17. Chinese Nationalities (Hani Minority) (Akha) Page 2 -- Minorities by Alphabetic Sequence

The Hani people have their own language. Their language consists of three dialects and belongs to the Yi branch of the Tibetan-Burmese language group of the Chinese-Tibetan language family. They have no written script in the past and used to keep records by carving notches on sticks. In 1957, with the help of the central government, a script system based on the Roman alphabet was created, but failed to achieve a popular use. The Hani (also known in adjacent countries as the Akha) are of Tibetan origin. The Hani people live wooden houses that are warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The roofs are flat and used to dry grain. They stick to the hills, cultivating rice corn and the occasional poppy. Trading takes place at weekly markets where the Dai obviously dominate the Hani, who seem only too keen to scamper back to their mountain retreats. Hani women wear headdresses of beads, feathers, coins and silver rings. The Hani are found in Yunnan Province. The practice polytheism and ancestor worship.