The Achang (Chinese: 阿昌族; pinyin: Āchāngzú), also known as the Ngac’ang (their own name) is an ethnic group.They are one of tibeto burman language speaking people. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People’s Republic of China. They also live in Myanmar, where they’re known as Maingtha (Burmese: မိုင်းသာလူမျိုး) in Shan State and Ngochang in Kachin State.The Achang number 27,700, of whom 27,600 are from Yunnan province, mainly in Lianghe County of Dehong Autonomous Prefecture. The Achang speak a Burmish (Burmese-related) language called Achang, but there is no indigenous writing system to accompany it. Chinese characters are often used instead. Many Achang also speak the Tai Lü language, mainly to make commercial transactions with Dai people.
The Achang are one of 56 officially recognized ethnic groups in China, with a population of around 40,000. They live primarily in western Yunnan province on the border with Myanmar, where around an additional 2,000 Achang also reside. The Achang are native to western Yunnan around the southern tip of the stunning Gaoligong Mountains. As part of the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, the Achang have long intermixed with the other local ethnic groups. There is even a branch of Achang who developed in a more sinicized way than the majority. They speak a distinct dialect and call themselves the Husa Achang. In the 1950s, the Husa applied for separate nationality status but were rejected and continued to be grouped with the Achang as a whole. The Achang homeland is fertile with a mild climate and plenty of rainfall, providing the perfect conditions for rice cultivation, for which the Achang have long been known.
With a population of only 27,708 (1990 census), the Achang are a small ethnic group. They reside mainly in a multinational region of western Yunnan Province in China; a few live in the region’s frontier with northeast Myanmar (Burma). Since the area contains other ethnic groups, primarily the neighboring Dai, Han (Chinese), and Jingpo, many aspects of their culture, such as language, dress, architecture, and religion, among others, are to a large extent not distinct. About 90 percent of Achang are concentrated in three communes (now townships) in Yunnan in the counties of Longchuan, Lianghe, and Luxi. The other 10 percent are spread across neighboring counties. The region is affected by the monsoon from the Indian Ocean. The subtropical areas where the Achang live are warm, rainy, and humid. The language of the Achang is a branch of Tibeto-Burman in the Sino-Tibetan Family. The Achang language has two dialects: Fusa, which is influenced by Dai, Burmese, and Jingpo; and Lianghe, which mixes Chinese, Jingpo, and Lisu. Many Achang also speak the languages of the neighboring peoples (e.g., Dai, Chinese, Jingpo, and Burmese).
Chinese Achang People mostly live in Longchuan, Lianghe and Luxi counties in the Dehong Dai-Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in southwestern Yunnan Province. The rest live in Longling County in the neighboring Baoshan Prefecture. These areas are on the southern tip of the Gaoligong Mountains. The climate is warm; the land fertile, crisscrossed by the Daying and Longchuan rivers and their numerous tributaries. The river valleys contain many plains, the Fusa and Lasa being the largest of them. Dense forests populated by deer, musk deer and bears cover the mountain slopes. Natural resources, such as coal, iron, copper, lead, mica and graphite, abound. Achangs speak a language belonging to the Tibetan-Myanmese language family of the Chinese-Tibetan system. Most Achangs also can speak Chinese and the language of Dais. Their written language is Chinese. Achangs treasure their oral culture of ballads, stories and folk tales. Singing alternating duets is a favorite evening recreation of young men and women. Musical instruments used by Achangs include the bamboo qin (a stringed plucked instrument), the bamboo flute, the gourd-shaped sheng (a wind instrument), the sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument), the elephant-leg drum and the gong. Drum and monkey dances are among the most popular. Handicrafts include embroidery, lacquering, dyeing, weaving, engraving and silverware making and are known for their elaborate patterns and detail. Achang engraving is extraordinary and can best be seen on furniture, buildings and Buddhist shrines, on which workers have etched vivid forms of animals and plants.
Zhepama and Zhemima – the Achang Myth
The most important myth of the Achang is that of Zhepama and Zhemima that depicts the origin of the world and the first human beings in it. In its primal state the world was a mass of air in chaos. The first thing that appeared was light, and after it, darkness. From the interaction between light and darkness Zhepama, the Celestial Father, and Zhemima, the Earthly Mother, arose. In the void that existed after their creation, Zhepama, with the help of a magic whip, started the creation of the sky. Later he created the sun and the moon. He pulled up his breast (for that reason men don’t have them) to make two high mountains, where he placed the sun and the moon. Between these two mountains he made a tree in such a way that the sun and the moon follow each other continuously. When you see the sun it is day time, if you see the moon, it is night time. Then he created the clouds, the stars and all that there is in the sky. Next Zhemima knitted the earth. With the hair of her face and a lot of love, Zhemima created the earth of the east, of the south, of the west and of the north. Zhemima bled, and of her blood the seas that surround the earth were created. Then, of her flesh she made a great ship, on which rests the earth. But the earth was bigger than the sky, which could not cover it completely. Then Zhemima caused an earthquake and the mountains arose, and the sky was them adjusted perfectly to the earth. Then Zhepama and Zhemima come to know each other, and of the admiration that each one felt for the work of the other arises love and the desire to create somebody to govern this world. After asking the nature, they decided to marry. After nine married years Zhemima gave birth to a pumpkin seed that grew until it become an enormous tree which blossomed into a single flower. This flower still took nine more years to produce a pumpkin that grew and grew, threatening to explode the world. Then Zhepama gave a lash with his magic whip, making a hole in the pumpkin, from which nine children emerged. Zhepama and Zhemima taught the children the proper tasks of each sex. These nine children are the ancestors of all the nations.
A Husa knife, also sometimes called Achang knife, is traditional forged weapon of the Achang people of China. The Achang live mainly in the village of “Husa”, and smaller villages nearby, in Longchuan County, Dehong Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province, near the border between China and Burma. Husa is well known for its knife and sword makers, who have sold their products to Burma and regions along Nu River since ancient times. The Achang craftsmen make a variety of types of blades. Husa knives are made with a special process which gives the metal a pure texture, and a really sharp and durable blade. The handles and sheaths are also inscribed with various traditional patterns, such as “flying dragon and phoenix“, “tiger roaring”, “eastern sunrise”, making each knife a work of art. Each Achang family keeps at least one knife of high quality. When the young Achang men get married, they carry back knives to show their heroic vitality. This ethnic custom has continued to the present time.
The Achang ethnic minority mainly resides in Yunnan Province, southern part of China. With agriculture as its primary industry, it is famous for rice planting. In the past, Achang believed in the Hinayana at large. Its main religious festivals are such as Jinwa (Close-Door Festival), Chuwa (Open-Door Festival), the Burning Cabbage Festival and the Water-Splashing Festival. Apart from religious festivals, there are also many local special traditional festivals such as the Firebrand Festival, the Woluo Festival, the Flower Watering Festival and the Spring Festival, among which the Firebrand and Woluo festivals are larger in scale andricher in contents than the others. The grand rite of the ancestor worship is presided by the Huopao who will troll the myth epic of his people to praise the great achievement of the two creators. Then following the Huopao, people sing the original and simple Woluo Melody around the altar and perform the Woluo Dance, which takes the nature view of sun and moon as the stage scenes. The dancing and singing will go on the whole night. Besides, there are some recreational performances such as the martial art, singing in antiphonal style, swinging, and spring lanterns, etc. The festival carries through under an atmosphere of piety, pleasure and auspices.
With A Population Of 33,936 (In 2000), The Achang Ethnic Minority Lives Mainly In The Dehong Dai – Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture In Yunnan Province. They Lived In The Reaches Of Nu River As Long Ago As The 2nd Century, And Then Migrated Southwest To The Present Longchuan And Lianghe Counties. As One Of The Earliest People, They Have Their Own Language, Which Has No Written Form. Over Time, They Have Accepted The Language Of The Dai Ethnic Minority As Well As The Written And Spoken Mandarin Of The Han People. The Achang People–Though Kind, Mild, And Warmhearted–Are Good At Forging Iron Weapons Especially Cutting Tools. In The Past, Most Of Achang People Believed In Hinayana Buddhism, And They Have Their Own Customs To Celebrate Their Festivals. In Common With The Dai Ethnic Minority, The Water-Splashing Festival Is The Best Opportunity For Young People To Choose A Mate For Life. Every 24th Day Of The Sixth Lunar Month Is The Torch Festival. On That Day, People Enjoy Rice Noodles With Pork And Travel Throughout Their Neighborhoods At Night Holding Bright Torches.
Indigenous Peoples Literature 