Over ninety percent of the Hani live in the Southwestern province of Yunnan, scattered across the Ailao Mountains (Chinese: 哀牢山) between the Lancang Jiang (Mekong River) and the Yuan Jiang (Red River, called Lalsa baqma in the Hani language, Chinese: 红河，元江). One half of the population is concentrated in the Yuanjiang Hani, Yi, and Dai Autonomous County Autonomous County (Yuánjiāng Hānízú Yízú Dǎizú zìzhìxiàn 元江哈尼族彝族傣族自治县), of which Yuanjiang is the capital.
The origins of the Hani are not precisely known, though their ancestors, the ancient Qiang tribe, are believed to have migrated southward from the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau prior to the third century AD.
The Hani oral traditions state that they are descended from the Yi people, and that they split off as a separate tribe fifty generations ago. One of their oral traditions is the recital of the names of Hani ancestors from the first Hani family to oneself.
| Hani\ | English |
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| Aqsol liq yoqdeivq yoqpyuq bo, meeqyaovq ssolnei colpyuq qiq kov dei. Davqtavcolssaq neenyuq bel neema meeq ya siq, laongaoq meilnaol nadul meil e gaq ssol hhyul hha bavqduv nia. | All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. |
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