A Textual Study of Certain Difficult Place Names in the Genealogy of the Mu Family Chieftains
This 1998 article by Pan Fasheng uses Tibetan and Naxi linguistic evidence to identify the real-world locations of obscure place names recorded in the Genealogy of the Mu Family Chieftains, the Ming-dynasty chronicle of the Lijiang Naxi chieftains' military campaigns into the Yunnan-Sichuan-Tibet border region. Working through the regions of Nina, Zhaoke, and Zhongdian, the author matches dozens of historical village names to present-day villages in Weixi, Deqin, Zhongdian (Shangri-La), and adjoining parts of Tibet and Sichuan, using Tibetan and Naxi etymologies (the recurring Naxi element "wa" and Tibetan element "yu," both meaning "village") to reconstruct which areas were originally Naxi- versus Tibetan-inhabited before the Mu chieftains' 156-year northward expansion (1462-1617/1618). The study concludes that Mu-controlled territory was bounded by major mountain ranges rather than rivers, extending as far north as Markam, Batang, and Litang.
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