History of the Yi People (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Yi Mouyuan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-05-01
Features: National-funded Key Research Project of the Social Sciences of China, A Monograph titled "Essentials of the Yi History" by Yi Mouyuan, a Researcher at the Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, with a total of approximately 500,000 words. The book is divided into thirteen chapters:
Chapter 1: "Geography of the Yi People";
Chapter 2: "Stone Age Culture and Legendary Primitive Society of the Yi People in the Western Plateau of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan";
Chapter 3: "Origin of the Yi People";
Chapter 4: "Origin of the Yi Civilization";
Chapter 5: "The Wulu Zhuo (Suspected to be) Clan in the Major Branch of the Wupuo Yi Ancestors";
Chapter 6: "Dumu (Suspected to be) and the Slave State of Shu He Established";
Chapter 7: "Migration and Development of the Six Ancestors' Branches of the Yi People to Southwest Regions";
Chapter 8: "The 'Divine Guardian-Ghost Ruler' System";
Chapter 9: "The Uneven Development of Yi Society";
Chapter 10: "Continuation of the Slave System in Liangshan Yi";
Chapter 11: "Clan (Family) System";
Chapter 12: "Primitive Religion and Bimo";
Chapter 13: "Traditional Calendar".
The book presents nine new interpretations different from previous studies:
1. The main origin of the Yi people is the early Shu people with the Yellow Emperor as their ancestor, and another source of the Yi people's pluralistic origin is the maternal lineage of Kunyi, who descended from the ancient Dongyi people;
2. The collective ethnic name of the Yi people, "Ni", is the ancient character for "Yi", meaning the "Yi" of the ancient Dongyi people, which is homonymous with "Yi" and became the modern term;
3. The ethnic ancestor of the Yi people who entered the civilized era, Wulu Zhuo, is suspected to be the Shu King;
4. The ethnic rebirth ancestor of the Yi people in the mid-Spring and Autumn period after the Shu's primordial chaos, Dumu, is suspected to be the Shu Emperor;
5. The ancestor of the Yi people's calendar, Eisu, is suspected to be Zuan Rui;
6. The "Ghost Ruler" in Yi history should be interpreted as "Divine Guardian", and "Ghost Country" should be interpreted as "Divine Guardian's Country";
7. "Clan" is "Family";
8. The vast majority of people (approximately 50% of the total population of Liangshan Yi) in the "Qunuo" class system of Liangshan Yi belong to the class attribute of "Slave-owning People";
9. The traditional calendar of the Yi people is nearly a lunar-solar calendar similar to the Zuan Rui Calendar.
The book was written before the founding of the People's Republic of China.