Introduction

This narrative was copied from a notebook written by Wang Ming-ji. He had set out, in normal spoken Miao, two stories contained in a song commemorating certain incidents which had taken place locally. It is possible, since three names are mentioned, that in the song there was a third story, one about A-yeu Hxe.

The movements outlined in the fourth paragraph were over limited distances, and seem to have involved individual families rather than whole clans. Tu-na-yi, Li-na, Hi-cu and Gi-zeu-tai are all places in the Weining prefecture. The first two and last one are all Yi names and the third is Miao and means, "to stop up". Li-nu and Li-zyu, also Yi names, are places some thirty Chinese li (ten miles) from Shi-men-kan, and are situated on either side of a large river. In Chinese they are called Wang-jia-ping and Xyu-shang respectively.

The ferry across the river was owned and run by a Chinese family called Xyu. It was a flat bottomed craft attached by a pulley to a thick bamboo rope which spanned the river, and was hauled across by hand.

The "fierce" individual was a Miao who had been able to get some education, and, having mixed with Chinese, had learned how to stand up for himself and his rights, as witnessed by his attitude towards the ferry owners and his willingness to pursue his litigation with the petty official at Xyu-shang right through to the County Court at Zhaotung.

Translation
Literal Transcription
Notes

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