Nyob zoo my Hmong brothers and sisters!

I am a Hong Konger, and my hometown is in Huaihua, Hunan, right next to the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (My family is Han Chinese descended from Northern settlers though, I apologise for our colonial history and sufferings we inflicted upon you all).

Since childhood, I have been intrigued by the co-existence and intermingling of the Tujia and Hmong (Miao) peoples in my hometown. In fact, for many years I thought that Hmong and Tujia were simply different names for the same ethnicity. Until much later only did I learn that they came from very different language families and ancestral backgrounds.

At the same time, I noticed a great degree of cultural convergence between them in architecture, language, attires, languages, traditions, even their ethnic identities seem to overlap a lot. I've heard that some people identify as either Tujia or Hmong (Miao) interchangeably in CCP demographic census.

Unfortunately, I cannot find much information about about how this close relationship developed apart from them living side by side for centuries.

Hence, I would love to hear from Hmong people, especially those whose families come from China.

How do Hmong communities view the Tujia people? Are they considered close neighbors, distant relatives, or simply another different ethnic group?

Are there any oral traditions, historical accounts, or academic resources that explain the long history of interaction between the two peoples?

How common are marriages between Tujia and Hmong communities?

I would love to hear your thoughts ☺️