The Qabiao people are an ethnic group living in Hà Giang

Hà Giang Province

Hà Giang is a province in northeastern Vietnam. It is located in the far north of the country, and contains Vietnam’s northernmost point. It shares a 270 km long border with Yunnan province of southern China. Hence it is known as the final frontier of Vietnam...

, Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

, and Yunnan Province, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. and the total population was 705 in 1999, while Liang (2007) cites a total population of 777. In China, they are classified with the Yi people

Yi people

The Yi or Lolo people are an ethnic group in China, Vietnam, and Thailand. Numbering 8 million, they are the seventh largest of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China...

(Liang 2007). Their autonym is qa33 biau33 (Liang 2007:4).

They have a scared forest reserving swear.

Mythology

The Qabiao people have the following pantheon (Liang 2007:8):

• te33 sau33 ʑa55 sau33: principal god
• sau33 mun33: sky god - controls the wind, rain, thunder, lightning
• sau33 muŋ55: land god - controls rivers and mountains
• sau33 te55: tree god