Evenki Religious Beliefs and Culture

Author: Wang Lizhen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: "From Shamanism to Lamaism": The Mongolian people are a historically long-standing, hardworking, and brave ethnic group in the family of our motherland, living and thriving 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 mainly live in rural and pastoral areas of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, with some residing in urban areas. The region currently has a Mongolian population of 3,779,000, accounting for approximately 73% of the total Mongolian population in China. The majority are also distributed in Bayanbuluk Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, and Baise Mongol Autonomous County of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Kalgan Left Banner Mongol Autonomous County and Fuxin Mongol Autonomous County of Liaoning Province, Qian Mongol Autonomous County of Jilin Province, Duer Mongol Autonomous County of Heilongjiang Province, Subei Mongol Autonomous County of Gansu Province, and Haixi Mongol Tibetan Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province. A portion also lives in compact communities or scattered across provinces and autonomous regions such as Hebei and Henan.
The Yao people have their own language, which belongs to the Hani-Kadai language family and the Miao-Yao branch. Due to the complexity of its branches, the languages spoken in different regions vary significantly. The Yao people commonly use Chinese or Zhuang scripts in their areas, as they do not have their own written language.
"Ancestor Worship and Yao Culture": The Yao people share ancestral roots with groups such as the "Jing Man" of the Qin and Han periods and the "Wuling Man" of Changsha. The religious beliefs of the Yao people vary by region, including nature worship, ancestor worship, and totem worship. Some areas also practice witchcraft and Taoism. The architectural styles of Yao houses are diverse, with the most distinctive being wooden houses. These houses are built near mountains and water, with lower front floors and higher back floors, and their orientation is unrestricted. Wooden houses are typically three-storied: the lower floor is used for housing livestock, the second floor for living, and the third floor for storing grain and belongings. These houses are built without a single iron nail yet remain extremely sturdy. The interiors are well-lit and well-ventilated, making them very comfortable.
Yao clothing is often adorned with embroidered patterns using five-colored silk threads, and it is said that the Yao people "love wearing colorful clothes." The headwear of Yao women is particularly elaborate. There are various styles, such as the "Dragon Coiling" shape, which involves coiling a ten-meter-long embroidered scarf on the head; the "A" shape, made by wrapping an embroidered scarf to form a narrow top and wide bottom, with colorful silk threads and beads tied on top; and the "Half-Moon" shape, which features three silver badges shaped like half-moons placed on the head. There are countless other types of headwear.
The patterns on Yao men's and women's upper garments 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, no buttons, and a belt tied around the waist. 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 to protect the legs and to enhance aesthetics.
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 consumed by Yao women during postpartum recovery, 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 sweet 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 Pan Wang Festival (also known as the Pan Hu King Festival, the legendary ancestor of the She and Yao ethnic groups, said to be a dragon-dog named Pan Hu) and the Dan Nu Festival. The Dan Nu Festival is celebrated to honor the creator goddess Miluo Tuo and falls on the 29th day of the fifth lunar month. On this day, families slaughter pigs and sheep, sing, and dance together to celebrate the festival. The Pan Wang Festival commemorates the birth of Pan Wang and falls on the 16th day of the tenth lunar month. On this day, apart from sacrificing to Pan Wang, 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 from morning to evening in pairs; 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 folk literature of the Yao people is rich and diverse. "Miluo Tuo" is a famous creation epic; "Pan Wang Songs" depict the broad picture of the ethnic group's history and cultural life; and the handwritten Chinese manuscript "Ping Huang Quan Die" records the origins, migrations, and agricultural practices of the ethnic group, holding significant historical value. This series of books consists of a total of ten volumes.