest that we saw on the whole trip.

all text & images © Pamela A Cross

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