The Mosuo are descendants of Tibetan nomads. Many anthropologists classify them as a subgroup of the Naxi because the languages of the two groups are similar. The Mosuo don't like the classification. The Communists, they say, have used it to deny the Mosuo status as a distinct minority.

The Mosuo practice Tibetan Buddhism, the ancient Tibetan Bon religion and shamanism. Tibetan Buddhism entered the region around the 13th century and had a great influence on Mosuo life. Before the Communist era, at least one son from each family joined a monastery in Tibet, but at the time the son often also participated in the walking marriages customs (See Below). The Mosuo still conduct Bon cremation ceremonies and practice a form of shamanism they call Daba. There is a Bon temple on the east side of the Lake Lugu.