VI.] THE SOUTHERN MONGOLS. 2O5 



observer, who declares that these aborigines are quite distinct both 

 from the Chinese and the Annamese, groups them in three main 

 divisions Tho, Along, and Man 1 all collectively called Moi, 

 Muong, and Myong by the Annamese. The Thos, who are the 

 most numerous, are agriculturists, holding all the upland valleys 

 and thinning off towards the wooded heights. They are tall com- 

 pared to the Mongols (5 ft. 6 or 7 in.), lighter than the Annamese, 

 round-headed, with oval face, deep-set straight eyes, low cheek- 

 bones, straight and even slightly aquiline nose not depressed at 

 root, and muscular frames. They are a patient, industrious, and 

 frugal people, now mainly subject to Chinese and Annamese in- 

 fluences in their social usages and religion. Very peculiar never- 

 theless are some of their surviving customs, such as the feast of 

 youth, the pastime of swinging, and especially chess played with 

 living pieces, whose movements are directed by two players. 

 The language appears to be a Shan dialect, and to this family 

 the writer affiliates both the Thos and the Nongs. The latter 

 are a much more mixed people, now largely assimilated to 

 the Chinese, although the primitive type still persists, especially 

 amongst the women, as is so often the case. Dr Billet tells us 

 that he often met Nong women "with light and sometimes even 

 red hair 2 ." 



It is extremely interesting to learn that the Mans came tra- 

 ditionally "from a far-off western land where their 



* Man-tse 



forefathers were said to have lived in contact with Origins and 



-,.,.,, i r jj Affinities. 



peoples of white blood thousands of years ago. 



1 With regard to Man {Man-tse) it should be explained that in Chinese it 

 means "untameable worms," that is, wild or barbarous, and we are warned by 

 Desgodins that " il ne faut pas prendre ces mots comme des noms propres de 

 tribus" (Bui. Soc. Geogr., xn. p. 410). In 1877 Capt. W. Gill visited a large 

 nation of Man-tse with 18 tribal divisions, reaching from West Yunnan to the 

 extreme north of Sechuen, a sort of federacy recognising a king, with Chinese 

 habits and dress, but speaking a language resembling Sanskrit (?). These were 

 the Sttwii, or "White Man-tse," apparently the same as those visited in 1896 

 by Mrs Bishop, and by her described as semi-independent, ruled by their own 

 chiefs, and in appearance " quite Caucasian, both men and women being very 

 handsome," strict Buddhists, friendly and hospitable, and living in large stone 

 houses (Letter to Times, Aug. 18, 1896). 



2 " Des paysannes nongs dont les cheveux etaient blonds, quelquefois meme 

 roux" (Op. cit.}. 



