Customer Reviews

The Yao: The Mien and Mun Yao in China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand

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This is a remarkable book on the subject of the Yao ethnic tribe. Rather than making it a purely scholarly research article the author traced and studied the heritage of different Yao tribes.

Jess Pourrett went inside remote China, Vietnam, and Laos and found the links with the Chinese. It contains much samples of Yao's customs, ethnology with very convincing evidence about a mountain dwelling group left China sometime ago.

Perhaps, the book can be added with linguistics. For example, a chart comparison of different tribal dialects on common objects, number systems will really make this book a more distinguished and more convincing they are separate from the the Han people. Samples of burial tomb stones,excerts of love songs etc are also highly treasured topics.

The book in by no means comprehensive. There is more to be studied and researched. If there is more citations from authorative sources like China research sources, the origin of the Yao people from Yangtze Valley will be better understood. I am under the impression that Yao people might have been forced to leave. Also the links with Hmong or Miao are suggested but not substantiated.

This is an excellent and well illustrated book on embroidery, jewellery. A colorful well illustrated reference book or just for reading enjoyment. Good job.

This book is impressive both as an in-depth look at a fascinating group and as a work of love. The author has lived in southeast Asia for 30 years, and he "lives" the material. The text demonstrates a keen understanding of values, flavors, and exigencies of Yao life. However, the life of this book is in the 600+ photographs, which capture every part of Yao culture. They are split among 3 categories: modern photographs of Yao life, vintage photographs of similar scenes, and photographs of every piece of material culture a Yao person would need in life. The captions put the photographs in context, so that the book can be used for quick reference as well as for sequential reading. The straight-forward system of organization (for example, by the various components of the female costume) gives it added value as an "identifier" of a given textile or other object in hand. This markedly increases its value to a collector. For readers unfamiliar with the group or those observing them solely from a distance, this book is likely to engender an urge to get on a plane and journey to see Yao society up close. This is very possible, especially in northern Viet Nam, and the reader would be well advised to finish the book, pack it in the suitcase, and get on the plane.