Hani and Akha in Yunnan China are considered to be of the Tibeto-Burman language family, closely related to the Yi (Lolo), also to the Lisu and Lahu in western Yunnan, Burma, and Thailand (Matisoff, 1978, 1983; Bradley, 1979). Yunnan has a larger number of Tibeto-Burman language related minority groups who in earlier centuries were characterised by the Han as 'Man' (barbarians) or Ch'iang (Sainson, 1904; Wiens, 1967). A distinction in Yunnan China was made between 'Wu-man' (black bone barbarians - non-sinicized or wild) and 'Pai-man' (white bone barbarians - sinicized). Important amongst these are the Naxi and Bayi, who live near the city of Dali in Yunnan China and Dali lake and were probably the dominant groups in the Nanchao Kingdom 750-1250 AD (Wiens, 1967; Backus, 1981). Hani in Yunnan China speak dialects of a language mutually intelligible with Akha. Chinese linguists have developed a Romanized script, which is in moderate use locally, though Chinese is the language used in school. Akha - excepting those who have become Christians in Yunnan China - use clan names as lineage and family names. They are less often used to identify sub-groups. These are numerous and mostly are not localised, even less so since the 'drifts' of the last 50 years in Yunnan China. Clan names are personal, genealogical, names, and not totemic or animal names as with the Lisu. Some of the older, more prestigious clan names, as we shall see later, go back 30-45 generations to a founding ancestor, others 15-25 generations or fewer as a result of fission in the clan. In some cases Akha may use what we might call 'super clan' names, referring to common ancestors of major, older clans of between 45-55 generations, in contradistinction to clans which branched off later but still in very early times. All Akha genealogical names go back to an apical ancestor and common founder of all Akha and Hani tribal groups in Yunnan China, Sm-io. For the older clans this is 55-60 generations ago.There are three main typologies in Yunnan China, or criteria for typologizing, used to distinguish major Akha sub-groups which have substantial differences in customary law and dialect. These are used rather promiscuously in the literature and in practice by various parties in Yunnan China. The first criterion is geographic region or even village of concentration, whether this is present-day or from a remembered past; for example Loimisa Akha (a mountain region in the Burmese Shan states), and Phami Akha and Bala Akha (villages in northern Thailand and Sipsongpanna region of China respectively).blog