楚公族先祖的居地及其南迁

文献记载和考古发现表明 ,楚公族的始祖是祝融 ,其嫡祖是季连 ,祝融部落集团的早期居地在今河南嵩山地区双洎河流域一带 ;季连部落初居于今河南滑县东 ,继之移居今山东曹县东南。自穴熊以后至鬻熊之世这一历史阶段中 ,季连部落至少发生过三次迁徙 ,其时间分别在夏代前期、夏商之际和商末周初 ,每一次迁徙都是一次分流 ,即有的迁往江汉地区 ,有的踯躅于中原。鬻熊率部南迁 ,是季连部落最后也是最大规模的一次南迁

The Inhabitate of the Chu People's Ancestor and Their Southward Migration

Historical documents and archaeological discoveries indicated that the earliest ancestor of Chu people was ZHU Yong and their ancestor was JI Lian. The earlier inhabitate of ZHU Yong and his tribal groups was around the current Shuangzhi River areas in Shongsan District in Henan Province. JI Lian and his tribe dwelled in the eastern part of the current Weixian County in Henan Province at first and migrated to the south-eastern areas of the current Chaoxian County in Shangdong Province. During the period from XIE Xiong to YU Xiong the JI Lian tribe migrated at least three times, which happened at ealy Xia Dynasty, between Xia and Shang Dynasties and between late Shang Dynasty and early Zhou Dynasty. Each migration was a tribal division. Some migrated to Jianghang area while some others loitered around Zhongyuan area, which is roughly the current central China. The Southward migration of JI Lian and his tribe was the last southward movement and the largest one for JI Lian tribe.