Section 1 Background Readings for Module 5 Ethnic Culture
1. The Jinuo Ethnic Group: The Jinuo Ethnic Group is made up of around 18,000 people who live in the Jinghong area of Yunnan. Their language is a Chinese-Tibetan language with no written script, but they mostly speak Chinese today. They live by farming, and fishing, and they grow mainly rice, maize and tea. Rice and maize, along with beans, are their staple foods; they eat three meals a day, with lunch being taken on their farmland. They live in large houses made of bamboo on mountain slopes. About 20 or 30 families live on the upper floor of the same house, keeping their animals on the ground floor. The women wear colorful jackets and short black skirts, while the men wear a short white jacket and white or blue trousers. They are known as good singers and dancers, and the drum is a very important instrument for them. In December they have a special Sun-drum Dance, when older people play a spe cial drum and others dance around drum.
2. Ethnic Minorities in the UK: Immigration from countries which were former British colonies means that there are many other ethnic groups in the UK. These are the figures from the 2001 censsus (published 2003). Total UK population: 58,7 89,194. Ethnic groups: White: 92.1%, Mixed: 1.2%, Asian/Asian British: 4.0%, Black/Black British:
