The Iowa State Chinese Club has changed its name and its focus.

Kiowa Dao, the new name of the club, is based on the name of the indigenous people of Iowa who were wiped out when settlers moved in, said Kay Zhou, chairwoman of Kiowa Dao.

Dao, or “the path or way” in Chinese, was incorporated into the new name because members of the group were interested in studying Chinese medicine, Zhou said.

“In Daoism you honor your ancestors and as a native Iowan I chose the name to honor my ancestors,” Zhou said.

Daoism, which is a Chinese religion and philosophy, is based on simplicity and selflessness.

“In Daoism you train yourself to accept change and to be in control of your life … You follow nature and eat when you’re hungry and sleep when you’re tired, the very basics,” Zhou said.

Also included in Daoism is the harmonization of mind, body and spirit in order to increase longevity.

One of Kiowa Dao’s goals will be to serve as a resource for educators, she said.

To help educators, Zhou said she and the group will make training packets.

In addition to studying language and culture, club members also plan to practice Chinese exercise, said Phi Troung, former adviser to the Chinese Club.

Because the club is newly organized, meetings have been informal and programming is still being planned.

Some of the current research ideas are the female goddess of compassion and enlightenment interests, she said.

“A lot of people do their independent work and then we discuss ideas at the meetings,” Zhou said.

Discussion is also being done through e-mail and there will soon be a club site on the World Wide Web. Students can write Zhou at [email protected].

Zhou said she is hoping to use the club to gather information, present papers and make academic presentations.