Dulong, a nation that "doesn't pick up the road at night and doesn't close the door at night"

Dulong is one of the ethnic minorities with a small population in China. The current population is 7,426 (according to the data of the 2000 census), mainly distributed on both sides of Dulong River Gorge in the west of Gongshan Dulong Autonomous County in Nujiang Yi Autonomous Prefecture in northwest Yunnan, and on both sides of Nujiang River in the north, as well as Qile Township in Weixi Yi Autonomous County and Chavalo in Chayu County of Xizang Autonomous Region. In addition, there are many Dulong people living in Myanmar.

Dulong people call themselves Dulong, which is called pry, autumn,,, Luo and Qu Luo in history. 1952, according to the national will, it was officially named "Dulong".

Dulong people have their own language, but no writing. In the past, we recorded and transmitted information by carving wood and knotting ropes. Dulong language belongs to the Tibetan-Burmese language family of Sino-Tibetan language family, which is basically the same as Gongshan Nu language.

Dulong people have lived in mountainous areas since ancient times, with harsh conditions and blocked traffic, so the social development is relatively slow and the productivity level is low. Before and after the founding of New China, there were still strong remnants of the primitive commune system. The economy is dominated by slash-and-burn extensive agriculture, and gathering and hunting also occupy a considerable proportion.

Women also have the habit of writing. Houses are mostly wooden houses or bamboo houses. The only festival is China New Year. In the past, there was no fixed time, and most of them were held in the twelfth lunar month, with different festivals.

history

Dulong is one of the ethnic groups in China that still retains the characteristics of paternal family commune at the end of primitive society. Although it has gradually disintegrated in the general development trend, it still has obvious characteristics of paternal family commune in productivity, land form, social organization and marriage system. The ethnic name of Dulong began to appear in Lijiang Road Customs in Dayuan Tongzhi, which was called "pry". It was called "Autumn" or "Qu" in Ming and Qing Dynasties. After the founding of New China, according to the national will, the Dulong people were called the national title. In the 1940s before the founding of New China, due to the barrier of mountains and rivers and the oppression and exploitation of reactionary rule in previous dynasties, the development of Dulong's social productive forces was characterized by: slash-and-burn primitive agriculture dominated, while gathering, fishing and hunting still accounted for a large proportion; The production tools are very simple, and there is no transition from hoeing to ploughing; The social division of labor is not obvious, only the natural division of labor between men and women; The exchange is still in the primitive barter stage; Dulong people live in poverty and there is no commodity exchange. They use wood carvings and knots to record. Before iron tools were introduced into Dulong area, Dulong people generally used Xiao Mu hoes made of natural hooks of branches to dig the ground. Xiao Mu's hoe is as sharp as a pickaxe and is called "Gola" in Dulong language. It is the original tool first used by Dulong people in hoeing agriculture. It was not until the founding of New China that this situation was completely changed.

prescribe a diet

Dulong people's staple food is corn and buckwheat, and they like drinking, eating barbecues, drinking tea and smoking.

Dulong people have the habit of eating two meals. Breakfast is usually highland barley fried noodles or baked potatoes; Dinner is mainly corn, rice or millet, and the roots of various wild plants are also ground into starch and made into cakes or porridge. Dulong still retains many ancient cooking methods, the most common of which is to cook cooked slate Baba with a special slate pot. When baking slate Baba, we usually use Atun or Dong palm starch, make it into paste with bird eggs, and then pour it on a hot slate pot, which is delicious with baking.

Dulong's daily dishes include potatoes, pods, melons, bamboo shoots, bamboo leaves and various fungi, which are usually cooked in a pot with pepper, wild garlic and salt. Winter is the peak season for hunting in Dulong area, and wild beef is the main meat in winter. When eating wild beef, air-dry the beef first, then bake it with low fire, then mash it into filaments, make it into floss or cut it into small pieces, seal it in a bamboo tube and keep it or carry it with you.

Dulongjiang is also rich in all kinds of fish, mostly fish with thin scales and thick skin. When eating fish, Dulong people like to roast the fish in the open air or dip it in seasoning after frying, and often drink the roasted fish as a side dish. Bee pupa is one of the most exquisite dishes in Dulong. It is said that there are many centenarians in Dulong, which is related to the frequent consumption of bee pupae. The typical foods of Dulong people are: taro cooked with hemp, roast chicken and soju, Jimmy and so on.

build

The production and life of Dulong people are mainly concentrated in river valleys and foothills. Dulong villages are surrounded by mountains and rivers, and most wooden houses are built on steep slopes. In order to let the mountain torrents flow down from the house, one side of the river is suspended. The walls of industrious Dulong people's houses are just surrounded by bamboo poles and covered with thatch. The whole building is simple in structure, and some even pile the whole log on a stone foundation to build a solid cabin. When you walk into Dulong people's house, the first thing that jumps into your eyes is the Dulong blanket that you put on your body, put on the bed or spread on the cabinet as an ornament. This blanket is hand-woven with cotton and linen and colorful threads. Soft, simple and elegant, it is a national handicraft that Dulong people are proud of.

religion

Dulong people believe in primitive religion and animism. They regard all natural and man-made disasters and diseases as a supernatural force at work, so mountains, rivers, trees and boulders have become objects of worship. A witch who presides over sacrificial ceremonies or divination is called "Namsa" or "Namsa" by the Dulong people. Most of them are naturally formed, and some of them are held by the head of the family. They do not engage in religious activities full-time, but usually take part in certain labor. Some Dulong people believe in Christianity.

Dress

The traditional dress of Dulong people is usually linen or cotton-padded clothes, black and white stripes and shorts. It is customary to pull a piece of linen from the left shoulder and armpit to the chest, exposing the left shoulder and right arm, tie the corner of the left shoulder with a straw rope or bamboo needle, and wear a crossbow, quiver and machete at the waist. Women often wear dyed rattan rings around their waists as decorations, and often wear brightly colored ones. Beads, chest chains, earrings, and even copper coins and silver coins are often hung around the neck and ears. There used to be a custom of tattooing. When women go out, they have to carry exquisite bamboo baskets. Men and women don't wear hats, have long hair and go barefoot.

Single dragon blanket with dual functions of clothes and quilt

Dress simply. I used to be wrapped in one or two pieces of linen, and I used clothes during the day and quilts at night.

Before the founding of New China, the costumes of Dulong people were very simple. Both men and women are wrapped in linen-a single dragon blanket. Dulong carpet is generally about 1 meter wide and 2 meters long. Behind the sloping shawl, from the right shoulder to the left armpit to the chest, tied at the right shoulder, exposing the left shoulder and right arm. Some women use two pieces, sloping from shoulder to knee, and the left and right wings are forward. One is tied around the waist with a rope to cover the front and back, and the other is naturally covered. Dulong carpet is durable and easy to use. It can be used as clothes during the day and as a quilt at night. It has always been deeply loved by the Dulong people. After the founding of New China, from 195 1 to the early 1960s, the state allocated a large number of cotton-padded clothes and trousers to the Dulong people every year. Later, with the rapid development of economy, culture, transportation and other undertakings in Dulong area, various fashions were imported into Dulong area. However, no matter what clothes they wear, many Dulong people still like to cover their clothes with a Dulong blanket. Form a distinctive national style and characteristics of the times.

Dulong carpet is woven by hand waist machine. Pure linen yarn was used for spinning in the past. Since the founding of New China, cotton and wool from the mainland have entered the Dulongjiang area one after another. Therefore, women have always liked to weave Dulong carpets with various colors of cotton, wool and twine, making them softer in texture and more elegant in stripe patterns.

marriage customs

Dulong people get married outside the family, which is a monogamous individual family and free to fall in love. Dulong young men and women will make a promise to each other after falling in love. The girl gave the boy a single dragon carpet carefully woven by himself, and the boy gave the girl a hoe or basket woven by himself.

When it comes to proposing marriage, the young man will invite a glib man to marry the woman. You said that if you are married, you should carry a teapot and bring tea, cigarettes and teapot in your backpack.

Go to a girl's house, no matter how the other person's attitude is, the person who says you are married should fill the teapot with water as quickly as possible, burn it in the fireplace and put it on. Then take out the tea and teapot from the backpack, and take out the bowl from the girl's cupboard to make tea. Whether the girl's family agrees or not, she can only wait around the fireplace. As soon as the water boils, the married people immediately soak the tea in the tea jar and then pour it into the bowl. Respect the girl's parents first, then her brothers and sisters, and finally the girl herself. Next, we started talking about marriage, saying nothing more than how nice the young man is and how much the family likes girls.

At a certain time, the girl's family didn't say anything, but the girl's father or mother drank the tea in one gulp, and the girl and others followed suit, and the marriage was completed. If no one drinks tea until late at night, come back the next night. If no one drinks tea for three consecutive nights, it means that the girl doesn't agree with the marriage. If you still want to talk, you need to wait until next year.

The wedding of Dulong is relatively simple. At the ceremony, parents of both men and women should introduce their sons and daughters to everyone and encourage the new couple to care about each other. In the future, one of the hands or feet will be broken or blind. Then a couple drinks concentric wine, everyone dances solo, and the ceremony is over.

custom

Whether drinking, eating or eating meat, housewives eat part of it in Dulong. When the guests arrive, they will get the same share. Generally, every family has several fireplaces. Every child will add an extra fireplace after marriage, and cooking will be undertaken by each fireplace in turn.

Dulong people invite each other in a very unique way. A piece of wood is usually used as an invitation to invite each other. At that time, the wood chips were sent to the invited guests' homes, and several notches carved on the wood chips indicated that a banquet ceremony would be held in a few days. Invited guests should bring all kinds of food to show their gratitude. After entering the village gate, guests should first drink a bottle of wine with their host, then sit down to eat and watch songs and dances. After nightfall, the man drank by the fireplace and read a toast, then threw the wine bowl on the bamboo shelf on the fireplace, with the bowl mouth facing the sky as a good omen.

Dulong people are very hospitable In case of hunting wild animals or a family killing pigs and cattle, a banquet for distant relatives and neighbors will be formed. In addition, Dulong people also have the custom of entertaining strangers, warmly entertaining passing guests and staying at home. It is a shame to think that there is no food and no guests to stay in the dark. They have a good tradition of not answering the road and not closing the door at night, and regard stealing as the most shameful behavior. When the Dulong people carry out some primitive sacrificial activities, tourists are not allowed to visit.

The ancient custom of noodles

In ancient times, tattoos were called carving, muscle, face, foot, face, ink and blue. It is a body decoration method using sharp tools such as thorns, needles and knives. Carve patterns or symbols on the skin, infiltrate the color, keep it for life and never fade. It originated very early and developed from the custom of primitive people painting on the skin for decoration or religious activities. It is widely popular among many primitive peoples in Southeast Asia, Oceania, Central and South America and Africa. Today, many indigenous peoples in these areas still regard it as an irreplaceable ornament and love it fondly. In the southeast and southwest of China, the ancient tattoo style is also very popular. Until modern times, there are still traces of this custom among Li, Dai, Bulang, De 'ang, Dulong, Jinuo, Wa, Nu, Jingpo, Yi and Gaoshan nationalities.

The tattoo of Dulong women is mainly concentrated on the face, so it is often called "painting face" and "tattooing face". Every time a girl reaches the age of twelve or thirteen, she needs a tattoo to symbolize adulthood. During the lecture, an elderly and experienced woman first drew a pattern on the girl's face with a bamboo stick dipped in pot smoke water, then struck the thorn with a small wooden stick or a wooden stick with a needle to make it pierce the skin according to the pattern, then rubbed the ash or grass juice at the bottom of the pot into the wound, and then took off the scab skin to form a blue pattern. Patterns can be roughly divided into two types: in the middle and upper reaches of Dulong River, there are five or six rhombic patterns connected from eyebrows to the bridge of the nose, and then they spread to both sides of the nose with the mouth as the center, and continue to stab small rhombic patterns. The small rhombic patterns meet in the mandible through the cheeks to form a square circle, in which stripes are pierced vertically, and dot patterns are stabbed horizontally to the eyes from above the square circle. The whole pattern is like a butterfly spreading its wings. The lower reaches of Dulongjiang River are relatively simple, generally only two or three lines of vertical stripes are written on the mandible. I won't write the rest.

According to historical records and folklore, the origin of the custom of tattooing faces of Dulong women has its specific historical reasons. For two or three hundred years, the influence of Tibetan Tusi and Wa slave owners has continuously penetrated into Dulong area, brutally exploiting and squeezing Dulong. In particular, the Tibetan toast in Chahualun collects all kinds of tributes from Dulong every year, even taxes on nose, mouth and hair. If they can't afford it, they will forcibly take women to be slaves in Tibetan areas. Especially young and beautiful Dulong women are often in danger of being taken away from their families. In this special social and historical environment, in order to avoid being plundered and trampled by the toast, Dulong women have to adopt passive self-help methods: smearing their cheeks with a pot of cigarettes, and even preferring to dye their faces as "black ink and blue lines" that can never be washed away, making them look like people and ghosts, making strangers afraid and afraid to approach. Over time, the custom of tattooing was formed and continued until the early days of liberation. Therefore, tattoo is a negative form of struggle for Dulong women to resist national oppression and seek personal safety in history.

Carving wood for recording, tying rope for time.

Dulong people have no personality of their own. Before the founding of New China, they kept records by carving wood or sending messages, and counted time by tying knots.

Dulong's woodcut notes are widely used. Woodcuts engraved with various symbols play the same role as ordinary words and documents. Can record and convey toasts' orders, personal debts, bride price list, etc. The woodcut (toast) issued by the government is large and looks like wood blade, with a width of about 20 cm and a length of about 70-80 cm. The middle is slightly thick, the sides are flat, the top is inclined and pointed, and the lower end has a handle. Different content should be engraved with different gaps or line segments, graphics, etc. For example, a woodcut used to convey a toast and pay taxes has a big gap in the upper left and several small gaps in the lower left, indicating that a big housekeeper and several attendants are coming. Carve a big gap and two small gaps on the right, which means asking a leader and two people to see you. Sometimes different objects such as arrows, peppers and chicken feathers are attached to the woodcut to show different meanings. For example, arrows indicate that they will arrive soon, peppers indicate that disobedience will be severely punished, and feathers indicate that they will arrive soon. This kind of woodcut is usually explained by the sender.

People use smaller woodcuts. It is often used to record debts and gifts. If there are no cows in a family sacrifice, the size of the cows must be measured and recorded when borrowing them from relatives and friends. The specific method is: firstly, measure the bust of the cow with a bamboo stick, then measure the length of the bamboo stick with fists, and carve the number of fists on both sides of a piece of wood. Finally, split the sawdust from the middle and hold half on each side. If the cattle are returned, the difference will be made up with grain, and more will be refunded and less will be made up. Then throw the woodcut into the fire and burn it. There is no dispute.

Knot timing is also widely used. Refers to the timing of knotting with fine twine, and each knot represents one day. If you are on a business trip, walk for a day and tie a knot. Untie a knot one day after you come back, so that you can accurately calculate the date and itinerary. The annual festival is the happiest moment for Dulong people. But because there is no fixed date, a temporary agreement is needed every year. Most of the agreed methods are also done by knotted ropes. If it is decided to celebrate the festival after 10, prepare a number of ropes tied with 10 to give to relatives and friends, and solve one each day. When the last knot is finished, it means that the festival is coming. Everyone should kill pigs and cows, sing and dance, and celebrate the New Year.

"Don't pick up the road, don't close the door at night."

The folk customs in Dulong area are simple, and the ancient custom of "not taking the road at night and not closing the door" still exists. Whoever finds something on the road will not keep it for himself. Or wait for the owner to come back, or try to find out where the owner is and try to return it to the owner as soon as possible. When people go out for a long trip, they often divide the grain they carry with them into several parts, hang them on trees or put them in caves and other places along the way for consumption when they return. No matter how hungry passers-by are, they will never eat without authorization. Even clothes and other items can be placed on the roadside anytime and anywhere. As long as you press a stone, it means that it belongs to the owner and no one else will pick it up.

Dulong people don't pick up things and never steal things. Most of their granaries are built behind houses, even on mountains or far from home. Only bamboo sticks or wooden sticks are inserted horizontally on the warehouse door, so there is no danger of theft. Even if you go out from home, the door is simple and no one will enter without permission.

The traditional virtues of Dulong are also manifested in many other aspects. For example, the virtue of solidarity and mutual assistance in a whole village with something to do; The virtue of respecting the old and loving the young and helping the poor; The virtue of courtesy and hospitality, and so on.

Astronomical calendar

Dulong has its own unique calendar algorithm. In the long-term struggle of production and life, according to the changes of nature, Dulong people call it a year from the closure of mountains by heavy snow to the next year, which is called "extreme friends". A year is divided into twelve festivals at different times.

In January, it is called "Meng", which means a snowy month. In this month, everyone has a rest and every family grows dried potatoes.

February is called "Abo", which means that the grass begins to grow and it's time to plant a lot of potatoes.

March is called "luxury time", which means sowing month, planting millet, taro, cotton and other crops.

In April, it is called "Changmujiang", which means the flowering moon, peach blossoms, cranes singing and sowing are finished.

May, called "Oichi", means burning volcanoes in the middle of the month, burning a large number of volcanoes and stopping planting.

June is called "Boone", which means "Hunger Month". At this time, all food is stored, and when food is in short supply, a large number of wild food is collected.

July, called "Arong", means that the grass blooms in the moon and the grass is mowed to harvest wild grain.

August, known as "Achangmu", means the first frost month, when the grass froze to death and the crops began to be harvested.

September is called "cicada", which means harvesting the moon, millet, corn, barnyard grass and buckwheat.

In October, it was called "General Jia Mu", which means Snow Moon. After the harvest, the grain is stored and the snow falls on the top of the mountain.

November is called "pulling the stem", which means that the water falls on the moon and the river falls, looking for winter firewood, cutting bitter buckwheat and preparing for winter.

12 month is called "cut if you get it", which means Chinese New Year, and it is also called "Luo She Shi La". Women cut live hemp, weave linen and dance cattle.

The festival of Dulong is not very strict, and its sowing date is based on flowering and bird singing. Every spring comes, peach blossoms are in full bloom, and when the "high carat" birds sing, spring ploughing and sowing begin. When the bird king shouted "Save Ludu", the sowing must be completed, so the flowers and birds called to direct people's production. There is no concept of 30 days per month. Big month and small month are relative. Generally, the "snow month" is very long, sometimes more than 2 months. When the crops failed, the "Hunger Month" began in May. Therefore, some Dulong people can only say 10 month, and some can even say "hot season" and "cold season". It's hot when it rains and cold when it snows.

After the founding of New China, Dulong people began to learn advanced calendars, and learning scientific farming calendars became a reference for folk farming. Dulong gradually abandoned this primitive natural calendar algorithm and adopted the same calendar (summer calendar) as Han nationality, but there are still folk customs such as "sowing month", "harvesting month" and "Chinese New Year month". Ordinary elderly people are not used to using the summer calendar, and still take the change of natural phenomena as the symbol of production.

Holidays and festivals

There is only one traditional festival of Dulong, that is, New Year, and the Dulong language is called "Kaerjiangwa". It is held at any time after the autumn harvest every year, generally 65438-165438 in February of the following year. The exact time and the length of the festival are still uncertain.

Generally, the Chinese New Year is celebrated by family or village, and the specific time is temporarily agreed before the festival. At that time, every family would invite friends to celebrate the New Year. Take a message near, and send a "knot" or woodcut as an "invitation" from far away. On the day before the festival, we should prepare wine, meat, rice and "Radal". Radal is a bamboo pole covered with a new linen blanket. Linen blankets are hung according to the number of people in the family, and a few people can hang them, not less. They think that more indicates the prosperity of people and animals, and less is unlucky.

The New Year of Dulong is not only a festival to celebrate the harvest, but also a festival to sacrifice. Therefore, on the day of the festival, a very important activity is to sacrifice cows to the "Mongo God" and other gods. "Mengge" is the ancestor of human beings in Dulong myths and legends, and he created human beings. The Dulong people believe that if the bull prays to him, he can eliminate the disease, protect mankind, and make people have good weather and abundant crops.

The length of festivals often depends on how much food is prepared. It usually lasts for two or four or five days. During the Chinese New Year holiday, the most solemn sacrificial activity is to "sacrifice cows to heaven". When driving a cow, the festival host tied the cow to a stake, then a young woman covered the cow's back with a linen blanket, hung beads on the horn, set up sacrifices, lit Song Ming and pine wool (pine leaves), and finally a young man with both parents stabbed the cow to death with a sharp bamboo spear, then cut the beef on the spot and immediately put it in a cauldron for cooking. During the festival, all Dulong people should greet each other and congratulate each other as a family.

Sacrifice cattle to heaven

Dulong people celebrate the harvest ceremony. Generally held every autumn, the most important and largest ceremony is the annual festival "Kakwa".

The bull race ceremony was presided over by the wizard. At the beginning of the ceremony, a cow wearing a dragon festival blanket was led into the stadium and tied to a thick wooden stake. People take cows as the center and automatically form circles, beating gongs and drums, waving swords and guns and dancing.

At that time, a respected family leader or wizard in the village came to the center of the village square with a fat and strong bull. After tying it up and standing, the women swarmed, hung beads and other ornaments on the horn, and then selected one of the most beautiful young girls, let her put on a colorful Yi Long blanket first, and then carry it on her back;

After other sacrifices were arranged, the priest lit the hair of Song Ming and Song Qing, muttered to himself, prayed to Mongo, and prayed for him to bless the safety of people and animals, and everything went well, pushing the sacrificial ceremony to a climax. Then the wizard stabbed the cow with a sharp bamboo spear, and the cow was killed by a fall. Then everyone in cook the meat shares the food. The wizard will carry a cow's head and lead the people to dance around the "sacrifice cow". At this time, the atmosphere of the New Year reached a climax. Everyone sang and danced while drinking and eating meat, and Dulong River became a sea of joy. Finally, all participants in the cattle race ceremony were given an average portion of beef, and everyone had a drink and a meal to celebrate the good year and pray for a bumper harvest and prosperity for people and animals.

Folk songs?

Dulong language is called "door rent", which means tune, and it is a general term for various folk tunes. Each song can sing a wider theme. Different accents have not yet formed a clear song title, and can only be classified from the lyrics content and singing form. Common songs include narrative songs, folk songs, love songs, labor songs and sacrifice songs.