Yao religion, although based on, and called, Taoism, involves no memory or understanding of the Tao de Jing. Instead, it mixes shamanism, ancestor worship and a large pantheon of gods derived of Taoist religion, with awe of Chinese Imperial bureaucracy. Being a practical, good-humored people without delusions of grandeur, the fantasies of Taoist alchemists are not entertained in their methodologies - no life-extension techniques or feng shui, sen lines or qi. Just respect for a spiritual hierarchy, philosophic good humor, and pragmatic use of local herbs for curing minor maladies.

The Iu-Mien, or Yao, originated in southeastern China and speak an Austro-Tibetan language of the Miao-Yao-Pateng family (closely related to that of the She and the Hmong or Miao). "Yao" may mean "Those who refuse to be conscripted into doing corvee labor," or it may come from the 'Eu' of Iu-Mien (pronounced "ee-yu"). Twenty years ago there were almost two million Mien; there are other people also called Yao, a total over 6 million (many were adopted!). The 60,000 in Thailand have but one dialect and style; in China there's a couple dozen, perhaps 70 all told. Iu-Mien also live in Vietnam and Laos. They believe in a well-ordered cosmos, of which they have many mystical details, and in maintaining proper relationships both in human society and with the spirit world. They make studied effort to avoid causing any loss of face, and are meticulous with ritual and ceremony, which they see as essential for propriety. Hardy and industrious, they were one of the first Chinese minorities to achieve local autonomy. In their Dayao Mountains, they produce quality tea-seed oil, tung oil, vanilla, edible fungi, rice and garden crops. Cash crops grown in Thailand include herbal medicines, spices, indigo, corn, legumes, cotton, lichee, oranges, coffee, tea, and peaches. Villagers also frequently engage in utensil making, embroidery and construction.

Unlike other mountain people of the region, many Iu-Mien homes have written materials safely kept away, especially papers or cloth scrolls explaining proper treatment for illness or bone problems, appropriate marriage days, and details concerning ancestors and rights granted them, in perpetuity, by Chinese emperors. Many of the Iu-Mien men speak, and some are literate in, Yunnan Chinese (similar to Mandarin, though the writing is usually of an archaic form). Often, though, just the shaman spirit doctors, and a few other more educated people in the village, can read and write. Knowledge of the archaic writing is diminishing, as the young become more and more assimilated into outside culture. Women now learn to use their modern local language (Chinese, Thai, Lao or Vietnamese) and to read and write it too. Two vernacular scripts, a Romanized script and one based on Thai, have been developed, and are used by some Iu-Mien in the USA, Canada, France and China.

Iu-Mien houses sit on the ground, usually with dirt floors, and feature a cooking fire in the center of the main room. Each has a small shrine dedicated to ancestors, maybe a favorite God like Kwan Yin, and especially to the guardian spirit of the individual house. A home's number of rooms depends as much on the ages of those living there as their number: a nubile girl will have a private room with easy access for suitors! The Iu-Mien don't tolerate quarrels among children, and avoid strife. Pressed between Han Chinese and Zhuang T'ais, for perhaps 1000 years many were migratory, but whenever they could settle, they did. When they can get a metal or tile roof, they do (though many still have perpetually dirty feet!).

Yao people's main concern is to provide for their extended family and maintain stability in life. In the past, when Yao were still totally self-reliant, and grew opium as a main crop, they amassed silver and embroideries to hand down, in hopes of assuring a long lineage. They also sought to acquire "Yao Ceremonial Paintings" to help ensure their descendents' prosperity and their own status after death. They respect each other according to a hierarchical system: households with extended families are common and polygamous marriage sometimes practiced. After a proper bride price is paid, the wife goes to live with her in-laws; children become members of the father's matrilineal clan. Now, Yao people give much more importance to education of the next generation, invest in trade, grow perennial crops and work to modernize their dwellings. They invest in intensive farming, but use of store-bought food is increasing dramatically. Socio-economic changes now make it difficult for young Yao people to depend on each other and the local community, as was done in traditional practice, but easier access to transportation and information allows Mien to find new kinds of work, outside the village.

Their religion reveres firstly, ancestors and spirits, and secondly Taoist deities rooted in 13th and 14th Century Chinese Taoist beliefs (owing much to Lu Hsiu-ching, publisher in 471 of the first Taoist canon , and to T'ao Hung-ching, who ordered and described the pantheon, in the early 500s). In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) magical suppositions and beliefs became popular. The Mings refused to make a trade treaty with the Portuguese, who sold arms to the Manchus... Magical practices of Taoism came under attack during the resultant (and final) Ch'ing Dynasty. Yaos moved south, and west.

To the Iu-Mien, spirits (of places, streams, trees) are seen as opposite to people; they own the night, and are stronger than humans. The Mien, though, consider themselves smarter. Many ceremonies honor guardian spirits, and ask pardon from the Spirit of the Mountain for living there. High Priests, "Tsow Say Ong", perform funerals and deal with 'Big Spirits above the sky' while lesser ones, "Sip Mien Mien," deal with malicious causers of illness and bad luck, 'small spirits under the sky.' Priests perform birth and wedding ceremonies, and exorcise evil spirits from people and places.

A Shaman is different - someone through whom supernatural spirits can interact with people. He assists in curing ceremonies by calling ancestral spirits, and has his mentor spirit go to the spirit world to ask the cause of illness. Smoke, candles and offerings are usedc a shaman creates charms and performs magic to drive away demons of ill health. Often in curing ceremonies a shaman will go into trance and become possessed by supernatural beings, as part of the healing process.

With Priests, paintings imbued with a kind of spiritual life are important, although essential only for certain functions, during which men-folk try to gain some experience of heavenly realms.

Iu-Mien political structure is limited pretty much to village headmen; the village is the largest political unit. The headman's duty is to be the village representative, keeping contact with outside governmental authority and settling conflicts occurring within the community. The shaman and the elder representative of each clan are informally organized to be a village council giving advice to the headman. The shaman is the traditional spiritual leader and is highly respected.

In Thailand, the Mien women's tradition calls for black turbans, not showing any hair, loose trousers covered with beautiful embroidery, and a large scarlet-red wool ruff on their blouse-jackets. The turbans are usually embroidered. Teeth are sometimes capped with gold. Baby's skullcaps are intriguing, richly embroidered with red or pink pom-poms. On special occasions, women and children wear silver neck-rings, with silver chains extending down the back decorated with silver ornaments. Men wear a loose jacket, buttoned diagonally across the front, with embroidered pockets and edgings.

The Iu-Mien prefer to live among low hills near dense forest, at lower elevations than some Mountain People, particularly the Lisu and Hmong. A few have become Buddhist, and some Christian, but respect for animism remains central, and strong. The Iu-Mien have long excelled at making farm implements such as axes and ploughs, and also have a reputation for making high quality jewelry and paper (this is mostly done in China, but some lower quality paper gets made in Laos). Yao wood carvings include signature chops for wax seals and dark-wood demons, sometimes on horseback, decorated with horsehair (for mustaches, etc). Their paintings, rare now, are mostly of religious subjects, reflecting certain ancient Chinese styles. They're kept put away except for on occasions of ceremonial use. Yao paintings have a unique flavor, coveted by many Western collectors.

The first Taoists were shamans who lived a life of seclusion in the mountains, studied the ways of nature until they established a communion with the unseen divine and thereby discovered a kind of magic by which they could interact successfully with the primal forces of nature. Their powers became known to others, and after death they were honored, then venerated as "Immortals" (along with ancestors, Taoist Gods and other magic spirits). Many Taoists went to the mountains for meditative solitude, where they must have met Iu-Mien priests, who began conducting rites for contacting and worshiping Taoist gods, as well as ancestors and spirits.

The art and philosophy of Taoism has long fascinated many, worldwide. Yao/Mien religion combines shamanism and ancestor worship. It emphasizes loyalty, respect for one's elders, continuity of clan, and justice. The gentle, good-humored Iu-Mien observe ancient Taoist traditions fused with animism, reverence for their tribal progenitor and a Taoist pantheon. As far as I know, few Iu-Mien have even heard of Lao Tzu, or Tao De Jing; Yao Taoism is religious rather than philosophical, but to understand the complex pantheon at all requires deep thought. Some Yao/Mien have converted to modern Chinese ways, Buddhism or Christianity, but respect for Taoist beliefs remains crucial to Yao identity.