PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION

    This book reports the results of my long-term research on swidden a-griculture among nineteem ethnic groups in the tropical and subtropical re-gions of Yunnan. Written records make it possible to trace swidden agri-culture in Yunnan back about 1,800 years, to between the Han(206 BC to 220 AD) and Jin(265 AD to 420 AD) Chinese dynasties. Over a long period of history, many ethnic groups in Yunnan relied upon swidden a-griculture as well as hunting and gathering. These people had and have u-nique views of nature and its resources and a wealth of practical technical knowledge about, and experience of , forest life. There is also the pre-cious material record of their lives. The job of systematically researching,organizing, recording, and analyzing the material for this topic ensily sus-tained my interest over these many years.

    In addition to Yunnan, people still practice swidden agriculture in many other parts of the world, including Southeast Asia, South Asia,Africa, and South America. Swidden agriculture leaves its mark wherever practiced. Scholars who study swidden agriculture elsewhere have left their own mark in their research results. Foreign research on swidden a-griculture in Yunnan, however, has been quite limited. Many foreign scholars have visited to find out about research on swidden agriculture in Yunnan, but my own limited English has regrettably prevented my writing in this language and these foreign researchers have thus not been able to access my research results.

    The Ford Foundation, Beijing Office, has long paid attention to Yunnan and provided much support to anthropological research on Yun-nan. In the winter of 1996, the Ford Foundation, Beijing Office, honored me with funding for the translation and publication of this book. Similar-ly, Dr.Magnus Fiskesjo, currently curator of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Sweden, but then a doctoral student at the University of Chinago, likewise honored me by agreeing to translate the book.Dr.Magnus Fiskesjo worked on the translation for three years, while al-ready occupied with many other duties. He demonstrates in his translation not only his admirable skills in both Chinese and English, but also his considerable knowledge of anthropology as well as his rigorous attitude to-ward translation. I want to express my heartfelt appreciation and admira-tion to both Dr. Magnus Fiskesjo for his translation and to the Ford Foun-dation,Beijing Office, for funding the translation.

    Dr.Magnus Fiskesjo discusses the wider context of my research and some technical translation issues in Translator's Preface."Though the English edition inevitably still retains many of the shortcomings of the original Chinese edition, I hope that this English edition will nevertheless contribute usefully to international scholarly communication.

    Swidden agriculture and the ethnic groups in tropical and subtropical Yunnan are now in the midst of rapid change. So long as circumstances permit, I will continue my research and look forward to a@ain offering the results of those eftorts to international scholars.

July,2001,Kumning
Yin Shaoting

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
RESEARCH ON SWIDDEN AGRICULTURE:BACKGROUND, THEORY AND METHODS
1.Overview of Chinese research on swidden agriculture
2.The perspective of human ecology
3.Methods of investigation and research

PART I HISTORY, DISTRIBUTION AND TYPOLOGY
CHAPTER 1 HISTORICAL SURVEY
1.The swidden agriculture of the peoples of the Qiang family
2.The swidden agriculture of the peoples of the Pu family
3.The swidden agriculture of the peoples of the Miao-Yao family
4. The swidden agriculture of the peoples of the Yue family

CHAPTER 2 THE DISTRIBUTION AND TYPOLOGY OF YUNNAN SWIDDEN AGRICULTURE
1.The distribution of swidden agriculture in Yunnan
2.The typology of Yunnan swidden agriculture

PART II TRADITIONS OF SWIDDEN AGRICULTURE
CHAPTER 1 THE SWIDDEN AGRICULTURE OF THE JINGPO OF KACHANG
1.Geography and environmen
2.Land-ownership systems
3.The yingwang fallow syste
4.Time reckoning and agriculture
5.Fields of a hundred treasures
6.Agricultural rituals

CHAPTER 2 THE SWIDDEN AGRICULTURE OF THE BULANG OF MENGHAI
1.Geography and environment
2.Social organization
3.Land-ownership systems
4.Techniques used in Bulang swidden agriculture
5.Agricultural rituls

CHAPTER 3 THE SWIDDEN AGRICULTURE OF THE WA OFXIMENG
1.Geography and environment
2.Social organization and the system of land ownership
3.Crops and cultivation techniques
4.The swidden agriculture of the village of Daluo
5.Headhunting and harvest sacrifice

CHAPTER 4 THE SWIDDEN AGRICULTURE OF THE JINUO
1.Geography and environment
2.Social organization and the system of land ownership
3.Land categories and cultivation techniques
4.Cultivated crops
5.The sophisticated Jinuo techniques for continuous cultivation
6. Farming seasons and the production process
7. Agricultural rituals

CHAPTER 5 THE SWIDDEN AGRICULTURE OF THE DULONG
1.Geography and environment
2.Social organization
3.The land-ownership system
4.Land categories and cultivation techniques
5.Cultivated crops and the agricultural work of the different seasons

PART III COMPARATIVE RESEARCH
CHAPTER 1 COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF FALLOW REGIMES
1.Fallow regimes without continuous cultivation
2.Fallow regimes with continuous cultivation
3.Fallow regimes with artificial reforestation
4.Grassland fallow regimes

CHAPTER 2 COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT CULTIVATION TECHNIQUES
1.Cultivation techniques in swiddening without continuous cultivation
2.Cultivation techniques in swiddening with continuous cultivation
3.The cultivation techniques used in grassland shifting agriculture

CHAPTER 3 COMPARISON OF SETTLEMENT RELOCATION PATTERNS
1.People who move frequently and without territorial restrictions
2.People who move less frequently but still without territorial restrictions
3.People who move only within a limited territory
4.People with permanent settlements and village fissioning

CHAPTER 4 COMPARISON OF THE HUMAN-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS OF THE VALLEYS AND THE MOUNTAINS
1.The human-ecological systems of the valleys
2.The human-ecological systems of the mountains

PART IV CULTURE, NATURE AND DEVELOPMENT
1.A cultural heritage that must not be discriminated against
2.The relation between people and nature
3.Survival and development

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

EPILOGUE

APPENDIX I

APPENDIX II

ANNOTATION