China's Minority Peoples - The Gelos

The Gelos, with a population of 437.997, live in Wuchuan Gelo Autonomous County and Daozhen Gelo- Miao Autonomous County of Guizhou Province. A small number are scattered in Yunnan and Guangxi.

Located in the north of Guizhou Province and bordering on Sichuan Province, the Gelo area is in a large transitional region between the Sichuan Basin and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. With complicate landforms and excess rainfall, this area reserves rich water, plant and animal resources and is suitable for agriculture and a diverse economy.

Fanning is the chief occupation of the Gelo people. On flatland they plant rice, while in mountainous areas; they grow other crops, thus developing a kind of rice- growing economy.

The Gelo people possess an extremely long history. Their ancestors have close relations with the Baipus of the Shang, Zhou and the Western Han periods, and the Pus and Liaos of the Eastern Han, and the Southern and Northern dynasties. Later, historical records referred to them as the Geliao, or Gelo people. After the founding of new China, they were officially called the Gelo Nationality.

The Gelo language is under the Sino-Tibetan language family. However, as to which branch and group does the language belong to, linguists consider variously. Now, only a few old Gelo people can speak their native language. As the Gelo language has no script. Chinese is now their common language.