Migration and Identity: A Comparative Study of Funeral Ritual Cultures among the Hmong and Miao in the Sichuan–Yunnan–Guizhou Border Region, China

Funeral traditions among the Miao people worldwide exhibit notable commonalities despite regional variations in form and ritual, collectively reflecting a shared Miao conception of personhood. A comparative analysis of the funeral rites and “Guiding scripture” of the Miao and Hmong peoples in the adjacent regions of Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou reveals that, throughout their migrations, the Miao developed localized variations in funerary practice while maintaining a coherent cultural identity. Although dispersed across diverse regions, Miao communities retain overarching cultural continuities. What changes are their living environments and modes of cultural expression; what remains constant is the enduring sense of ethnic identity. This cultural lineage links Miao people across the globe, sustaining their collective identity, even as cultural transformations and evolving forms of self-identification continue to unfold amid changing times.