The Jino (also spelled Jinuo) people (endonym:) are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. They live in an area called the Jino Mountains (Jinuoshan 基诺山) in eastern Jinghong, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province.[1]
The Jino are one of the less numerous of the recognized minorities in China and the last one included as "national minority" because they were only recognized in 1979.[2] A former name used for the Jino, Youle, means "following the maternal uncle," an indication of a matrilineal past.[2]
The Jino have a population of 20,900 people according to the census of the year 2000. Most of the Jino concentrate in Jinoshan, in a series of mild hills with wet climate near Mengyang Township in Jinghong Municipality, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province. They live in an area of about 70x50 km. They live in subtropical rainforest, home of elephants, wild oxen and monkeys.
Among their cultural practices is tooth painting, in which soot made from pear trees is used.[3]
This table shows the population distribution of the Jino nationality on the county level, according to the figures of the last census of 2000. (Showing only values above 0.10%.)
| city, county, district | superior district | superior province | number of Jino | % of total Jino population in China | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jinghong city (景洪市) | Xishuangbanna autonomous prefecture of the Dai | Yunnan province | 19,250 | 92.11% | |
| Mengla county (勐腊县; Traditional: 勐臘縣) | Xishuangbanna autonomous prefecture of the Dai | Yunnan province | 897 | 4.29% | |
| Guandu district (官渡区; Traditional: 官渡區) | Kunming city | Yunnan province | 119 | 0.57% | |
| Cuiyun district (翠云区; Traditional: 翠雲區) | Simao city | Yunnan province | 82 | 0.39% | |
| Menghai county (勐海县; Traditional: 勐海縣) | Xishuangbanna autonomous prefecture of the Dai | Yunnan province | 52 | 0.25% | |
| Wuhua district (五华区; Traditional: 五華區) | Kunming city | Yunnan province | 47 | 0.23% | |
| Xishan district (西山区; Traditional: 西山區) | Kunming city | Yunnan province | 47 | 0.23% | |
| Pu'er autonomous county of the Hani and Yi (普洱哈尼族彝族自治县; Traditional: 普洱哈尼族彝族自治縣) | Simao city | Yunnan province | 26 | 0.12% | |
| Zhenkang county (镇康县; Traditional: 鎮康縣) | Lincang city | Yunnan province | 23 | 0.11% | |
| other areas in China | 356 | 1.7% |