<Articles>A Reconsideration of Dong People's Kinship Organization in Southern China

This paper aims to reconsider the kinship organization of ethnic groups in China with a case study of the Dong people, a Tai-speaking ethnic group that inhabits Southern China. It questions the uncritical application in earlier research of the research pattern of the Han Chinese to the analysis of the kinship of non-Han minorities in China, which leads to ignorance of ethnic characteristics and identity. Specifically, this paper rethinks the view of Dong society through reexamination of the customs and practices of the model of kinship and marriage among Dong people, namely, apl weex bux lagx (combination between different descent groups) and pak singv kkeip (intermarriage ignoring the surname system). It is pointed out that the Dong people's kinship organization is similar to that of the Han Chinese. However, according to field research, Dong people continue to practice their own model of kinship with the Dong language, though as an ethnic group that lacks a writing system, the Dong have also been strongly influenced by the customs of the Han Chinese. These two aspects are characteristic of the Dong people's kinship organization. In this case, the use of the Chinese language as a written language to express and practice their kinship organization make it appear to have similar characteristics to that of the Han Chinese. It is found that a series of unique social cultural systems have been produced within Dong society as a result of the fact that the Dong people's kinship organization has both similarities and differences in comparison with that of the Han Chinese and because of the pressure from the tense relationship between using the ethnic language and Chinese language.