A small group of about 3,000 Lolo live in Dong Van and Meo Vac districts of Ha Giang Province.
The Lolo language comes out of the Tibeto-Burman Tribe. Some of the things included in their language are pictographic scripts, which are not used by the modern day Lolo. Their calendar divides the American 12 month year into an 11 month year with an animal representing each division. Keeping their culture alive is very important to the Lolo people; they do this through dances, songs, and fables. When they are performing a ritual they dress in traditional low-neck vests and a pair of trousers. They have beautifully decorated turbans and colorful vests.
The Lolo people are animists and practice ancestor worship. Maize and rice are the main sources of income and food. You can find a dwelling normally located on the side of a mountain close to a source of water. Houses are clustered together in the range of 20 to 25 and built on stilts. The people live with their families their whole life, villages are made up of the husband's family. After marriage the wife lives in the man's house. The head of the family is called the Thau Chu, and has the responsibility of preservation of the ceremonies. One of the unusual tasks is that he must bury the bronze drum until it is time for another funeral. The drum is also used to keep time during dances. After the ceremonies the drum is then reburied until needed again.
Bibliography:
“FATE OF THE LOLO PEOPLE” http://www.native-net.org/archive/nl/9404/0315.html
Matisoff, James A: “Tibeto-Burman Tonology;” Journal of American Oriental Society.
“Lolo” http://yi.peoples.org/
Aaron Schlingmann