Maingtha

Achang or Maingtha form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. They also live in Myanmar. The Achang speak the Achang language, but there is no indigenous writing system to accompany it. Chinese characters are often used instead. Many Achang also speak the language of the Dai, mainly to make commercial transactions.

History

The ancestors of the Achang were some of the first inhabitants of the province of Yunnan. Their ancestors lived near the Lancang river and during the 12th century they began to emigrate towards the border the west of the river. By the 13th century, some of them settled down in the area of Longchuan, whereas others settled around Lianghe. During the Ming and Qing dynasties they were governed by local village heads.

Culture

A great part of the history and the traditions of the Achang has been transmitted from generation to generation through music and the songs. Music is one of the mainstays of their culture and usually they finish all the celebrations with songs and dances. The unmarried young people usually comb their hair with two braids that gather on their head. The typical clothes of the Achang very is varied according to village. The married women dress long skirts whereas the unmarried ones use trousers. The men usually use the colours blue, target or black to make its shirts, buttoned to a side. The unmarried men surround their head with a fabric of white colour whereas the married ones use it of blue colour.

In Buddhist funerals of the Achang, a long fabric tape of about 20 metres is tied to the coffin. During the ceremony, the monk in charge of the ritual, it walks in front as opposed to holding the tape. By doing this, the monk helps directs the soul of the decreased so that the soul of the deceased arrives at its final destiny. The deceased is buried without any metallic elements, not even jewels, since it is believed that those elements contaminate the soul for future reincarnation.