Clan Names and Surnames

In Liangshan there are only a few tens of large clans, but the clan names belonging to these large clans are innumerable. Naturally there are a few clans that have an all-clan surname, with no branch surnames below them, such as the Jjike clan. In the long course of history, the Jjike clan has produced a great many branches, and its steps have expanded to cover the whole of Liangshan, but historically and presently it has only the one surname, Jjike. The great majority of clans are not like this, however, and many large clans have produced within them a large number of branches that, because of natural, geographic, and environmental changes, have themselves become clans. The

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Hxiesse clan, for example, has given birth to over forty subordinate clans, such as Shama Qubi, Jjisse, Jjimu, Mgebbu, and Ayie. These clans have all developed branch surnames under the overall Hxiesse surname. In the most formal activities, people usually do not use the branch surname, and in marriages and funerals people use only the whole-clan surname. In ordinary life people use the branch surname.

The names of birds and other animals, and their characteristics, that once were used to identify tribes have provided one source for all-clan surnames. For example:

• Pohle Ssenge: Pohle is an onomatopoeic word for the sound of a bird's wings when taking off, and it represents a bird; ssenge refers to five sons, and the whole name means the five sons of the bird clan.

• Mugu Sseggu: Mugu originally referred to a blue sky, but it was often suffixed by the term for eagle to denote “an eagle in the blue sky.” Sseggu refers to nine sons, and so the full name means the nine sons of the eagle clan.

• Amo Sseggu: Amo means “invisible,” that is, flying very fast. It stands for a bird, and the full name denotes the nine sons of the flying bird clan.

• Jjizze Sseshy: Jjizze means a wasp, clever and fierce. In Yi custom, it is not included in the category of insects, but rather in the category of winged creatures. Sseshy means seven sons, so the full name means the seven sons of the wasp clan. (There is another definition for jjizze:“noontime”; the story explaining this interpretation is too long to go into here.)

• Hxiezzy Ssesuo: Hxiezzy means bird, and ssesuo means three sons, so this name means the three sons of the bird clan.

• Bacha Sseshy: Bacha is an onomatopoeic word for the sound of an animal who is surprised and flees; this name denotes the seven sons of the animal clan.

• Lahuo Sseshy: Lahuo is a gray tiger; this name means the seven sons of the gray tiger.

• Asy Sseggu: Asy is the name of a particular kind of bird; this name means the nine sons of the bird clan.

In ancient times, when superior hunting weapons were not yet available, people had to rely on their quickness and bravery, and their catch was very small. Because of this, people disguised their arms as wings and walked as if flying. That some clans took their names from flying birds and running animals reflects their desire for such physical characteristics during a time of hunting and gathering. Branch clans evolved as the natural environment changed, developed as the forces of production developed, and chose appropriate

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names for themselves. For example, after the Yi came into contact with the Han, they often took Han names but did not give up their original Yinames; instead they took either the sound or the meaning of the original surname to form the Han name. For example, the Ga clan of Meigu also is called by its Han surname, Ga (standard Chinese: Gan). Some Yi surnames, such as Shamaqubi, are made up of four syllables. For Han surnames, there are those who have chosen Sha, Ma, Qu, Bai, and Qiu, and thus one surname has developed into five. Surnames that translate the meaning of the original surname are usually the names of plants, such as Yyhle, which means “poplar tree.” When people with this surname adopted a Han surname, some of them chose Yang. Others of the Yyhle surname chose the sound of a syllable in the original surname instead: they chose He as their surname. Thus, choosing a surname was rather random. The Han names chosen are, however, used only in Han areas; in Yi areas people continue to use Yi surnames.