The highest position is usually that of village chief. In China the Miao are subject to the local Chinese authorities. In Laos and northern Vietnam, where the Miao are relatively dense in certain areas, they have sometimes obtained political positions at a level above that of the village. In religion most Miao venerate spirits, demons, and ancestral ghosts. They have shamans who exorcise malevolent spirits, and often priests who perform ceremonial functions.
Animal sacrifice is widespread.
Young people are permitted to select their own mates, and there is a good deal of sexual freedom among them, although many Miao in China have adopted the Chinese custom of arranging marriages. One form of institutionalized courtship involves antiphonal singing or the tossing of a ball back and forth between groups of boys and girls from different villages. The household is usually made up of several generations, including married sons and their families. When the parents die, the household breaks up into smaller units which then repeat the cycle.