Lolo ethnic group

Proper name: Lolo.

Other names: Mun Di, Di, Man Di, La La, Qua La, O Man, Lu Loc Man.

Local groups: Flower Lolo and Black Lolo;

Population: 3,134 people.

Language: The Lolo language belongs to the Tibeto-Burmese language group (Sino-Tibetan language family), but is closer to the Burmese.

History: The Lolo appeared very early in the northern side of Ha Giang.

Production activities: The Lolo work mostly on wet fields and terraces. The main plants are sticky rice, regular rice, and corn. Raising cattle is fairly well-developed and profitable.

Diet: The Lolo grind corn into flour, then steam to eat it. There must be soup in every meal. They usually use wooden bows and spoons.

Clothing: Among Lolo women, there are some groups who wear shirts with round collars and buttoned up on the front. Others wear pullover shirts with square collars and trousers. Still others wear a short wrapped skirt outside, and leggings wrapped around their legs. Lolo clothing is adorned with decorative patterns made by different colorful cloths patched together. They also use flowered batik patterns made using bee's wax.

Housing: Depending on locales, the Lolo live in three different types of houses: single storey houses built on the ground, stilt houses, and houses that are a mixture of the two styles. The Lolo live in Dong Van, Meo Vac districts of Ha Giang province, Bao Lac district of Cao Bang province, and Muong Khuong district of Lao Cai province.

Transportation: The Lolo carry their goods in bamboo back-baskets. Children are also carried on the back while their parents are working or on trips.

Social organization: The Lolo lives permanently in concentrated villages. They have a tight community structure. There are more than 30 family lineages. Each of them usually assembles in one village, worships common ancestors, and has its own cemetery which is located in a section of the community one. The Lolo prefer marriages within their kinship line, but also allow marriages to outsiders.