Dongba religion and Naxi culture

Author: Mu Shihua
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-09-01
Features: "From Shamanism to Lamaism": The Mongolian people are a historically long-standing, hardworking, and brave ethnic group that have lived and thrived on the northern grasslands of China. Through long-term historical development, the current Mongolian population in China is 4,802,407 (statistics from 1990). They primarily reside in the rural and pastoral areas of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, with some living in urban areas. The region has a Mongolian population of 3,779,000, accounting for approximately 73% of China's total Mongolian population. The majority are also distributed in Bayanbuluk Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, and Baise Mongol Autonomous County in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, as well as in Kalarqin Left Banner Mongol Autonomous County and Fuxin Mongol Autonomous County in Liaoning Province, Qianqiuluo Mongol Autonomous County in Jilin Province, Duerbo Mongol Autonomous County in Heilongjiang Province, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu Province, and Haixi Mongol Tibetan Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province. A portion also lives in clusters or scattered across provinces and autonomous regions such as Hebei and Henan.
The Yao people have their own language, which belongs to the Hani-Tibetan language family's Miao-Yao branch. Due to the complexity of its dialects, there are significant differences in language across various regions. The Yao people commonly use Chinese or Zhuang scripts, as they do not have their own written language.
"Ancestor Worship and Yao Culture": The Yao people share ancestral roots with groups like the "Jing Man" of the Qin and Han periods and the "Wuling Man" of Changsha. The Yao people's religious beliefs vary by region, including nature worship, ancestor worship, and totem worship. Some areas also practice witchcraft and Taoism. Yao people have diverse architectural styles for their houses, with the most distinctive being wooden houses. These houses are built near mountains and water, with lower front floors and higher back floors, and can face any direction. Typically, wooden houses have three stories: the lower story is used for housing livestock, the second story for living quarters, and the third story for storing grain and belongings. Wooden houses are incredibly sturdy without a single nail, offering ample sunlight and ventilation, making them very comfortable.
Yao clothing is often adorned with embroidered five-colored silk threads, and it is said that "the Yao people love five-colored clothing." Yao women's headwear is particularly elaborate. There are various styles, such as the "Dragon Coiling" shape, which involves coiling a ten-meter-long embroidered cloth on the head; the "A" shape, made by wrapping embroidered cloth into a narrow top and wide bottom, adorned with colorful silk threads and beads; and the "Half-Moon" shape, which features three silver plaques shaped like half-moons placed on the head. There are countless other styles of Yao headwear.
The patterns on Yao men's and women's tops are rich and varied, including depictions of flowers, birds, fish, insects, geometric designs, and human figures. The collars come in round or vertical styles, with open front designs, no buttons, and tied with belts. The lower garments include long pants, short pants, cloth skirts, and embroidered skirts. Leg bands are an essential part of Yao men's clothing, serving both as protection and as a decorative element.
The Yao people primarily eat rice, sweet potatoes, and taro, and they enjoy drinking sweet wine. When guests arrive, the host first offers them a cup of sweet wine. There is also a special sweet wine for Yao women during their postpartum period, which differs from ordinary sweet wine. It is cooked with ginger slices, brown sugar, and eggs, making it a nutritious supplement. Postpartum women who drink this wine can strengthen their bodies, replenish their blood, and recover their health.
The Yao people have many national festivals, with the most important being the Panwang Festival (also known as the Panhu Wang Festival, the legendary ancestor of the She and Yao ethnic groups, said to be a dragon-dog named Panhu) and the Dan Nu Festival. The Dan Nu Festival commemorates the creator goddess Miluo Tuo and falls on the 29th day of the fifth lunar month. On this day, families sacrifice pigs and sheep, sing, and dance together to celebrate. The Panwang Festival commemorates the birth of Panwang and falls on the 16th day of the tenth lunar month. On this day, apart from sacrificing to Panwang, young men gather to sing and socialize, a tradition known as "singing in the song hall." The song hall lasts for three days: the first day is for sacrificing and parading the deity, with the statue temporarily placed in the village; the second day, unmarried young men and women gather in the square for the "song hall," singing and dancing together from morning to evening; the third day, all the people parade the statue back to the temple. As night falls, drums and music fill the air, and the song hall concludes in a festive atmosphere.
The Yao people have a rich tradition of folk literature. "Miluo Tuo" is a famous creation epic; "Panwang Songs" depict the broad picture of national history and cultural life; and the handwritten Chinese manuscript "Ping Huang Quan Die" records the origins, migrations, and farming practices of the ethnic group, holding significant historical value. This series of books consists of a total of ten volumes.