HOHHOT — Northern China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region is working to collect and preserve the ancient texts of three small ethnic minorities, local authorities said on Dec 19.

The ethnic affairs committee of the city of Hulun Buir said they were translating and compiling the historical texts and files of Ewenki, Daur and Oroqen, including many collected from the public for better conservation.

The committee said they had so far collected 1,794 pages of texts dated between 1636 and 1949. The files written in the Manchu language include government files, folk legends, and records of local religious beliefs and practices.

The three ethnic groups do not have their own written languages, and many of their records were in Manchu and Mongolian.