Yao

 

1. Overview

The Yao nationality was called the Jiuli tribe in ancient times. The ancestors originated from the "Panhu" tribe in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods were called "Panhu"; the Han was called "Changsha Wuling Man" and "Wuxi Man"; the Jin Dynasty was called "Miao Zhong". In the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it was called "Mo Yao people" in the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing. The folk collection of Yao nationality's book "Mountain Crossing List · Mountain Crossing Tu" records: Yao nationality originally lived in Huiji Mountain, Qibao Dadong, Nanjing, "crossing the mountain and crossing the water", "floating across the sea", "picking and cutting fire", "managing the mountain camp body", moving around, and falling into Qiubei County in the Yuan Dynasty. The Annals of Wanqiu County in Vimo State-Ethnicity of the Republic of China contains: "The Yao people in northern Qiu migrated to live from the border of Guangxi, Yi and Guizhou in the early Ming Dynasty... A variety of indigo is their profession."

 

2. indigo Yao

There are many Yao ethnic groups, living in China's Yunnan, Guangxi and Vietnam, Laos and other countries. The Yao nationality in Wenshan Prefecture is divided into three kinds: Daban Yao, Blue Indigo Yao and Mountain-coaster Yao. The Yao people in Qiubei County call themselves "Jinmen" or "JiMongolia". He calls Indigo Yao "Yao people". They are named after Yao women who are good at growing Indigo and like to wear clothes dyed by Indigo. Blue indigo Yao is a branch of Yao nationality, which is distributed in 18 natural villages in 6 townships in Qiubei County. Since 2005, there have been 2664 people, accounting for 0.69 percent of the county's total population, mainly distributed in Wenliu, Shuanglongying, Jinping, Pingzhai and Tianxing townships, with the largest number of residents in Wenliu Township.

 

3. Yao culture

The Yao nationality is an ancient and transnational ethnic group. Before the Yuan Dynasty, the Yao nationality formed a square Yao script, which consists of Chinese characters and imitation Han Yao characters, mainly Chinese characters, supplemented by imitation Han Yao characters. There is a record in the ancient books of "Yao people ...... known to both men and women. Therefore, although the Yao people have migrated many times in history, their language, clothing, life etiquette, religious beliefs and other traditional culture are still preserved. The folk customs of the Yao nationality, such as "knot grass as the number", "tobacco shreds to show affection", "respect for the old people during the Spring Festival" and "putting crabs", have unique local characteristics. Yao's "Dragon Worm Dance", "Bronze Bell Dance" and "Dragon Sacrifice Dance" inherit historical and cultural information.

 

4. Festival

Yao people celebrate the Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Duanyang Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival. The unique national characteristics are "Panwang Festival" and "Dragon Sacrifice Festival".

1. Panwang Festival

The Panwang Festival, also known as the King of Jumping, is held on October 16 of the lunar calendar. It is the most solemn festival of the Yao nationality. This festival originated from the memory of Yao compatriots in memory of their national ancestor Panhu, who is the ancestor and protector of the Yao nationality. The Yao compatriots in Qiubei County celebrate the "Panwang Festival" on the 15th of the winter month of the lunar calendar ". There is a fixed procedure for the Pan King Festival. First of all, it is to worship the Pan King. Altars should be set up and gods should be hung during the festival. The largest one in the middle is the Pan King. At the beginning of the sacrifice, three rounds of muskets were fired, followed by the firing of firecrackers. In the sound of firecrackers, patriarchs and village elders offered sacrifices such as pig heads, chicken, and wine in front of the idol. People faced the idol and bowed their heads to pray silently to express their admiration and remembrance. After the sacrifice, all the people sang the turntable and danced the king dance. There are records in the Yao books of Pan Wang Ge, which mainly narrate the deeds of Pan Wang's life with poems and seven-character sentence patterns. The verses are washed and refined, and the melody is quaint and vigorous. The "Pan King Dance" is accompanied by drums and gongs. The dance moves suddenly jump up, squat down, turn left, and turn right. The movements are strong and powerful. It reproduces the Yao ancestors farming, hunting, and fighting to kill the enemy. A simulated picture, while dancing, there are men and women singing.

2. Dragon Sacrifice Festival

YaoEvery year on the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar (some on the third day of the third month), a dragon sacrifice ceremony is held. The content includes seeking the soul of the valley, offering sacrifices to the valley mother, Pangu, Jade Emperor, Shennong, etc., to bless the prosperity of the six animals, the abundance of the five grains, the peace of the four seasons, and the smooth money. At the same time of the sacrifice, activities of sweeping the village were held. Women are prohibited from participating in the activities of sacrificing dragons and sweeping the stockade, and outsiders are also refused to enter the stockade. The foreigners who are already in the stockade must wait until the sacrifice is completed before leaving the stockade. Kill

 

5. production and life

The Yao people live in the deep mountains and forests. In ancient times, there was a saying that "there is no Yao without mountains". They are basically mountain buildings. Residential houses are mostly civil structure tile houses, which are divided into two rooms. The one on the left side of the entrance is a house, the one on the right is a kitchen, and the fireplace isYaoThe core of the family, the middle for the central room, upstairs grain storage or storage of sundries, but also as a guest room or men's bedroom. Fixed arable land is mostly dry land, mainly planting rice (including dry rice), corn, six grains, buckwheat, beans and other food, cash crops are mainly indigo, but also a small amount of peanuts.

 

6. the wedding of indigo Yao

The Yao people practice monogamy. Generally, they do not intermarry with other clans. They can intermarry outside the five generations of the same clan. It is not taboo for uncle-in-law to intermarry with the same surname, and they also find a nuisance to come to their homes. There are many branches of the Yao nationality. The Yao nationality in Wenshan Prefecture mainly has three branches: Landiyao, Daban Yao and Shanyao. Qiubei is the most famous indigo Yao in history, which belongs to the pan Yao system and calls itself "golden gate". Indigo Yao generally advocates free love, but they generally do not intermarry with foreigners. Among the many traditional customs of indigo Yao, weddings and rings are the most national characteristics.

Blue indigo yao's wedding is quite grand. The whole village is boiling for a few days when a family is engaged in marriage. Both men and women entertain guests at different times. Every family in the village has to invite them, as well as distant relatives and even friends of other nationalities.

The content and form of Landiyao's wedding contain rich national culture, national history and myths and legends. Generally, it includes five stages, namely, filling couplets, checking birthdays, saluting wine, exchanging "birthday records" and sending women out. Each stage has strict etiquette requirements.

 

7. song and dance

"The leaves of the octagonal tree forest are green, and each fruit of the octagonal tree is strung together, attracting a group of Yao girls ......, picking the octagonal tree with their hands and singing, a basket of fruit and a basket of songs. The song sends the octagonal tree into the stove, and the smoke flies like white clouds." Where there is indigo Yao, there must be octagonal trees. This is the "octagonal song" sung by the girls when collecting the octagonal. indigo Yao has the habit of singing to each other and uses songs to exchange feelings and enhance friendship. Blue indigo Yao's musical instruments are less, mainly percussion such as small drums and cymbals, mainly to highlight the sense of rhythm.

 

9. clothing

The clothing of women in Indigo Yao is a big jump in color, from Indigo (navy blue) to white collar and headdress, to white belt, to sky blue collar and sleeve, to bright red waist and head hairpin. The strong contrast on this color block and the cross use of cold and warm colors make women very eye-catching, and there is a wealth and solemnity in the jumping color block. Second, a large number of jewelry wear, chest of silver collar and silver necklace, head of the silver disc, add color transition, harmony. Some of the trinkets were made by the women themselves. With the women's dress, indigo Yao looks more beautiful and attractive.

 

10. strange customs

1. Tobacco shreds spread affection

When it comes to indigo Yao, people can't help but think of the unique flavor of "Yao chimney dance". Indeed, the life of the Yao people can not be separated from the smoke. Cigarettes for guests, cigarettes for messages, cigarettes for apologies, and cigarettes for marriage. In short, Yao's smoke is a tool to transmit information and a bridge to communicate feelings.

Tobacco invitation: indigo Yao has a long history of using smoke instead of invitation. If there is something to treat at home, each family will give a cigarette or a small packet of yellow tobacco, which symbolizes invitation.

Tobacco obituary: when indigo Yao meets with a funeral, besides firing a gun to report the funeral, the filial son should be led to every household by the guide. no matter whether the family is at home or not, he must knock his head at the door, then put a cigarette or a pinch of yellow tobacco in a conspicuous place on the door, report the funeral letter to the family and ask for help.

Tobacco proposal: Before the young man of Indigo Yao proposed, the parents took two taels of yellow tobacco, one yuan and twenty cents, wrapped them in red paper into a square, tied them with two red and green threads, and tied one copper coin at each end of the thread.

2. No.

It is the traditional custom of blue indigo Yao to knot grass and number. With a few thatch knot together as a sign, in a certain range to play the role of restricting and prompting people. It is a "text" commonly recognized by the Yao people and a living fossil for the study of the history of Yao civilization. They call it "number" and "number". The "number" is called a straw mark by a different nationality.

From ancient times to the present, the Yao nationality has been a nation that abides by the law, stresses morality and etiquette. They have strict rules and precepts, and men, women and children have their own codes of conduct. "Do not seek other people's property, do not take other people's property, self-support" and so on, there are strict regulations in the teaching instrument, grass mark is formed in this cultural background.

Common grass is marked with four categories: 1. No. Grass mark: when someone finds a piece of fertile land somewhere and can't find time to reclaim it, he forms four grass knots in the four corners of the mountain forest to be reclaimed and digs a line of soil at the foot of the ground to explain. If others see it, they will not open up wasteland in the territory where he passed. 2. Found grass mark: It is mainly used to find honeycomb, bird's nest, fungus and other objects without owner. A grass knot is tied beside the object to tell people that it has been found. 3, remind grass mark: used to remind people to pay attention. For example, in fields where crops have been planted, a few wooden forks are planted at the edge of the field, with a grass knot hanging on them to remind people to look after the animals. 4. Prompt grass mark: This grass mark is the most interesting. In the south, especially in the tropical jungle, some areas are forbidden areas, and some food cannot be eaten with straw labels. If someone finds a scaly snake or a poisonous snake in front of them, they will pull two thatch together on both sides of the road and hang snake skins or vines on them to indicate that there are poisonous snakes in front of them. If you find a forbidden area, you will get all kinds of strange diseases when you go there, and you will tie the grass and branches on both sides of the road together on every path at the foot of the mountain and call it a roadblock. When people saw it, they knew that this mountain was either a leprosy mountain or a mountain with serious miasma. If someone places a hunting iron clip or digs a trap in front, tie a grass knot on the edge of the installation, and put a cross wooden stick on it to remind people to take a detour. Some people know that the wild fruits or water of this mountain are inedible, so they tie grass knots along the road, hang branches of wild fruits on them and tie several grass knots by the spring water, suggesting that people cannot eat them.

Straw marks, one by one, seem to be simple and easy to make. They mark the moral concepts and civilized etiquette of the indigo Yao for thousands of years. They are the symbol of the beautiful hearts of the Yao people.

3. Respect the old man during the New Year

Blue indigo yao village village has the village old. There are two village elders, one is called village elders and the other is called teacher elders, who are called yin and yang elders. At first, the village elders were democratically elected to elect several prestigious people who could preside over religious ceremonies and safeguard the interests of the people as candidates for the village elders, and then went to the temple to hold religious ceremonies and Kagua elections. Once the old village is created, the hereditary system is generally implemented. Zhailao is mainly in charge of all religious affairs of the village, presides over popular ritual activities, and resolves religious conflicts between villages, including religious disputes between the masses.

On the evening of the 30th of the year, Yao people bring prepared gifts-wine, meat and candy, some with ducks, some with chickens or animal meat, to their hometown in the village, kowtowing to the village elders, and both sides bless each other.

4, put the crab compensation and sum

Since ancient times, indigo Yao has been a nation that values morality and etiquette. In the past, the Yao people lived deep in the mountains and were isolated from the outside world, and they were often harassed by other people. The clansmen must be twisted into a rope, thinking in one place and working hard in one place to jointly resist foreign enemies. Nowadays, although the Yao people are scattered in different ethnic villages, this national psychology has taken root in their hearts.

"Yao people in the world are close to each other, there are grievances to resolve grievances, and there are knots to resolve", "it is better to resolve grievances than to resolve grievances, and it is difficult to resolve grievances if there are too many enemies." Yao people use strange customs to release crabs to compensate for grievances and seek peace. This kind of crab release activities are mostly carried out from the first day of the new year to the sixth day. For example, the two families have long-standing enmities and enmities, and the party with many faults (the pay-off person) has the intention of repenting. Before the Chinese New Year, they will ask a middleman (the lead person) to take a cigarette to send a message to the other party (the host). Although the host is unwilling to take the cigarette according to etiquette and accept the compensation from the other party. In the early morning of the day when the crabs were released, the pay-off man made up a crab, put a dime and a half in the crab's belly, and asked the lead man to quietly take it and hang it on the door of the host's house, hiding beside him to spy on the owner's movements. When the host opened the door and found the keep, he knew that the other party had come to release crabs. The host immediately took two multicolored ribbons and put them across the door and opened the door greatly to welcome the other party. When the leader saw the owner hanging the ribbon, he immediately went back to report the letter. The set-off invited a group of singers, brought rich gifts, and shouted all the way: "Sing! Go sing!" At this time, the whole cottage was boiling up. Like a big festival, all men, women and children joined the singing team one after another. They flocked to the host family. The host family invited singers to sing ceremonial songs to greet them. The atmosphere was extremely warm. After the guests entered the house, the two parties put together the two tables into a long table. The guests and the guests invited by both parties ate at the same table, toasted each other, and talked with each other. During the dinner, the singer began to sing to each other, singing and laughing all day long.

Late at night, the ceremony ended in a joyful song. The master cut open the crab with a knife and took out the money. The master wanted one point, the pay-off man wanted one point, and the lead man wanted one point, to show that the two sides had made up their old friends and lived in harmony. The host also gave each other ribbons, big rice dumplings and other things as a gift.