54 ethnic groups of Vietnam - the Dao ethnic group
Dao people originally came from China, immigrating between the 12th or
13th century and the early 20th century. They claim themselves
descendants of Ban House (Ban vuong), a famous and holy legendary
personality.
Dao communities
cultivate swidden fields, rocky hollows, and wet -rice paddies. These
cultivation activities play a dominant role among different groups and
areas. Dao Quan Trang (white trousers) people, Dao Ao Dai (long tunic)
and Dao Thanh Y (blue clothes) specialize in wet-rice cultivation. Dao
Do (Red Dao) people mostly cultivate in rocky hollows. Other Dao groups
are nomadic, others are settled agriculturists. Popular crops are rice,
corn and vegetables, such as gourds, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes. They
raise buffaloes, cows, pigs, chickens, horses, goats in the middle
regions of mountains and highland areas.
Cotton farming and
weaving are popular among the Dao groups. They prefer garments dyed
indigo. Most village wards have forge kilns serving for farming tools
repairing. In some places, people make matchlock and flint-lock rifles
and cast-iron bullets. The silversmith trade, handed down through
generations, mostly produces necklaces, earrings, rings, silvers chains,
and betel nut boxes.
Dao Do (Red Dao) and Dao Tien (Coin or
Money) groups are well-known makers of traditional paper. The paper is
used when writing history, story and song books, when making petitions,
when sending money for funeral services, and on other occasions. Other
Dao groups are noted for pressing certain fruits to extract oils which
they use to illuminate their lamps. Sugarcane is also refined.
Dao religious beliefs include traditional practices and agricultural
rituals mixed with elements of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Ban
vuong is considered the earliest ancestor of the Dao people, so he is
worshiped together with the ancestors of the family. In Dao tradition,
all grown-up men must pass an initiation rite, cap sac, which expresses
the traits of Taoism and the ancient rituals.
Dao people use the lunar calendar for all of their activities.
