Gyalrong people
The Gyalrong (Tibetan: རྒྱལ་རོང), also called the rGyalrong or Jiarong (Chinese: 嘉绒人), are speakers of the Qiangic Gyalrong language who live in the southern part of Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan, China. They are also found in Danba County of Garze Prefecture. The word Gyalrong is an exo-ethnonym and loanword from the Tibetan word rGyal-mo tsha-wa rong.
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 120,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Sichuan, China | |
| Languages | |
| Mandarin, Gyalrong (traditional) | |
| Religion | |
| Tibetan Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Tibetan, Qiang, Tangut |
The Gyalrong refer to themselves as Keru. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Gyalrong were ruled by local chieftains (Tusi). In 1746, Slob Dpon, the chieftain of Greater Jinchuan, was trying to unite tribes in Sichuan, forcing the Qing dynasty to launch campaigns to suppress them. After 1950, the People's Republic of China classified them as a sub-group of the Tibetan people.