Introduction to the Miao Nationality
Introduction to the Miao Nationality
They mainly live in the southeastern part of Guizhou Province, Damiao Mountain in Guangxi, Hainan Island and Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan, The junction area of ??Guangxi and other provinces and regions, population: 970,000 people. The Miao people have a long history. In ancient Chinese classics, there are records about the Miao ancestors more than 5,000 years ago. These are the clans and tribes known as "Southern Barbarians" from the Yellow River Basin to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. The Miao people have no written language, and the Miao language belongs to the Miao branch of the Miao-Yao group of the Sino-Tibetan language family. The Miao people live in high mountain areas and mainly focus on agriculture, and their crops include upland rice. They include cereals, buckwheat, potatoes and beans, and the cash crop is hemp. They generally grow and weave their own hemp. The Miao people have rich folk oral literature, such as ancient songs, poems, love songs, etc. The Miao people are also good at dancing, and Lusheng dance is the most popular.
The Miao people have their own language. The Miao language is divided into three major dialects: Xiangxi, Qiandong and Sichuan-Guizhou-Dian. After 1956, a text scheme in the form of Latin letters was designed. Due to the long-term exchanges between the Miao people and the Han people, a large part of the Miao people are proficient in Chinese and use Chinese.
The Miao area is mainly based on agriculture, supplemented by hunting. The Miao people's arts and crafts such as cross-stitching, embroidery, brocade, batik, paper-cutting, and hand-made jewelry are magnificent and colorful and well-known at home and abroad. Among them, the batik craft of the Miao people has a history of thousands of years. There are more than 130 kinds of Miao costumes, which can be compared with the costumes of any ethnic group in the world. The Miao people are good at singing and dancing, and are particularly famous for their love songs and drinking songs. Lusheng is the most representative musical instrument of the Miao people.
History of the Miao Nationality
The Miao Nationality has a long history, and its ancestors may have been part of the ancient Sannan. One theory is that it originated from the "Zong" people in the Yin and Zhou Dynasties. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, they mainly lived in the areas of western Hunan and eastern Guizhou, and were included in the names of "Changsha, Wulingbian" or "Wuxi Man". Later, they gradually migrated and were scattered in mountainous areas in the southwest. There are also people who are believed to be related to the ancient "Jiuli" " Related. The Miao people in Sichuan, Guizhou, and Hunan still regard Chi You as their ancestor. Legend has it that Chi You was the king of "Jiuli". 5,000 years ago, the Jiuli tribe clashed with the Huangdi tribe and was defeated and withdrew from the lower reaches of the Yellow River and occupied the Yangtze River. The middle and lower reaches gradually formed the "Three Miao". After the 2nd century BC, most of the Miao ancestors had moved to Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou and other places. The Miao people in Hainan were soldiers who came from Guangxi in the 16th century. p>
Miao Music
The Miao people have a population of about 3.92 million, mainly distributed in Guizhou Province, with the rest scattered in Yunnan, Hunan, Guangxi, Sichuan and other provinces and regions. Due to their long-term diaspora, they are scattered throughout the country. The Miao language, clothing, and festivals are quite different. The Miao language belongs to the Miao-Yao language group of the Sino-Tibetan language family. They have designed a writing scheme in the form of Latin letters.
Worship many gods.
Miao songs occupy a very important position in the cultural life of the Miao people. Whether at festivals or weddings and funerals, Miao songs exist everywhere. The famous "Fei Ge" is sung during the "You Fang" event. A folk song, this tune shows people the elegant posture of a group of swallows in the wind, the sound of reeds, and the light dance of the swallows and the girl.
Miao Etiquette
The Miao people attach great importance to etiquette. When guests come to visit, they must kill chickens and ducks to entertain them warmly. If they are distinguished guests from afar, the Miao people are accustomed to treat the guests to drink horn wine first. When eating chicken, the chicken head should be presented to the elder among the guests, and the chicken legs should be given to the youngest guest. In some places, there is a custom of dividing chicken hearts, that is, the eldest host in the family gives the chicken or duck hearts to the guests with chopsticks, but the guests cannot eat them themselves and must share the chicken hearts equally with the elderly people present. If you don't like to eat fat meat, it can explain the situation. If the owner does not force it, but if you don't eat and drink enough, it will be regarded as looking down on the owner.
The Miao people pay attention to sincerity, are very enthusiastic, and are most afraid of glitz and hypocrisy. When meeting guests on the road, do not take the first step or walk in front; use honorifics in conversation; wear festive clothes when welcoming guests; serve wine outside the village to greet distinguished guests; when guests arrive at the door, the host should call the door and let them know that they are home. The hostess should sing to open the door to welcome the guests; in front of the guests, the hostess should not climb up the stairs; at the banquet, chickens and ducks are served as delicacies to the guests, especially the heart and liver are the most precious, and should be given to the guests or the elderly first , the guests share the dishes among everyone, and the order is from the oldest to the youngest. The guests should not call the host "Miaozi", they like to call themselves "Meng".
Miao Nationality Festival
Stepping on Huashan Mountain is a grand traditional festival for the Miao people in the territory. It is usually held on the first, third and sixth day of the first lunar month every year. In all counties where the Miao people live, flower poles will be erected in these days and grand flower climbing activities will be held. This is not only a good time for Miao young men and women to fall in love, but also an important place for Miao people to carry out cultural, sports and entertainment activities. Men, women and children of the Miao family, dressed in gold and silver, came from all directions to the foot of the flower pole to play reeds, play jingle, jump on tripods, play machetes, bullfight, wrestle, fight thrushes, and climb flower poles.
The Beating Back Festival is popular in some areas of Funing County. It is held every year from the third to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. It is a festival for young men and women of the Miao ethnic group. During the festival, young men and women gather happily on a beautiful hillside. When the spanking begins, the men rush out in large numbers and rush to the girl they have chosen. One hand holds the girl's neck and the other hand covers the girl's eyes. The other boys go Hit her back. Not to be outdone, the girl laughed and struggled. When he breaks free, he catches the young man and treats him in his own way. Throughout the venue, men chased women and danced happily. When they are tired of playing, both men and women will find a place to make a local phone call (that is, use two bamboo tubes with a long line in the middle, and you can hear each other talking or singing into the bamboo tube on one side), pouring out sweet words to each other, and forming a bond. companion. After you are in love, tell your parents and choose an auspicious day to get married.
Miao marriage customs
The Miao people are monogamous, and young men and women have traditional social activities before marriage. For example, "meeting girls" is a way for Miao young people to fall in love freely. The traditional festival of the Miao people is the annual Huashan Festival (held on the fifth day of the first lunar month, also known as "Stepping on the Huashan"). This is the most popular festival for the Miao people. During the festival, young men and women dressed in festive costumes gather to sing antiphons and perform "Stepping on the Flower Mountain". Drums, lion dance and Lusheng dance are very lively. In addition, the Miao people also celebrate the Spring Festival and other festivals of the Han people.
Glutinous rice is also an indispensable food in the marriage process of young men and women. The Miao people in Chengbu, Hunan, give each other glutinous rice cakes with pictures of mandarin ducks as tokens. During a wedding, the bride and groom drink cups of wine, and the officiant invites the bride and groom to eat glutinous rice cakes with pictures of dragons, phoenixes and dolls.
Miao costumes
It is the nature of Miao girls to wear silver jewelry. They put their hair in a bun on the top of their head and wear it, which is about 20 cm high. They make exquisite silver flower crowns and insert them in front of the flower crowns. There are 6 uneven silver wings, most of which are decorated with the pattern of two dragons playing with beads. In some areas, in addition to silver pieces, silver horns about 1 meter high are also inserted into the silver crowns, with colorful ribbons tied on the tips, making it even more noble and gorgeous. On the lower edge of the silver crown, a silver flower belt hangs, and a row of small silver flower pendants hangs down. There are several layers of silver necklaces worn around the neck, mostly made of silver flowers and small silver rings. He wears a silver lock and a silver collar on his chest, a silver cloak on his chest and back, and many small silver bells hanging down. Earrings and bracelets are all made of silver. Only two sleeves show embroidery with fiery red as the main tone, but the cuffs are also inlaid with a wider circle of silver ornaments. The costumes worn by Miao girls often weigh several kilograms, and some of them are accumulated and inherited by generations of people. It is known as "the fairy in colorful clothes and silver dress". The craftsmanship of Miao silver jewelry is gorgeous, sophisticated and ingenious, fully demonstrating the wisdom and talent of the Miao people. Miao costumes vary from place to place. Men mostly use cloth to wrap their heads and wear shorts and shorts. However, Miao women are generally more particular about their clothing, especially their costumes, which are extremely exquisite and have many floral decorations. Some skirts have more than forty layers, hence the name "Miao". Pleated Skirt". The various patterns embroidered on the dresses are antique and colorful. Women are good at weaving, embroidery, and batik, and their craftsmanship is very exquisite.
Miao Diet
Rice is the staple food for the Miao people in most areas. Fried food is the most common fried food. If you add some fresh meat and sauerkraut as filling, the taste will be more delicious.
Most of the meat comes from livestock and poultry breeding. The Miao people in Sichuan, Yunnan and other places like to eat dog meat. There is a saying that "the dogs of the Miao people are the wine of the Yi people". In addition to animal oil, the edible oils of the Miao family are mostly camellia oil and vegetable oil.
Chili pepper is the main condiment. In some areas, there is even a saying that "no dish can be made without spicy food". The Miao people have a wide variety of dishes. Common vegetables include beans, melons, green vegetables, and radishes. Most of the Miao people are good at making soy products.
The Miao people in various places generally like to eat sour dishes, and sour soup is a must-have for every household. Sour soup is made from rice soup or tofu water. After fermentation in an earthen pot for 3-5 days, it can be used to cook meat, fish, and vegetables.
The Miao people generally use the pickling method to preserve their food. Vegetables, chickens, ducks, fish, and meat all like to be pickled to make them sour. Almost every household of the Miao people has a jar for pickling food, collectively called a sour jar.
The Miao people have a long history of brewing wine, and they have a complete set of techniques from making koji, fermentation, distillation, blending and cellaring. Camellia oleifera is the most common daily beverage. The Miao people in western Hunan also make a special kind of Wanhua tea. Sour soup is also a common drink.
Typical foods mainly include: blood soup, chili bone, Miaoxiang turtle and phoenix soup, Miancai cake, insect tea, Wanhua tea, pounded fish, fish in sour soup, etc.
Miao architecture
Due to long-term dispersed living, different regions have formed their own characteristics. Most of the houses are wooden structures, covered with tiles, cedar bark or thatch, etc., in central Guizhou or Qian The western area is covered with thin stone slabs. In mountainous areas, there are mostly stilted buildings; in places such as Hainan Island and Zhaotong, Yunnan, people live in long thatched houses or "fork houses" made of crossed tree trunks; in the western Hunan area, they live in stone houses.
The Miao people mostly live in mountainous areas. Their houses mostly use tree fences as walls, peeled bark as walls, and weaving as tiles, or they use people to build walls, bamboo or wood chips to make tiles, and the interior is divided into bedrooms and kitchens. and stables, furnished simply. Some Miao people live in the dam area, and their houses also have tile-roofed houses with a water and soil structure. They are divided into three rooms. The left and right rooms have doors on each side, and the middle room has a main door, which is the main entrance. In some Miao ethnic groups, the main entrance is generally not allowed to be entered or exited casually. Only when there are weddings, funerals, or sacrificial events at home, can the main entrance be used.
Miao customs
When visiting a Miao family, remember not to eat chicken heads. Guests are generally not allowed to serve chicken livers, offal, and drumsticks. Chicken gallbladders and offal are reserved for elderly women, while chicken drumsticks are reserved for children. When you leave the Miao host's home, you must politely say "Wow Zhou", which means "thank you", and thank the Miao family for their hospitality.
In some Miao areas, it is forbidden to wash drinking pots, rice bags, and rice bowls at any time. They can only wash them when eating new rice, as a sign of getting rid of the old rice and welcoming the new rice. Washing at any time will wash away the wealth of the family, and there will not be enough food to eat. When drinking raw water on the mountain, avoid drinking it directly. You must first put a grass mark to show that you will kill the sick and ghosts. Avoid touching other people's clothes left on the roadside to avoid spreading leprosy. It is forbidden for children to play with small bows and arrows at home, for fear of hitting their ancestors. Avoid crossing the child's head, otherwise the child will not grow taller. It is forbidden for women to sit on the same bench as their elders.
It is forbidden to kill dogs, beat dogs, and eat dog meat; you cannot sit on the place where the ancestors of the Miao family sit, and you cannot step on the tripod on the fire bed; you are not allowed to whistle at home or at night; you are not allowed to eat the ashes of the fire Roasted? Rakes; do not use straps to tie up seedlings and family members when playing; do not enter the house when there are straw hats or branches hanging on the door or on weddings and funerals; do not pass through the newlyweds on the road, etc.
Religion of the Miao people
The religious beliefs of the Miao people are mainly primitive religions. They attach great importance to worshiping natural gods such as mountain gods, tree gods, hunting gods, rain gods, and fire gods. In case of storms, they must Burn yellow wax to offer sacrifices to ghosts; when children are sick, they must worship the stone god; when adults are sick, they must kill pigs to sacrifice to the well god and take "spiritual water" to cure their illnesses; if the family is unfortunate, they must "become a cow ghost", that is, "push the cow to fulfill their wishes" ”, praying for God’s blessing. They believe in the God of Wealth, and there is a "Wealth Gate Sacrifice", in which a square foot of red cloth is nailed to the door, the devil curses, kills a chicken and sacrifices it to show that he wants wealth. Ancestor worship is also very popular among the Miao people. The biggest ancestor worship festival is the "Xisong" festival every year after autumn. When family members encounter something that they think is unlucky or have nightmares, they have to kill chickens to worship their ancestors and invite the devil to worship them. The choking curse conveys the prayers of descendants to the ancestors and gods. Some Miao people also believe in Taoism. It worships gods such as Guanyin, Guandi, Heavenly King Bodhisattva and Panlao. Some Miao people call wizards "White Horse", some call them "Ang", some call them "Wan Neng", and some Miao people in Zhaotong call them "Bomo". "Bomo" once had scriptures written in Chinese and read in Shiyin. In the past hundred years, Christianity and Catholicism have spread to the Miao areas of Yunnan, and branches of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (in Fumin), the Christian Evangelistic Association (in Lufeng), and the Southwest Christian Association (in Lufeng) have been established in Zhaotong, Chuxiong, Qujing and other places. Yuanmou), the Inland Mission of the Western Missionary Society (in Wuding), and church organizations such as Shimenkan Church, led some Miao people to believe in Christianity and Catholicism.
The Miao people used to believe in animism, worship nature, and worship their ancestors. "Drum Sacrifice Festival" is the largest sacrificial activity among the Miao people. Generally, there is a small sacrifice every seven years and a big sacrifice every thirteen years. It is held on Yihai day from October to November of the lunar calendar. At that time, a Guzi ox will be killed, the Lusheng dance will be performed, and the ancestors will be paid homage to.
Invite relatives and friends to gather together during meals in order to enhance feelings and family harmony.