乌蛮历史源流考说

Research on Origin of the Wu Man Tribes

"乌蛮"是西南民族历史上的一个部落共同体。西南彝族形成的历史,就是一部乌蛮发展史,乌蛮是今天彝族形成的主源。秦汉时期,昆明、叟两大族群经过数百年的分化、重组、融合,隋唐以后成为"乌蛮"的主源。至隋唐时期,"乌蛮"之称广泛出现于汉文献中,并正式为尚黑民族的一种专称。宋元时期乌蛮加快了重组和分化,分布格局基本定型,特别是"罗罗"称谓的出现,标志着今彝语支民族的初步形成。明、清时期,乌蛮进一步分化、发展和融合,各民族名称的记载更加具体、明确,并逐渐演化、发展为今天西南地区彝族各支系。

Wu Man is a collective name for some historical tribes in southwest China and the history ofthese tribes is that of formation and development of the modern Yi nationality. During the Qin and Han Dynasties （ 221 B. C. E. 220） ,two big clans Kunming and Sou had been dividing,grouping,regrouping and merging here. This process lasted for centuries and these clans later became the ancestors ofthe Wu Man tribes after the Sui and Tan Dynasties （ 581 907）when the term Wu Man （ meaning the“ black barbarians” ）was first used by the Han to exclusively refer to these tribes that worship the black color. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties （ 960 1368）the regrouping and dividing process acceleratedand geographical distribution of these tribes began to take shape. In addition,appearance of the name Luoluo signified the initial formation of the modern Yi ethnic group speaking a common family of languages.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties （ 1368 1911）the division,development and merge of the Wu Mantribes took farther steps and more specific and concrete names were first used in historical records for different tribes that were later to become the different modern Yi clans inhabiting southwest China today.