Arrangement of Living Space and Social Relationships in the House of Yao People Called Long Dress in Ha Giang Province

Abstract

Yao people called Long Dress in Ha Giang live in two styles of houses, namely the house on stilts and rammed earth wall house so that the ways of arrangement of living space inside their houses have the similarities and differences. The similarities of arrangement of living space inside the houses are that if viewing the houses according to their length, the middle compartments have been considered as the most important ones but if seeing the houses according to their width, the “upper” part where there is the altar has been considered as more important. Thus, the living center inside the houses is the middle compartment, especially its “upper” part where there is the altar. From the middle compartment, the importance of living space inside the houses reduces gradually according two sides in its length and width. Through the arrangement of living space inside the houses it can see clearly the relationships of individual members of households and between them with the wider social community such as the hierarchy between generations, hospitality, gender discrimination, etc. These relationships have been under influence of Taoism in the society of Yao Long Dress.