The Dai call themselves Dai Le, Dai Ya or Dai Na. They have a long history, much of which was recorded in Chinese historical accounts from the first century AD.

The Lisu are believed to have migrated northwest into Yunnan from Tibet thousands of years ago. Their history is passed on from on generation to the next through a song. The song is now so long that it can take almost a week to sing.

According to historical records, the Nu people are the descendants of the Luluman people, who inhabited the area during the Yuan Dynasty and were the ancient residents of Gongshan. The name “Nu” comes from the name of the river they live near, the Nu River.

The Hani call themselves the Hani or Ani people. Like the Yi, they are descendants of the ancient Qiang people, who migrated south from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau some 1700 years ago. The Hani language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family.

The origins of the Yao are disputed, but most believe that they are related to the Jingman and Wulingman peoples from Changsha, called the Muyao and Mango tribes respectively in ancient times.

The Miao subdivide themselves into a number of different groups such as Long Skirt Miao, Short Skirt Miao, Red Miao and Black Miao. They are descendants of the clans and tribes indigenous to the Yellow River basin and the south and middle reaches of the Yangtze River.