The Miao tribes (also known as Miautso or Hmong) which once occupied
southern China have an oral tradition which closely matches stories in
Genesis. Their flood account tells of forty days of rain and a righteous
patriarch named Nuah who saved his family and pairs of animals aboard an
ark, sent out birds to bring back tidings, and sacrificed a buffalo to God
afterwards. They also have a story matching the biblical Tower of Babel
account.
That particular version of a Miao flood myth appears to be unique to
Traux. The editor of the Impact article notes that they cannot
confirm its authenticity. It was probably a retelling of the story of
Noah which a missionary had told that group of Miao earlier.
Other flood myths collected from the Miao differ greatly from Traux's
version and yet are consistent in their details: A brother and sister
survive the flood in a wooden drum or boat. The Lord of the Sky causes
the water to drain. In the absence of other survivors, the brother
wants to marry the sister. The sister resists but is persuaded when
tests show it is the will of heaven. Their child is limbless and
egg-like; when cut into pieces, the pieces become new people. In some
versions, different pieces become different ethnic groups or clans.
(Geddes 1976, 22-24; Johnson and Yang 1992, 115-117). This myth
follows the same pattern which is common throughout Southeast Asia
(Dang Nghiem Van 1993).
Dang Nghiem Van. 1993. The flood myth and the origin of ethnic groups
in Southeast Asia. Journal of American Folklore 106: 304-337.
Geddes, William Robert. 1976. Migrants of the Mountains: The cultural
ecology of the Blue Miao (Hmong Njua) of Thailand. Oxford University
Press, London.
Johnson, Charles and Se Yang. 1992. Dab Neeg Hmoob / Myths, Legends
and Folk Tales from the Hmong of Laos. St. Paul, MN: Linguistics
Department, Macalester College.
