Lahu Nationality

Lahu people call themselves "Lahu Na" (black Lahu), "Lahu Xi" (yellow Lahu), and "Lahu Pu" (white Lahu). Lahu means "tiger". He called them pot file, fruit onion, Kucong, huangguzong, luohei, huangluohei, Myanmar, Muse, etc.

After the founding of new China, according to the wishes of the nation, they were collectively referred to as "Lahu".

The meaning of the word "Lahu" was clearly stated in the report on several issues in the Lahu autonomous region made by the representatives of all ethnic groups and all walks of life of Lancang Lahu autonomous region (governing today's Lancang, Menglian and Ximeng counties) in April 1953: "Lahu means everyone pulling together, delegation conclusion, and" Hu "means happiness."

Lahu nationality has a long history and rich historical legends. It is said that the Lahu ancestors used to live a hunting life. In order to chase a red deer fleeing into the dense forests in the south, they found a grassland with lush water and grass and began to migrate from north to south. Its costumes not only have the characteristics of the dual styles of early Northern Nomadic Culture and modern southern farming culture, but also reflect this historical and cultural change. According to the research, the Lahu nationality should have originated from the ancient Diqiang system and belong to one of the descendants of the ancient Diqiang. They lived in the Qinghai Lake Basin and lived a nomadic life in the early stage. About the spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period, the Ju nationality moved to Yunnan. Some people believe that as far back as the Western Han Dynasty 2000 years ago, the "Kunming" or "Kunming genus" nomadic in the Erhai area of Western Yunnan may be the ancestors of some ethnic groups of the Yi language branch, including the Lahu nationality. At that time, the "Kunming" people were still in the primitive society of "no monarch" and lived a hunting life with the clan as the unit. In history, the Lahu nationality is famous for its tiger hunting. In the towering Ailao Mountain and Wuliang Mountain area, countless green lawn slopes are the places where they gallop and roam.

During the Han Dynasty, the Lahu ancestors moved to eastern Yunnan and then moved to central Yunnan. From the Three Kingdoms to the Tang Dynasty, he lived in Weishan, Dali Prefecture and other places today. After the rise of Nanzhao regime in Yunnan in the eighth century, Lahu ancestors were forced to move south on a large scale. The Lahu nationality is called "pot file man" in the biography of Nanman in the book of the new Tang Dynasty, which is the earliest record of the Lahu ancestors as a single nationality in ancient literature. During the song and Yuan Dynasties, the Lahu ancestors continued to migrate southward. In the Yuan Dynasty, there was "Luo heijia" in the grand ceremony of the world - General record of Zhao Fu. This is the earliest record of Lahu's ancestral residence. It can be seen that the Lahu nationality had formed a single nation at least in the 13th century. Before the 18th century, Lahu people had roughly lived in the areas where they are now distributed. Under the influence of the feudal production mode of the surrounding Han and Dai nationalities, they changed from hunting life to settled life dominated by agriculture. With the development of economic production, Lahu society slowly transformed into feudal system. Life and customs are also influenced by the Han and Dai nationalities to a certain extent.

In the Ming Dynasty, the Lahu Nationality appeared in today's Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture and Xinping County, Yuxi City (Xinhua Prefecture at that time), and they were called "fruit onions" in the literature. In the Qing Dynasty, due to the frequent wars in Lahu areas, the reflection of Lahu activities in the literature was increasing day by day. The records of Yunzhou and the records of Chuxiong Prefecture compiled during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty call the Lahu people "luohei". According to relevant documents, from the Lahu uprising in Jinggu, Zhenyuan, Mojiang and Pu'er in 1726 to the Lahu uprising in xiandingying, Lancang in 1918, the Lahu people have held more than 20 uprisings against feudal rule and national oppression in the past two centuries. In the winter of the fifth year of Yongzheng (1728), the Lahu, Dai, Hani and other ethnic groups in Zhenyuan County rioted, burned down the government offices and killed Weiyuan Tongzhi. Lahu, WA, Bulang and other ethnic farmers in the west of Lancang River fought against Dai chieftains from 1796 to 1799. These struggle activities have promoted the social and economic development and changes of Lahu Nationality in different regions to varying degrees, and strengthened the economic and cultural exchanges among Lahu Nationality in different regions.

In the 18th year of Guangxu (1892), in view of the increasingly important political and economic status of the Lahu region in the frontier, the Qing government implemented land conversion in Shuangjiang, Lancang, Menglian and other places where the Lahu nationality was concentrated in order to strengthen the rule of the Lahu region. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Lahu nationality had basically formed its current distribution pattern. With the invasion of imperialism, Lahu, WA and other ethnic farmers smashed the shameful plot of British imperialism to occupy Banhong in 1934. Later, the Lahu and other ethnic groups also launched a struggle against the Japanese imperialist invasion and imperialist religious spies. During the war of liberation, under the leadership of the party, the Lahu people joined the local guerrillas and launched the struggle against the rule of the Kuomintang.

In history, many outstanding figures have emerged in the Lahu nationality. There were heroes who resisted feudal rule, such as Zhafa, the leader of Lahu Nationality in Menglian County, Yunnan Province in the late Qing Dynasty. In 1891, he united with Han Bingzhao, the Dai chieftain, to launch an armed uprising against the Qing Dynasty, led the Lahu people and the Dai people to repel the Qing army many times, effectively attacked the decadent rule of the Qing Dynasty, and finally failed because of being outnumbered. There are outstanding patriots, such as Li Tongming (1861-1901), formerly known as Zao, who was born in mengmao, Myanmar. In 1874, he moved to mengkan, Ximeng to worship Buddha in the temple. He was left in the temple by the three Buddhas. He assiduously studied scriptures and was later recruited as a son-in-law by the three Buddhas. After the three Buddhas died, he succeeded to the throne to manage administrative and religious affairs. In 1890, British colonists entered the AWA mountains from Myanmar and bought Li Tongming with a large amount of money, which was severely rejected. Later, the Qing government named him "mengsuo tumu of Ximeng". Cultural workers with outstanding contributions, such as Li zayue (1943 -), a Lahu cultural research expert and dancer, from Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Yunnan Province. He compiled nearly 100 kinds of dances such as happy cottage, happy girl and monkey dance. He also collected and sorted out a large number of Lahu folk literature, such as narrative poem mupamipa, migration poem Gengu, and a large number of folk stories, which made outstanding contributions to the inheritance and development of Lahu folk literature and folk dance.

The initial social organization of Lahu ancestors was a large family commune with two-line system, and the main mode of production was hunting and gathering. With the semi settlement to relative settlement of Lahu Nationality and the development of agricultural productivity, the economic and cultural exchanges with the outside world are becoming more and more frequent, and the social organizations are gradually geographized, which makes the Lahu Nationality change from blood or regional commune organizations to tribal organizations. The early "kashekalei" system (i.e. village head and elder system) came into being, and with the emergence of large settlements, The "kashekalei" system has been continuously consolidated and developed. The "kashekalei" system is the ancient political and military system of the Lahu Nationality and the political, administrative and military organization form of the village "Kashi". This system is economically based on the hunting and farming production mode, and the social structure is adapted to the two-line extended family system. "KASHE" and "kalelei" are regarded as "cards" The leaders and commanders of the village operate the political, economic, religious and military power of the village and become the core of the operation of the social production and living mechanism.

First of all, the maternal extended family system flourished in the social and historical process of the Lahu nationality. When the maternal extended family system entered the prosperity stage, it also gave birth to the patriarchal family, thus forming the unique "Lucky House card" with the coexistence of two-line extended families of the Lahu nationality System. The descendants of male ancestors belong to the paternal wujiwu card, and the descendants of female ancestors belong to the maternal wujiwu card. Children have equal rights to inherit property. The "wujiwu card" system is a marriage and family system in which two families coexist in the same time and space. It is a strange historical phenomenon in the process of Lahu social development.

From the late Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty, with the introduction of Mahayana Buddhism, the "unity of politics and religion" based on the ancient "kashekalei" system appeared in Lahu areas The Buddhist hall is the center of missionary activities and the center of political power organization. The Buddha is the host and authority of religion and political power. After the Qing Dynasty changed its territory to the flow of Yunnan, the rule of chieftain in the mainland has existed in name only. It no longer holds real political and economic power locally, and chieftain with political and economic strength concentrated in border ethnic areas at the end of the Qing Dynasty In, in order to strengthen the rule over the Lahu area, the Qing Dynasty set up the Zhili Hall of Fuyi at the edge of the town within the jurisdiction of Menglian chieftain of shunning Prefecture, where the Lahu population is relatively concentrated, and appointed "meritorious" to suppress the Lahu and other ethnic uprisings During the period of the Republic of China, the Kuomintang abolished the position of chieftain, implemented the system of District, township, Bao and Jia, and ended the chieftain system in Lahu areas. The political reforms in different times not only did not completely abolish "kashekalei" The system, on the contrary, has made it continuously perfect and developed, and has become the ruler's management tool for the Lahu area. The "kashekalei" system and its thought have had a far-reaching impact on the Lahu society.

In modern times, the Lahu family can be divided into two kinds: the big family of double lineage and the small family of paternity. The big family is generally composed of three or four generations of descendants of a couple. In the big family, a couple and their unmarried children form a small family, and the married children form several small families respectively. All the members of the small family live in a long house together. The big family is named after the female parent Some are named after male parents, which has a certain relationship with the status and rights of male and female parents. The parents of the extended family are jointly held by the elderly couple in the extended family, and after their death, they are held by other elders in the family. The public property of the extended family is in the charge of the parents and shared by the whole family. When the families are separated, all children living in the long house together can get an equal share of land And property. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the paternal small family system of monogamy has gradually replaced the original two-line extended family system. The small family system generally includes two generations of parents and children. Men and women have equal status in family life, production and housework are naturally divided according to gender, and children have the right to inherit property.

Development level

Before the founding of new China, the social and economic development of Lahu nationality was very slow due to the oppression and exploitation of previous rulers, Dai chieftains, Han landlords and profiteers, as well as the upper class of the nationality. According to its development level, it can be basically divided into the following two types:

（1） Feudal landlord economic area. Lahu people living in the northeast of Lancang County and Shuangjiang, Lincang, Jinggu, Zhenyuan, Yuanjiang, Mojiang and other counties account for about half of the total population, and their social and economic development is faster than that of other areas of Lahu people. Due to the influence of the Han nationality, the feudal landlord economy was formed from the 1880s to the 1920s. The agricultural tools used in agricultural production are basically the same as those of the Han nationality, but the production technology is relatively backward and the farming is extensive. Due to the shortage of cattle and farm tools, the yield of paddy field and dry land is relatively low. Handicrafts include iron making, textile and bamboo making. They are generally self-sufficient sidelines and are rarely sold in the market. In agriculture, the land tenure system is relatively concentrated. In addition to Han landlords, there are also minority landlords. The land rent is generally 50%. Landlords and unscrupulous businessmen of the Han nationality often take advantage of the period of shortage of youth to lend usury to Lahu farmers, with high interest rates and cruel exploitation. Borrow 6 kg of salt or tea before autumn, return 130 kg of millet after autumn, borrow 30 bowls of wine before autumn, and return 130 kg of millet after autumn. The ballad "millet is ripe, Lahu cries" spread in the past is a portrayal of the painful life of the Lahu people.

（2） Under the economic control of the feudal chieftain of Dai nationality, there are still the remnants of the original commune system. Lahu people living in the southwest of Lancang, Menglian, Gengma, Ximeng, Cangyuan, Xishuangbanna and other places also account for half of the total population. Under the rule of Dai feudal chieftain lords and the greedy extortion of Han landlords and profiteers, their life is poorer and their production is more backward. In addition to agriculture, seasonal hunting, beekeeping and gathering also play an important auxiliary role in the economy. Apart from the exploited grain, farmers only have enough to eat for four or five months. Therefore, they rely on collecting wild plants for many years, such as sweet potato, mountain gourd, ground loquat, chicken tree fruit, horsetail root, bitter lotus seed, etc. Iron farm tools from the Han and Dai areas are brutally exploited by unscrupulous businessmen. A plowshare generally needs 130 kg of dry grain to buy. Lahu farmers who lack food and clothing are simply unable to buy, and iron farm tools are very scarce. For example, there are 24 households and 181 people in Xinfu village in Xishuangbanna, with only 21 hoes and 4 machetes. Therefore, there are legends of "one plow for half a year" and "one hoe for three generations". Due to the lack of iron farm tools, Lahu farmers had to cut grass with bamboo knives, break the soil with wooden hoes, plant with wooden shovels, and plough with bamboo shovels.

Backward production tools can only be slash and burn. Usually, after the trees are cut down and burned, they simply hoe and plough (sometimes even without hoeing or ploughing), and then plant dry grain, corn or buckwheat. They rarely plough in the middle, never fertilize, and let it grow naturally. Two or three years later, when the land is exhausted, do not abandon the wasteland. Cut down trees and burn mountains or plant on the land that has been abandoned for seven or eight years. Therefore, the ownership of drylands in these areas is not fixed. Whoever grows them will harvest them, and they will lose them as they grow. They are called "Artemisia flowering with people". However, for paddy fields and long-term processed drylands, possession has been established.

The rule and exploitation of Lahu farmers by Dai feudal chieftain lords, one is to turn them into subordinate farmers through gongna system (such as some areas of Menglian and Lancang County); The other is to reduce them to serfs and provide professional serfdom labor for chieftains in villages, such as pounding rice, removing feces and transmitting communication (such as Gengma and other areas). In the latter areas, the Lahu people still retain the primitive cooperation in production and the primitive social system of land public ownership, including the remnants of matriarchal family communes.

Farming mode

In the history of Lahu nationality, "freedom is more important than migration", the production status has been in the original mode of slash and burn cultivation for a long time. This mode of production has formed the Lahu People's dependence and superstition on forests, land and seeds, and has a deep-rooted impact on people's thinking and farming methods. Mainly in the following aspects.

"No. land". Before farming, each family can find a suitable place within the boundary of the village, pick a hoe on the spot, or tie a grass knot, or peel off the skin of a tree on the ground as a mark, and then draw the boundary. Even if they have "numbered" the land and are ready to produce within the scope of the land, anyone else will not compete when they see the mark. If anyone deliberately crosses the boundary to plant land If you cut down trees or hunt, you must be punished. This is a matter of convention. The land owner cultivates by slash and burn within the boundary of the land, and when the fertility of the land is exhausted, he abandons the wasteland. This wasteland has been abandoned for several years. When the original owner turns back, he may use it again or call it a new land. If other people like the abandoned land first, they can choose it. The original owner won't care.

Lazy fire and ploughing. Cut down a piece of land every autumn and winter, set fire to burn all the branches and weeds on the ground after the spring of the next year, use plant ash as base fertilizer and plant in holes. A little digging and hoeing is waiting for harvest. In some places, people simply move to the ground during the harvest season and eat while harvesting. After harvesting, they eat up. This farming method is called "planting lazy crops". Ploughing is more meticulous than the former. On the good land, remove weeds and plough the land in summer. Cut down some trees in autumn, burn plants and trees in the next spring, collect and hoe several times after the seedlings are exposed to the soil, open the sickle for harvest in autumn, return to the warehouse or collect them in the soil cave after threshing.

Paddy farming. There are generally two types of paddy field farming: one is to open up some fields on Shanqing slope without water conservancy and irrigation facilities. It depends on the rain to soak the land. It can be cultivated only after the rain is clear. This is called "thunder sounding field"; The other is to open up paddy fields in places with good terrain. During the production season, the Lahu people pay special attention to taking care of each other. Whoever harvests, the whole village goes out, and the host entertains according to his ability. A meal is enough; For old, weak and sick households, there is no need to shout or entertain. Everyone goes consciously without compensation; In other villages, help this one today and go to that one tomorrow in order. The helper is not remunerated. The beneficiary symbolically gives some money to be kept by the partner as the cost of public sacrificial activities. Every member of the village cannot go out to make a living before the production of the village is over, and young people cannot play Lusheng or talk about love in their busy schedule.

faith

In the history of Lahu nationality, "freedom is more important than migration", the production status has been in the original mode of slash and burn cultivation for a long time. This mode of production has formed the Lahu People's dependence and superstition on forests, land and seeds, and has a deep-rooted impact on people's thinking and farming methods. Mainly in the following aspects.

"No. land". Before farming, each family can find a suitable place within the boundary of the village, pick a hoe on the spot, or tie a grass knot, or peel off the skin of a tree on the ground as a mark, and then draw the boundary. Even if they have "numbered" the land and are ready to produce within the scope of the land, anyone else will not compete when they see the mark. If anyone deliberately crosses the boundary to plant land If you cut down trees or hunt, you must be punished. This is a matter of convention. The land owner cultivates by slash and burn within the boundary of the land, and when the fertility of the land is exhausted, he abandons the wasteland. This wasteland has been abandoned for several years. When the original owner turns back, he may use it again or call it a new land. If other people like the abandoned land first, they can choose it. The original owner won't care.

Lazy fire and ploughing. Cut down a piece of land every autumn and winter, set fire to burn all the branches and weeds on the ground after the spring of the next year, use plant ash as base fertilizer and plant in holes. A little digging and hoeing is waiting for harvest. In some places, people simply move to the ground during the harvest season and eat while harvesting. After harvesting, they eat up. This farming method is called "planting lazy crops". Ploughing is more meticulous than the former. On the good land, remove weeds and plough the land in summer. Cut down some trees in autumn, burn plants and trees in the next spring, collect and hoe several times after the seedlings are exposed to the soil, open the sickle for harvest in autumn, return to the warehouse or collect them in the soil cave after threshing.

Paddy farming. There are generally two types of paddy field farming: one is to open up some fields on Shanqing slope without water conservancy and irrigation facilities. It depends on the rain to soak the land. It can be cultivated only after the rain is clear. This is called "thunder sounding field"; The other is to open up paddy fields in places with good terrain. During the production season, the Lahu people pay special attention to taking care of each other. Whoever harvests, the whole village goes out, and the host entertains according to his ability. A meal is enough; For old, weak and sick households, there is no need to shout or entertain. Everyone goes consciously without compensation; In other villages, help this one today and go to that one tomorrow in order. The helper is not remunerated. The beneficiary symbolically gives some money to be kept by the partner as the cost of public sacrificial activities. Every member of the village cannot go out to make a living before the production of the village is over, and young people cannot play Lusheng or talk about love in their busy schedule.

Clothes & Accessories

The clothes of Lahu nationality are beautiful, loose, generous and full of national characteristics. Black clothing is a prominent feature of Lahu costumes. Most of the costumes are made of black cloth, decorated with various lace patterns with colored lines and colored cloth, and then embedded with white silver bubbles, so that the whole color is deep and in sharp contrast, giving people infinite beauty. Lahu men wear collarless right cardigan tops, trousers with wide trouser legs and black headscarves. Young men should also wear a black faced and white lined coat. Some wear hats and some wear black cloth. The hat is made of 6-8 triangular pieces of blue and black cloth, the lower edge is inlaid with blue cloth or black edge, and the top of the hat is decorated with a colored thread spike. There are mainly two kinds of women's clothing. One is the right placket black long shirt, with the fork opening at the waist level on both sides, and the clothes feet straight up to the foot. The fork opening, hem and cuffs of the long shirt are inlaid with geometric pattern lace in red, white and yellow, with dozens of silver bubbles inlaid along the collar and placket, and wear black trousers with oblique crotch. The other is a short shirt with a very small cardigan, which is almost like a pair of skirts. The hem is inlaid with calico stripes, no collar, small cuffs, the length of the shirt is at the waist, and a tube skirt is under it. The upper body is lined with a white T-shirt, and the short shirt is exposed on the tube skirt. The head is wrapped in black cloth or colored headscarves with wired ears. Women wearing trousers usually wear embroidered leg guards on their lower legs in winter. Women are used to wearing silver earrings and bracelets. In places that have more contact with the Han and Dai nationalities, Lahu men and women also like to wear Han style and Dai style clothes.

The women of Lahu West Branch also wear silver ornaments such as earrings and bracelets, but there are several types of clothes. One is similar to the Lahu Na branch, such as the Lahu West in nuofubakanai, Nanduan, Ali and other places in Lancang County. Their costumes are generally similar to those of the Lahu nationality living in the Dai area near the dam area. Women wear black or white headscarves, narrow sleeved blouses and wide long skirts. The upper edge of the blouses is decorated with color patterns. Skirts are mostly in red, black, white and blue. The difference is that Lahu West Women's tube skirts are wider than Lahu Na women's. The other is the clothes of lahuxi women living together with the Yi and Han nationalities. There are more Yi or Han styles. The clothes of Lahu people living in Jinping Miao, Yao and Dai Autonomous County and Xinping area are mostly the same as those of local Hani and Yi women.

Lahu men and women often shave their heads, leaving only a lock of hair on their heads, which is called "soul hair". After 1950, most girls braided long braids and didn't shave their heads until they got married, indicating that they were married. During festivals, going to the streets or dancing, both men and women carry a rectangular backpack (face rubbing). Since the 1980s, Lahu young men and women have loved not only their traditional clothes, but also all kinds of popular clothes.

diet

Lahu people used to have the habit of two meals of solar eclipse. Their staple food was locally produced rice and bracts. It likes to make porridge with chicken or other ingredients plus rice or corn. There are various porridge such as melons and vegetables, fungi, blood and meat, among which chicken porridge is the top grade. Lahu people like to cook vegetables, meat, seasonings and water in a section of fresh thin bamboo tube, which not only has the fragrance of bamboo, but also maintains the fragrance of original meat and vegetables. Lahu people used to and now have the habit of eating barbecue. Barbecue has a unique flavor. Most of them use two bamboo sticks to clamp the meat coated with salt and spices in the middle, and then put it by the fire pond to bake yellow, fragrant and crispy. Or wrap the meat with banana leaves, bury it in the fire, cook it and eat it. The roast meat is crispy and delicious. It is very appetizing to eat with Spicy seasoning. The water and sundries of the hunts are burned on the spot and cooked in a bamboo tube. When opening the belly, middle-aged people like to drink steaming "heart protecting blood" in their hands. It is said that the heart protecting blood of prey has the wonderful function of replenishing blood and eliminating strain.

Food is divided into raw food and cooked food. Cooked food is mainly roasted and boiled. Before 1949, only individuals had pots and steamers. Corn and dry grain were pounded with wooden pestles and mortars and cooked in bamboo tubes. The method is to add an appropriate amount of water to rice or corn flour, put it into the bamboo tube, plug the tube mouth with leaves, and then burn it on the fire. When it is cooked, break the bamboo tube and eat it. Now they just cook in bamboo tubes in the mountains. At home, they generally use iron pots, aluminum pots and wooden steamers to cook. There is also a special way to eat corn, that is, pound the corn to remove the skin, soak it for half a day, take it out and dry it, mash it into flour, and then steam it into cake. In the past, Lahu people seldom grew vegetables by themselves. They picked wild vegetables in the mountains all year round. Lahu people can also pickle vegetables, bacon and ground tofu. Typical foods include: dried squirrel, dried grits, vanilla roast beef, etc. They can't eat without spicy food. Every meal is essential. As the saying goes, "Lahu People's spicy food is Han people's oil." Lahu food utensils were made of bamboo in the past. Some were carved into bowls and spoons (called mula) with wood, which are very exquisite and beautiful. Now most Lahu people have used porcelain bowls and no longer carve wooden bowls by themselves.

Lahu people usually don't eat dog meat. It is said that the grain seeds of the Lahu nationality are adhered to the dog's tail and brought to the world by the dog. In addition, the dog has a close relationship with people in real life, and is a good helper for hunters and can watch the house for their owners. Therefore, the Lahu people believe that eating dog meat, killing dogs and beating dogs are immoral behaviors. In some places, eating dog meat is cursed and ridiculed by the masses, and people are not allowed to enter the stronghold. In addition, the Lahu people in the southern part of Lancang County don't eat beef. They think that eating beef is equal to eating the strength of cattle, and people can't plough the fields.

Lahu people usually like to drink roast tea. The way to drink tea is to roast tea in a small pottery pot, and then inject hot boiling water. The tea boils and rolls in the pot, making bursts of sobs. This is called eating roasted tea. If a guest comes, he must bake tea. The first pot of tea is for himself, and the second pot is for the guest to drink. The owner drank the first boiled tea, which means that the tea is non-toxic. Please rest assured. The second course of boiled tea has a strong flavor and the best taste, so the second course of tea is used to entertain guests. Among the drinks, the Lahu people like wine best. Every family makes wine from corn and wild fruit every year. Men, women, old and young are used to drinking. In case of festivals or visits by relatives and friends, even if there are no dishes, they should entertain guests to drink, drink freely and rest after getting drunk. Drink and sing. Lahu men, women and children used to smoke. The smoke they smoked was their own grass smoke and a very strong "blue smoke".

Architecture

Lahu people live in mountainous areas. They also call themselves mountain people (in Lahu language, it is "kekecuo"). Lahu's stockade is usually built on the top of the mountain and halfway up the mountain. The bamboo fence of the stockade is repaired once a year by all the men, women and children of the stockade. At ordinary times, whoever sees it broken will consciously repair it free of charge. There are three gates in the stockade, namely the front gate, the left gate and the right gate. The back mountain of the stockade is the mountain god land, and the woods in the mountain god land are the restricted area. No one can cut down. If anyone cuts down, he will be fined or fined for road construction.

There are many ways to name Lahu strongholds. The first is named after the people who built them, such as Sanbao stronghold, zapaduo stronghold, natuma stronghold, naluma stronghold, etc. The second is named after the leader of the stronghold, such as Zaduo stronghold, who is the leader of the stronghold. The third is named after the terrain and mountain shape. For example, habma stronghold means white stone stronghold; Hanima stronghold means red stone stronghold. Some villages use the same name. For example, Laba village is distinguished by large, small, upper and lower.

There are two kinds of houses for Lahu people: one is a bamboo building on a pile, and the other is a floor thatched cottage. The floor type thatched cottage was built on the basis of the ancient customs; The bamboo house on the pile was developed on the basis of floor thatched houses under the influence of other nationalities. The bamboo building on the pile, also known as the palm building, is a kind of double inclined bamboo building built with wooden pile forks. It can be divided into large and small. The large bamboo building is inhabited by the matrilineal family, and the small bamboo building is inhabited by the individual small family, but its structure is the same. It is mainly composed of "rige" (the bedroom in the house), "zadige" (the pounding place) and "palm" (the sun terrace), which are divided into upper and lower floors, People live above the building. Downstairs is a place for livestock and firewood.

The method of floor type thatching is relatively simple. Men will build houses. Usually, after selecting the foundation, plant 20 wooden stake forks, put three beams on the wooden stake forks, and then put several rafters in the form of crossing, press the battens made of bamboo, spread thatch, and surround them with bamboo strips or Miba woven with reeds as a wall. The house is generally three rooms. The entrance is mostly set in the middle grid. The entrance is the God table. The left grid is set with two beds. There is a fire pond between the two beds, and the right grid is stacked with food and other things. Nuofubaka is a large family in Lahu West. It lives in a palm building. The number of cells in the house is divided according to the number of small family members in the family. A fire pond is set in the room. Generally, there are one fire pond for a small family, and there are two fire ponds, but each is divided into a pottery pot to cook.

etiquette

The old people in Lahu families are most respected. There is a saying: "give enjoyment to those older than yourself, because the sun and moon are seen by the oldest people first, and the oldest people know the most truth in the stockade." every detail of life reflects the virtue of Lahu people respecting the old people. When an old man comes at home, the young man consciously gives up his seat and asks the old man to sit in the fire pond in the direction of the sun, then offer cigarettes, then bake tea, eat the first bowl of tea and give the second bowl to the old man, which means that the old man can rest assured. When offering cigarettes and tea to the elderly, they should raise their hands over their heads, and the receiver should also take them with both hands. Taking them with one hand is considered impolite. When a person receives a toast, the tobacco and wine he receives for the first time should be transferred to someone older than himself. Otherwise, this person will not be respected in the future. When the old man is sitting, young people should not walk in front of the old man, but behind him. When serving dinner, give it to the old man first. When the old man orders things, he can't answer until he has finished.

Lahu people attach great importance to fertility and have no concept of prioritizing men over women or women over men. Women can't go out alone and do heavy work during pregnancy, and their relatives are around at any time. After giving birth to a child, the family took good care of it and opened a stove for the pregnant woman alone. During the baby's birth before the full moon, relatives and friends bring rice, chicken and eggs to visit the pregnant woman, and the midwife will report the baby's gender to people. In some places, there is the custom of giving birth to a boy and killing a hen, while giving birth to a girl and killing a cock who has not yet crowed. It is believed that when the first child gives birth to a boy, if a hen is sacrificed, the second child gives birth to a girl. It is also believed that this will make it easier for the baby to find a partner when he grows up. After the birth of Lahu babies in Xinping, outsiders are forbidden to enter the house. If an adult man enters by mistake, he must recognize the baby as a dry child or a dry woman, and he must give a gift and name it. Lahu babies in Lancang, Ximeng and other places are named by their grandparents on the third day of birth. During the confinement period, the husband should guard beside her, and the fire in the pond cannot be extinguished at night in a Zodiac week (12 days). After 12 days of confinement, according to the maternal physical condition, you can move indoors, but you can't work in the field or go out in the wind. During the period of parturient confinement, there are also special pots, bowls, spoons, cups, pots and other living utensils for parturient women, which are separated from the public during meals to maintain a hygienic and quiet environment.

language

Lahu language belongs to the Yi language branch of the Tibetan Burmese language family of the Sino Tibetan language family. It is an independent language juxtaposed with Yi language, Lisu language, Naxi language and Hani Language. It is divided into two dialects, Lahu Xi and Lahu Na.

The words related to animals in Lahu language are the same or basically the same as Lisu language and Yi language, indicating that the Lahu, Lisu and Yi people have a long and close relationship in history. Because of the more contact with the Han and Dai people, most of the ordinary people can speak both Chinese and Dai.

Lahu people had no words in history. They used to carve wood to record events and tie ropes to count numbers. Lahu people in some areas have used Latin letters created by Western missionaries. After the founding of new China, with the help of the government, the Lahu Nationality reformed the original Latin alphabet.

literature

Before the founding of new China, the Lahu people did not have written literature, nor did they have music, dance, painting, arts and crafts and other works that ascended the palace of art. All literary and artistic achievements created by the people from generation to generation were buried in mountain villages and little known to the outside world. After the founding of new China, the party and government organized a large number of Folk Writers and artists, ethnic workers and Lahu cadres to go deep into the folk to investigate and collect folk artists. The door to the treasure house of Lahu folk culture was finally opened. Oral literary works that embody the wisdom of the working people have been collected successively, translated, sorted and published. With their unique beauty, they gradually go out of Shanzhai, Yunnan, the whole country and the world.

The folk literature of Lahu literature, also known as word-of-mouth literature, can be divided into two categories: verse and prose.

Rhymes are mainly folk poems, including creation type traditional poems, such as mupamipa and creation song, which reflect the Lahu ancestors' understanding of nature; Migratory traditional poems, such as "Gengu" and "gugen", mainly reflect the process of Lahu ancestors' arduous journey from the far north to the Lancang River; Sacrificial traditional poems, such as Si Jinas, hakong and prayer for opening the mountain, are closely related to the primitive religious beliefs of the Lahu nationality. In addition, there are some poems that express the contents of New Year customs, agricultural production, marriage and love etiquette and funeral etiquette, which are very rich in content.

Prose folk literature works mainly include myths, legends, folktales, fables, etc., such as myths and legends "creating heaven and earth", "monkey woman", "Elsa creating heaven and earth", "Legend of man and snow", folk stories "two sons in law", "smart old man", "regret bird", "yazhuxi and Zuo Yami", "ZANU and Banjiu girl", etc. These works mainly record the course of material civilization and spiritual civilization of the Lahu people, as well as various ideologies formed by their ancestors in the process of transforming nature and themselves.

In the past, the folk literature of Hu nationality was basically spread orally without written records. After the founding of new China, under the guidance of the party and the state's literary and artistic policies, the majority of ethnic cultural workers have successively compiled and published the Lahu folk literature integration, Lahu folk poetry integration, Lahu folk stories, Lahu Kucong people's literature integration, Lahu folk dance and Lahu proverbs and Proverbs (Lahu and Chinese translation) , a brief history of Lahu Literature (folk literature part) and other millions of words of folk literature materials and research monographs have accumulated precious materials for the study of Lahu cultural history.

Programs such as "turtledove picking up millet" and "tiger hunting" compiled by the ethnic song and dance troupe of Lancang Lahu Autonomous County won awards from the Ministry of culture and the State Ethnic Affairs Commission in the national literary and artistic performance. In 2005, Lancang Lahu culture county organized and participated in CCTV's "Lahu love song - Lusheng love song", "annual champion finals of Xingguang Avenue", "half the sky -" ten years for women's eyes "and Yunnan TV's" very different - "exploring ancient tea garden", and organized the activity of "CCTV's" Xingguang Avenue "Lahu mountain rural trip".

Sports

The traditional folk sports of Lahu Nationality mainly include wrestling, kicking, shooting crossbows, firing muskets, playing gyroscopes, swinging, benchmarking, pole climbing, martial arts, boxing, waist pulling force, tug of war, pulling pigs, double three legged running, imitation ox wrestling, carrying hands, losing bags, throwing stones, threading needles, throwing labels, jumping Lusheng, etc. there are also some sports games, such as Eagle catching chickens, tiger holding eggs Horse riding, passing things, driving stakes, etc.

music

The music of Lahu nationality has melodious melody and rich tones.

The Lahu people in Jinggu County like to listen to suona. There are more than 30 kinds of Suona, such as roller coaster tune, geniang tune, picking flowers tune and going out tune. The Lahu tunes in Zhenyuan County are divided into three stringed tunes, Lusheng tunes, suona tunes, soloists and duets according to their forms and musical instruments.

There are also many kinds of musical instruments of the Lahu nationality, most of which are made of bamboo. They can be divided into three categories: wind instruments, plucked instruments and percussion instruments.

The common playing instruments are hulusheng, liegadu, closed leisure and so on. Hulusheng is the main traditional playing instrument of Lahu nationality. The music level varies with the size and specification. Harmonica, little three strings and oxleg harp are common plucked instruments in Lahu area. Percussion instruments mainly include wooden drum, Polo Valley, kualima or cut, Pai, etc.

dance

The dance movements of Lahu nationality are often closely combined with production, including Lusheng dance, swing dance, song dance and so on.

Lusheng dance is a large-scale group dance that Lahu people dance when celebrating festivals. According to statistics, there are 136 folk combination routines, mainly distributed in Lahu inhabited areas in Lancang, Ximeng, Menglian, Menghai, Shuangjiang, Lincang, Cangyuan and other counties.

There are 81 routines of swing dance, which is mainly a dance of Lahu Nationality in Lancang and Menglian counties. From the content of dance, there are not only those that reflect production and life, but also those that simulate animal movements, and many others reflect sacrificial rites, such as prayer dance, sweeping out the door, new year's greetings, praying for blessings, etc.

go hunting

Lahu men always carry a waist knife when they go out. It is a tool for defense and hunting. Before the mountain was closed for hunting, some men went out with hunting guns and bags. In their spare time, they went hunting in the mountain.

At ordinary times, after the end of production, men will also take the opportunity to "walk" around the mountains and try to get some small prey home. In the past, some Lahu mountain strongholds in Lancang County organized nationwide hunting activities every year on June 24 of the lunar calendar and four or five days after the Lahu year. Some went out to qingzhai and others volunteered to invite them to go together. Ritual and prediction activities are still habitually held before hunting. When the prey returns, the hunters fire their guns and call the whole village to gather together to share the prey. Usually, the head of the prey is distributed to the shooter, who is responsible for making porridge for the stronghold people to taste. The people present are used to breaking a stick with meat and putting it on the ground. The person in charge of dividing the meat picked up the stick from the ground, tied a straw rope and tied a stone. Taking this as a scale, he "weighed" the meat one by one and put it on the stick arranged by everyone. Everyone has a share and gets it back.

In the past, the Lahu people of the Kucong branch of the Miao, Yao and Dai counties in Jinping carried out "target shooting", prediction and sacrifice activities before hunting. When hunting, they had to sound the horn and the order of the head of the hunting team. When the hunting team triumphed, the whole village had to sing to welcome it.

festival

There are five main traditional festivals of Lahu nationality, namely Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Torch Festival and Mid Autumn Festival. According to the Lahu calendar, there are 12 days in a round, 30 days in January and December in a year. In some places, Lahu people will have two festivals and two years when they encounter leap month years. Others only have the festival of the previous month, not the festival of the next month.

During the Spring Festival, the Lahu language is called "quanihani". The Lahu People's new year is divided into big year and small year. The Lahu people say that big year is the year of women and small year is the year of men. The Lunar New Year lasts from the first day to the fourth day of the first month, and the Lunar New Year lasts from the seventh day to the ninth day. On the 30th of the twelfth lunar month, people took a bath and changed their clothes. In the evening, each family had a reunion dinner by the fire pond. After dinner, they set off guns and guns to celebrate the festival. In the early morning of the first day of the lunar new year, the chicken crowed for the first time, and all households rushed to the well to grab the "new water". It is said that whoever gets new water first will ripen his millet first, and he will be blessed. After breakfast, people gathered on the dance floor to sing and dance Lusheng dance until late at night. From the second day of junior high school, people pay New Year's greetings to each other. From the ninth day to the eleventh day of the lunar new year, they drink, sing and dance Lusheng. The twelfth year is the full year. On that night, the whole village will dance Lusheng dance, which means that the moon in the sky is round and the new year is over. From the next day, it will re-enter the intense labor production.

Qingming Festival, called "lingdanggu" in Lahu language, is celebrated in February of the lunar calendar. It is a Tomb Sweeping Festival. On that day, all families, old and young, went to the cemetery to remove weeds from the grave, heighten the grave, bring chicken, rice, wine, tobacco, tea and things the deceased liked during his lifetime, offer sacrifices to the dead and mourn the dead. Finally, the whole family had a picnic next to the grave.

The Dragon Boat Festival is a festival for the Lahu people to plant trees and flowers. It is said that this day is the day when the seeds sown in the field break away from the husk. This day can't cut down any plants, but the best day to plant trees, plantains and bamboos. It is said that the stick (wooden pestle) will take root and sprout when it is inserted into the ground.

Torch Festival, called "ah Gen Du" in Lahu language, is held on June 24 of the lunar calendar every year. When it is dark this day, every family should insert a pair of torches in front of and behind the house or in the garden. The torches are made of Songming. Some of them also insert a pair of torches in the square in the middle of the stockade. After the torch was lit, the whole family gathered for a meal, and some invited close relatives and friends to visit each other. After dinner, young men and women gathered in the square to dance Lusheng dance until dawn. The custom of "Torch Festival" varies from place to place. Some places only spend one night, while others spend three days.

The new rice Festival, also known as "tasting the new festival", is called "Zha Si oza" in Lahu language. There is no unified day for the new rice festival of the Lahu nationality. It is about July and August of the lunar calendar every year. Whoever's new Valley is ripe first will celebrate the new rice Festival first. Make new rice with Xingu and invite relatives and friends to dinner to celebrate the festival. Before the meal, first fill a bowl of new rice and offer it to Esha (creator God) and the ancestors, and then give the dog a separate share. After the old man at home brings the bowl, the other younger generation can follow.

The Mid Autumn Festival, also known as "Moon Festival", is called "Haba Festival" in Lahu language. On the evening of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, you should choose the best fruits and grains to present to the moon, because the moon clearly defines the farming season for people. When the moon rises, each family puts the selected pumpkins, cucumbers, grains, ears of grain and fruits on the Xiaomei table and takes them to the place behind the stockade to offer the moon to the mountain god. Among them, pears are indispensable, symbolizing the happy days of young men and women. In the moonlight, the whole village adults and children danced Lusheng around the bamboo table to celebrate the harvest.

Hulu Festival, which is called "a Peng a long Ni" in Lahu language, is a new type of festival. On August 7, 1992, at the 10th meeting of the ninth session of the Standing Committee of Lancang County People's Congress, the report submitted by the Lancang County People's Government on October 15 to 17 of the lunar calendar for the Lahu "a Peng a long Ni" (i.e. Hulu Festival) was considered and adopted. On February 17, 2006, the 24th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress of Lancang Lahu Autonomous County decided to adjust the time of Lahu "a Peng aroni" (gourd Festival) from October 15, 16 and 17 of the lunar calendar to April 8, 9 and 10 of the Gregorian calendar. April 7 every year is the county celebration of Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, which combines the "gourd Festival" with the county celebration.

Other traditional festivals include the ancestor worship Festival on February 8 and July of the lunar calendar. In addition, the traditional regional festivals of Lahu Nationality include Kala Festival (Xinping), mother-in-law Festival (Zhenyuan), Bathing Festival (Mengla), etc. Christians celebrate Christmas.

marriage

Lahu nationality has experienced blood group marriage, intra clan dual marriage, house transfer marriage and monogamy, and has implemented intra clan dual marriage for a long time. Therefore, within the blood group, paternal and matrilineal systems are mixed, resulting in the long-term coexistence of two lineal extended family system. Since modern times, the Lahu nationality has mainly implemented the patriarchal extended family system of monogamy.

Nowadays, the marriage of Lahu young people generally goes through several processes, such as string marriage, engagement, marriage and so on.

String marriage is actually the process of young men and women falling in love, but it has obvious seasonality. According to the traditional custom, the string marriage can only be carried out from the annual "Torch Festival" to the busy spring farming in the next year. At ordinary times, young men and women are generally forbidden to talk about love together, otherwise they will not only be condemned by people, but also be regarded as an immoral behavior.

Engagement is on the basis of string marriage. Young men and women tell their families about their love affair. After both parents know that their children have identified the right person, they ask the media to propose. If the parents agree to each other's proposal, they drink the wine brought by the matchmaker. If they refuse to drink or even overturn the wine on the ground, they refuse or are dissatisfied with the marriage. After the successful proposal, the engagement ceremony can be held. The ceremony can be held either in the man's house or in the woman's house. At that time, the matchmaker will bring rice wine, chicken, meat, salt and tea to the woman's house, prepare meals and entertain the woman's parents and relatives, and then both sides will discuss the bride price and wedding date while eating. After engagement, young men and women must work at each other's parents' house for a period of time. If they find that the other party can't work or has bad character, they can terminate the marriage contract accordingly.

The wedding ceremony is usually held from the twelfth lunar month to the Spring Festival. Those living from the wife's side shall be married by the woman's house, and the wedding shall be held at the woman's house. The man who lives in his husband's house shall marry him. When the man marries, the groom takes the bride price to the woman's house. After arriving at the woman's house, he must first present a tube of water to his father-in-law to show his respect. A grand wedding banquet will be held in the afternoon. At the wedding banquet, the bride and groom must sit on a stool. The groom should take the initiative to bring dishes to the bride, and the bride will return the dishes to the groom to show mutual respect and love. After dinner, the woman's parents held a thread tying ceremony for the newlyweds. After the thread tying ceremony, the woman's relatives and friends accompanied the couple back to the groom's house. In the bridegroom's house, there must be basically the same ceremony as the bride's house before the wedding is over. Lahu people have the tradition of freedom of marriage and the concept of divorce as a disgrace. Those who prefer the new to the old and ask for divorce will be criticized by people. If one party proposes divorce, it must pay a certain amount to the other party.

Men who filed for divorce paid more than women. After divorce, both parties can remarry.

The Lahu nationality also implements the house transfer system, that is, after the husband dies, the wife can transfer the house, but can only transfer the house to the husband's brother, not to the husband's brother. Widows are not discriminated against in remarriage.

funeral

The funeral customs of Lahu nationality are dominated by their own world outlook. Lahu people believe that the world is divided into the present world and the other world, and believe that the living environment and social environment of the two worlds are the same, and human society continues and develops in the process of mutual transformation. Therefore, people are not only reborn, but also pay attention to funeral. According to the cause of death, funerals are divided into normal funerals and abnormal funerals, and they are divided into adult funerals and non adult funerals according to the age of the deceased. According to Volume 19 of the annals of Chuxiong Prefecture by Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, the Lahu people living in Chuxiong Prefecture at that time "did not bury the dead, mortuary the dead, and choose another residence". There were no records of mourning, condolence and funeral. The modern Lahu nationality has formed its own funeral custom.

After the Lahu people died, they first fired gunpowder guns at the door of their home to report the funeral. After the funeral, the family tied one end of a white line to the neck of a pig weighing 20 or 30 kilograms, and the other end to the palm of the deceased's hand, and then drowned the pig with a basin of water. The meat of drowned pigs can't be eaten by family, only relatives can eat it. When the deceased was parked at home, his feet were facing above the main hall and his head was facing the main hall door. Before the funeral, the "Mo Ba" (wizard) summoned the soul next to the dead. When summoning souls, use a bowl of rice, a little salt, light two candles, and pray by Mo ba. Then, the two women lit torches and led the dead to the burial ground with their martyrs. If the deceased is an adult, they will be buried on the same day or the next day when their children, relatives and friends arrive.

If the deceased is an elderly person, condolence activities shall be held for him and the body shall be mortified for two or three days to show respect for the elderly. The choice of the cemetery is to use the egg divination method, that is, when the coffin is carried to the cemetery, the son-in-law throws the eggs in the rice bowl from his chest to his back. The place where the eggs fall is the place where they are buried. Take the stone mound as the mark, and do not erect steles and engrave words.

There are two types of burial: cremation and burial. Most Lahu areas have public cemeteries and crematoria, and some places have family cemeteries and crematoria. All Lahu crematories in Lancang area use wet firewood, which is prepared by funeral relatives. If the deceased is male, the spare firewood is piled into eight layers; If the deceased is female, they are stacked in nine layers. After the body was incinerated, the articles used by the dead were burned. The day after the body was burned, the bones were picked up and placed in the coffin and buried near the crematorium. Some only gathered the ashes into a pile and then buried. The old dead are carried to the mountain for cremation, while the younger ones are carried down the mountain for cremation (in some villages, cremation is not allowed for the death of people over the age of 36). After cremation for several days, the ashes were collected and buried on a selected date.

Lahu people everywhere have the custom of holding soul separation and mountain restoration ceremonies, which mostly comfort the dead, make them feel at ease to live in the other side of the world, and make people in the real world auspicious, healthy and prosperous.

Most Lahu people offer sacrifices to their ancestors at home during festival celebrations, and there is no custom of going to the grave and sweeping the grave.

Lahu people regard those who commit suicide, drown or die in an accident outside the village as abnormal deaths and bury them on the spot. They only use the quilt and other corpses used by the dead, do not use coffins, and even cut thorns to pad the bottom of the pit, so as to avoid similar phenomena in the world.

Zhafa (unknown year of birth and death), a native of mengsuo, Menglian County, Yunnan Province, is the leader of the Lahu clan and the general of the anti Qing uprising. In 1891, he united with Han Bingzhao, the Dai chieftain, to launch an armed uprising against the Qing Dynasty. He led the Lahu people and the Dai people to repel the Qing army many times, effectively attacked the decadent rule of the Qing Dynasty, and finally failed because of being outnumbered.

Li Tongming

(1861-1901), formerly known as Zao, was born in mengmao, Myanmar. In 1874, he moved to mengkan, Ximeng to worship the Buddha in the temple. The three Buddhas left their horses in the temple and became a monk. He assiduously studied scriptures and was later recruited as a son-in-law by the three Buddhas. After the three Buddhas died, he succeeded to the throne to manage administrative and religious affairs. In 1890, British colonists entered the AWA mountains from Myanmar and bought Li Tongming with a large amount of money, which was severely rejected. Later, the Qing government named him "mengsuo tumu of Ximeng" and explicitly asked him to manage the area of Ximeng.

Li zayue (1943 -), from Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, is an expert and dancer in Lahu culture research. Li zayo loved folk art since childhood. He studied folk songs and dances by learning from Lahu folk artists. After the founding of the people's Republic of China, he compiled nearly 100 kinds of dances, such as happy cottage, happy girl, monkey dance and so on. In addition, he also collected and sorted out a large number of Lahu folk literature, such as narrative poem mupamipa, migration poem Gengu, and a large number of folk stories. He made outstanding contributions to the inheritance and development of Lahu folk literature and folk dance.