Nisu, Xinping September 8 ➤ the greatest. When a Nisu girl turns 15 or 16 she is said to have entered the GUIZHOU “spring time” of her life. •Kunming YUNNAN •Mile GUANGXI •Huaning When this time has come, Mojiang •Guangnan her family sends her into the • •Kaiyuan Jinping •Pingbian mountains with a selected Scale • boy from her village. The two 0 KM 160 VIETNAM pick a selection of beautiful Population in China: flowers and grass and return 192,400 (1999) 197,300 (2000) home. The girl arranges a 247,600 (2010) large structure of flowers on Location: Yunnan the roof of her house. When Religion: Polytheism she has finished, her Christians: 1,000 mother places a special Overview of the headdress on her head and Xinping Nisu jewelry on her wrists. She Countries: China also adorns herself with Pronunciation: necklaces and earrings, and “Shin-ping-Nee-soo” wears a special belt around Other Names: Huayao Yi, Flowery Belt Yi, Flowery Waist Yi, her waist. Then her family Hua Yao Yi, Nisu, Nisupuo, Tuli, and friends hold a ceremony Tuli Yi, Tuly, Niesu, Neisu where they drink wine and Population Source: 192,400 (1999 J. Pelkey); sing the following song: Out of a total Yi population of “Springtime has come to the 6,572,173 (1990 census) mountains, The flowers are Location: Yunnan: Xinping (37,800), Yuxi (31,500), Eshan Jamin Pelkey opening and the birds are (28,900), Yuanjiang (28,000), Location: More than Language: Xinping Nisu, beautiful on the hills; The Jiangchuan (12,700), and Yimen 190,000 speakers of which is mutually young birds are flying away (4,500) counties of Yuxi Prefecture (143,400); Anning and Xinping Nisu live in Xinping, unintelligible with the other from their nests.… Jinning (18,000) counties of Yuxi, Eshan, Yuanjiang, Nisu languages in southern Springtime has come to this Kunming Municipality; Shiping Jiangchuan, and Yimen China, is part of the County (31,000) of Honghe young maiden, She has Prefecture counties of Yuxi Prefecture Southern Yi language family. blossomed and is beautiful; Status: (143,400); Anning and It has no written script. She too must leave her old Officially included under Yi Jinning Counties of Kunming home.”3 Language: Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Burmese-Lolo, Municipality (18,000); and History: Different Yi groups, Lolo, Northern Lolo, Yi, Shiping County in Honghe including the Xinping Nisu, Religion: Roosters are held Southern Yi Prefecture (31,000).1 These have developed their own in great reverence and are Dialects: 0 locations are all within identity and customs after Religion: even worshiped by the Polytheism, Animism, Christianity China’s Yunnan Province. centuries of isolation from Xinping Nisu. They also Christians: 1,000 each other. believe the spirits of Scripture: None Identity: Although the dragons and the ox can Jesus film: None Xinping Nisu are officially Customs: Unmarried Xinping protect them. Gospel Recordings: Yi: Nisu #04976 included as part of the Yi Nisu women wear gorgeous Christian Broadcasting: None nationality, they wear cockscomb hats made of Christianity: Although an ROPAL code: None different dress, speak a wool tassels and silver attempt by the China Inland distinct dialect from all other bubbles. A legend states Mission to reach the Tuli (a Status of Evangelization Yi groups, and possess their that there were once two subgroup of the Xinping own self-identity. The Nisu villages in the Honghe Nisu) apparently ended in 73% Chinese call this group area that were constantly failure,4 there are a few Huayao Yi (Flower Belt Yi) in harassed by an evil spirit. known Xinping Nisu reference to the clothing The demon was defeated by Christians in Yuanjiang 26% worn by the women. The magic when a rooster County today. A 1989 study 1% Xinping Nisu in some areas crowed.2 Of the many listed 528 Yi Christians in call themselves Tuli, but festivals observed by the Yuxi Prefecture, of which A B C they speak the same dialect Nisu in Yunnan, the one that 55% were in Yuanjiang A = Have never heard the gospel as other Xinping Nisu. takes place on the slopes of 5 B = Were evangelized but did not County. Most of these are become Christians the Mopan Mountain in probably Xinping Nisu. C = Are adherents to any form of Xinping County is considered Christianity NISU, XINPING 403.