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The Lisu nationality, living in Yunnan Province
It belongs to the South Asian type of the Mongolian race, the national language belongs to the Yi branch of the Tibetan-Burman language group of the Sino-Tibetan family, the language is divided into neo-old Lisu language, and generally believes in primitive religion.
Lisu originates from the ancient Diqiang ethnic group and has a relationship with the Yi people. It is mainly distributed in the Nujiang and Enmeikai River (tributaries of the Irrawaddy River) watershed area, that is, the border area between Yunnan, Tibet and Kachin in China, and the rest are scattered in other parts of Yunnan, Northeast India, Thailand and Myanmar.
According to the
China Statistical Yearbook -2021
According to statistics, the population of Lisu in China is 762,996 people.
[4]
- Chinese name
- The Lisu nationality, living in Yunnan Province
- Residential area
- China Myanmar Thailand India
- species
- Lisu language
- Wenzi
- Lisu writing
- Population number
- 762,900 (China)
- Have faith in
- Original religion Buddhism Christianity
- Feast day
- The bathhouse will celebrate the new season
The name was first used in writings during the Tang Dynasty. At that time, Fan Chuo called it "chestnut" in "Manshu", which was considered to be an integral part of "Wu Man" at that time. It is closely related to the origin of the Yi and Naxi nationalities. To the Ming Dynasty still regard Lisu as a branch of "Luo Luo" (Yi), Ming "Jingtai Yunnan Map book" said: "chestnut, also other Luo Luo also."
Lisu, the name of Lisu, has been in use for more than 1,000 years, except for a slightly different word in the relevant historical records
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The legend of Genesis spread from generation to generation by the Lisu people has a lot in common with the legends of Genesis of the Yi, Naxi and Hani people in Liangshan, indicating that each group of the Yi language branch has had a close kinship since ancient times. In ancient times, they belonged to the same origin, and after a long historical development, they gradually differentiated into different tribal groups, and later formed a single nation.
From the perspective of physical anthropology, Lisu and Naxi, Yi, Hani and Lahu ethnic groups share the characteristics of plateau nationality: long body, high nose, thin lips and low eyes, which are obviously different from the Wa, Blang, Zhuang and Dai of the South Asian language family. This difference just shows that all ethnic groups of Yi language branch have kinship and common characteristics.
From the 1st to the 3rd century AD, the vast area of Yue 雟, Qianwei, Taiteng, Qiongdu, and Dingwe are all Yi and Lisu ancestors - Su, 雟, Pu and other tribes living in the area. These are all tribes and groups of the Yi language branch. At this time, there was neither a unified clan name nor a unified organization, but a number of scattered large and small tribes.
During The Three Kingdoms period in the 3rd century, we already have the names of different tribal groups such as the Long Reign, 雟, Qiong, Kunming and Mosha in Dingwe county (now Yanbian in Sichuan Province) under the control of Shu. According to the annals of Huayang Country · Shu records: "We are two, reign Yi, Wenshan Yi, south said Kunming, Han Jia, Yue 雟 雟, Shu said qiong, all yi species also. The county is in the west of the county, crossing Lushui Bin Gang Zan Bai, Mosha Yi, there are salt pools." This indicates that the Yi language branch tribes and groups were gradually differentiated at that time.
In the 8th century, in order to compete with Tibet for the southwest of the Tang Dynasty, Wei Gao, then the governor of Xichuan in Jiannan, actively appealed to Nanzhao and won over the chiefs of the three tribes, Bedeng, Fengpa and Lianglin, which were located in the buffer zone between Tibet, Nanzhao and Xichuan. Due to the intensification of the political situation, the various tribes at the center of this conflict were involved in a complex vortex of struggle, and the name "chestnut" appeared in historical records for the first time.
Lisu stamps
In the middle of the 8th century, the big ghost master (big chief) of the three Wuman tribes of Bedeng, Fengpa and Lianglin, which were separated between the three major forces of Tang Dynasty, Nanzhao and Tubo, was granted by the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty "named the big ghost master of Bedeng, Song, and the commander of Qiongbu Regiment, and the Duke of Changchuan County". After the death of Tho Song, Zi Tho Pyo left the young, with Tho Mengchong as the chief ghost, to rule the whole tribe. At this time, the "Lishu" tribe was under the jurisdiction of the Bedeng Tribe, and had not yet formed a large and unified tribal organization.
During the Song Dynasty, there are few records about Lisu nationality in the literature. The reason is that after the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, it acquiesce that the west of Dadu River was under the jurisdiction of Dali State, and rarely asked about the political affairs in this area; With the decline of the Northern Song Dynasty, Liao, Xia, and Jin ruled the Yellow River basin, and the Southern Song Dynasty had no time to travel far to the southwest border. As a result, little has been written about this area for more than 400 years.
After the 14th century, records about the Lisu people appeared in literature and local Chronicles. According to the Ming Dynasty "Jingtai Yunnan Map Book" volume four: "Famous chestnut millet, also other kinds of Luo also, living in the mountains, no room, no industry, often with medicine arrows and bows, hunting animals, the woman is digging the roots of grass and trees to eclipse; A man who loses an official at the age of 18 has only skin and ears." This record shows that people believed that the Lisu belonged to "Luo Luo other species", that is, a branch of the Yi nationality; The Lisu have not yet entered agricultural society, mainly hunting and gathering life, but they must pay the hide to the government.
In the middle of the 16th century, most of the Lisu still lived a hunting and gathering life, living on both sides of the Jinsha River, under the rule of the Mu clan, the governor of Lijiang. According to the "Nanzhao Wild History" in the second volume of "Nanzhao all kinds of barbbarbies" records, at this time the Lisu people are still "draped in blankets, rock caves, sword poison arrows, engraved not leave the body, climbing the mountains like apes 猱. Fill your hunger with earth and honey, and feed raw on wild animals. "Every time he made his wife carry a small wooden shield, he shot from behind, and did not hurt her in the middle shield, and thus subdued Zephan."
During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the Lisu ancestors completed the first and second large-scale migration, that is, from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the north of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau through the western margin of Sichuan Basin, mainly distributed in the Yalong River and Jinsha River basins of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. Respectively under the Yuan Dynasty Lijiang Road military and civil administration, the Ming Dynasty Lijiang soil governor Mu, Yongning Naxi A Tusi, the east bank of the Jinsha River Yi slaveholders, Visinaxi Tuqian general rule. In the 16th century, a long war broke out between the Lijiang Mutoshi and the local Tibetan ruling cliques for domination of Zhongdian, Jinzhou (present Judian of Lijiang, Yunnan), Linxi (present Weixi, Yunnan), Atunzi (present Deqin, Yunnan) and Ninglang. The Lisu people could not bear the burden of the hard labor of the soldiers, and under the leadership of the Buckia clan leader Mubibing, they crossed the Lancang River, crossed the Biluo Snow Mountain, and began to enter the Nu River area. In the 19th century, after the failure of several uprisings led by Heng Zhapu, Tang GUI, Ding Honggui, Gu Laosi, etc., a large number of the entire Lisu clan and the entire village moved westward into the Nujiang area one after another, and some continued to cross the Gaogong Mountain in the west into Myanmar. Some south along the Lancang River, Nujiang River through Zhenkang, Gengma into Cangyuan, Menglian and other places; Others along the Jinsha River south, into Luquan, Dayao and other places. During the migration, the Lisu living area continued to expand, and scattered into many small pieces, and other ethnic groups intermingled. Because the Lisu people in the border area and the inner area are affected by other ethnic groups differently, their social and economic development has also produced an unbalanced state.
In the 1820s, the Qing Dynasty implemented "return to the land" in Lijiang, Yongsheng, Huaping and other places near the Lisu ethnic distribution in the mainland. Some hereditary Naxi and Bai chiefdoms were replaced by Liuguan. The result of the return of the land further promoted the transformation of the feudal Lord economy into the landlord economy in these areas. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, a large number of Han, Bai, Naxi and other ethnic groups entered the Nujiang area, bringing a large number of iron farm tools and relatively advanced production technology.
From 1907 to 1908, Xia Hu, A Dunzi (now Deqin) pressure commissar, was ordered to patrol the Nujiang area twice to comfort the people of all ethnic groups, and to avoid the kao faction of Chavalon, Kompu, and Ye Zhi Chiefti, which was deeply supported by the people of all ethnic groups. At the same time, he also issued woodcuts and appointed dozens of gang leaders to manage each village, which was the beginning of the establishment of public officials to establish a unified administrative organization in the Nujiang region.
In 1912, the military governor of Yunnan organized the colonial troops to enter the Nujiang area and resist the invasion of the British colonial forces. And the practice of "opening cages and releasing birds", using force to forcibly release slaves, so that the Nujiang Lisu parents slavery was basically destroyed. In 1928, the local government of Yunnan began to set up administrative bureau in the Nujiang area to strengthen the rule over the local ethnic groups.
For a long time, the majority of Lisu people suffered from the cruel exploitation and oppression of landlords, chiefdoms, leaders of their own and other nationalities, the Kuomintang and imperialism, and lived a very miserable life. In the former Bijiang County, a mountain village of less than 1,000 people, 237 poor peasants were tortured to death by officials, chieftains, headmen and landlords in the first 10 years of the founding of New China. There are many exonerations and taxes, and only one portal donation, the average person in this county pays 42.5 catty of corn, accounting for 21% of the total annual grain income. In addition, they are subjected to layers of exploitation by profiteers and usurers. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the western imperialist forces invaded the Nujiang area, bringing new sufferings to the Lisu people.
The political oppression and economic exploitation of the ruling class provoked the constant resistance of the Lisu people. From the 18th century to the 19th century, the Lisu people launched many anti-Qing struggles. The main ones are: from the eleventh year of Qianlong in Qing Dynasty (1746) to the thirteenth year of Qianlong in Qing Dynasty (1748), Lushui Nonggengbing, Zhu Laosi and Zhihua Bing led the revolt against Qing Dynasty; From the Sixth year of Jiaqing (1801) to the eighth year of Jiaqing (1803), Weixi Heng Zhapu led an armed uprising against Qing Dynasty with Lisu peasants as the main body, including Nu, Bai, Han, Naxi and Tibetan people. In the first year of Daoguang (1821), Yongbei (now Yongsheng) Tang GUI led an armed uprising; Guangxu nineteen years (1893) to Guangxu twenty years (1894), Yongbei (now Yongsheng) Ding Honggui, Gu Laosi led the anti-Tusi armed uprising against the Qing Dynasty. Among them, the uprising led by Heng Zhapo in 1801 was the largest and most influential. Due to the social and economic conditions of the Lisu people themselves, this uprising was distinguished from other peasant uprisings, that is, they made full use of the original religion and clan relationship maintained in the social system to launch and organize uprisings. For example, the formation of the insurrection is established on the basis of clan and military democratic organization; Contact was made by the clan's "woodcut" method; Actions and battles are basically carried out by clan tribal organizations or families, and the clan's concept of revenge enhances the bravery and sacrifice of the insuring masses. However, the primitive backwardness of the clan economy made their vision more narrow than that of the peasants under the feudal society, which also determined that this uprising could only end in failure. Despite this, the uprising has eliminated Kangpu chiefdoms and other leaders and thousands of Qing officers and soldiers, forcing the Qing government to investigate the Wei Xi Hall guard and other corrupt officials, cancel some feudal privileges of the Wei Xi chiefdoms, and reduce taxes and copper classes for three years in 33 prefectures and counties.
In the 20th century, the resistance struggle of Lisu people rose one after another and never stopped. In 1906, the German explorer Brenhupai led two black men to the Nujiang River, and when they reached the village of Luwu in Fugong, they were killed by the angry Lisu people for bullying and extorting the local Lisu people. In 1907, the French priest Ren Anshou and others ran amokay in Gongshan Baiharo. They seized land, forced migrant workers, built churches, and prevented local people from practicing other religions, which greatly angered the people of all ethnic groups. The Lisu, together with the Tibetan, Nu, Dulong and other ethnic groups, burned down the church in anger and expelled the French missionaries. In 1911, the Lisu, Jingpo and other ethnic groups staged a heroic resistance struggle against the British imperialist armed aggression against the Chinese territory of Panma, Gulang, Gangfang and other places, giving a strong response to the British aggressors. In 1917, Shideng, Fengdeng and other places in Lanping County broke out armed rebellion led by A Mengbing. In 1918, Fugong Shangpa broke out again, led by Watze resistance events. In 1935, led by the Waye of the Lisu nationality, they launched a struggle against the extortion of the Kuomintang Administrative Bureau in Fugong area, killing the director of the Administrative bureau and occupying the administrative bureau for more than 20 days. From 1941 to 1943, the Lisu people and the Han, Dai, Jingpo and other ethnic people fought bravely against the invading Japanese army in western Yunnan, forcing the invading army to dare not cross the Nujiang River. They made their own contribution to safeguarding the security of the border areas of the motherland.
In 1948, the Communist Party of China sent some party members to northwest Yunnan to carry out underground activities, develop underground party organizations, and establish the Northwest Yunnan Working Committee. Actively strive for the upper echelons of Lisu people, and get the support of Bi Jiang, Pei Aigou and Frost Naidong of the upper echelons of Lisu people in Fugong. At the beginning of 1950, the Party established provisional government committees and Party working committees in four counties. Subsequently, the People's Liberation Army successively moved into Lanping, Bijiang, Fugong, Gongshan, Lushui, and the Nujiang area was liberated.
Historically, the development of Lisu society was relatively slow, and until the democratic reform in the 1950s, Lisu society still retained some remnants of the primitive clan system.
In the Lisu language, a group of people who are descended from the same ancestor is called Chu 'u, or a clan. Each clan has its own name. The Lisu people of Nujiang area have 18 clans such as tiger, bear, monkey, snake, sheep, fish, chicken, bee, buckwheat and hemp. Clan organization is an important link in Lisu society. In the process of continuous migration, due to the war and frequent migration, the clan organization gradually tends to disintegrate. After settling down in the Nujiang area, various clans dispersed to different places, making it difficult for the original clan organization to be maintained. Apart from maintaining a symbolic common name and some conceptual ties, the ties in economic life within the clan have been very indifferent, and only in the fight with the nature of blood revenge can they show the role of blood ties.
In real life, family and village community organizations play an important role. The Lisu language calls the family "body Russian". The family has its own name, its own small settlement area and farmland, its own "ghost tree" and public cemetery. Each family has its own patriarch. Most of the family members are older, older, more eloquent and affluent men in the family. Family members keep the land together economically and farm together; In life, they maintain mutual help to build houses, change workers, kill pigs and eat together, men and women marry together to give betrothal gifts, eat gifts together, bear debts and jointly assume the obligation of blood revenge and so on. Through the above economic cooperation and mutual assistance in life, each family naturally and traditionally closely linked the whole family and became a relatively close social grass-roots organization.
In the Lisu language, a village is called Ka, which means a community inhabited by a group of people with close blood relations. Each village community maintains its relative independence. There are three types of village communes: they are composed of a large family within a clan; A combination of two or more families within a clan; A mixture of several different clans. Each village community has its own public mountain forests, hunting grounds, wasteland and cemeteries, and its members have the right to reclaim and use them. The members of the same village community have the obligation to help each other and cooperate, especially when paying tribute to the chiefdoms or when fighting occurs between the village communities, this primitive mutual assistance relationship is more prominent. Each village community has a recognized head, and the larger village is in several family heads to nominate a higher authority as the head, the head is called "Shipa". Due to the economic freedom and equality enjoyed by the members of the village community and the relative independence of the family organizations, the formation of such village leaders is often neither hereditary nor democratically elected, but follows the traditional habit of supporting the prestige of the elderly. Its responsibility is to resolve internal disputes, lead production, preside over sacrifices; Declare arms fights, conclude covenants, call for tribute, dispatch servants, etc. During the reign of Tusi, most of the Lisu village Zhaitou people were appointed as big boy heads. During the rule of the Kuomintang, he was appointed as the chief of the district, township and security. After the introduction of Christianity, many leaders also served as church presidents, stewards and other positions. Therefore, many leaders often act as representatives of the political, economic, and religious triad in local social life. In times of war, the communities formed temporary alliances, which ended when the war ended.
In the past, due to the lack of a unified and authoritative authority among the Lisu villages, every time there were disputes over marriage, land, debt and theft, there were often armed fights. In the event of armed fighting, young and middle-aged men in the whole village must participate, and women serve as logistics, nursing and other work. They had the power to mediate in the fighting, which often stopped as soon as the women of one side ran to the battlefield, waving their skirts and calling for a truce, even while the fighting raged. It was customary to forbid shooting women, otherwise the fight would be prolonged.
Before the founding of New China, the private ownership of land had been established in the Lisu area of Nujiang, but the possession was not concentrated. The rural classes were divided, but there were still remnants of primitive public ownership and parental slavery. The form of land ownership can be basically divided into three types: individual private ownership, family joint ownership, family or village public ownership. Among them, the private ownership of individual farmers is the main one, and the family co-ownership is a main form of the transition from the original public ownership to private ownership. Family or village public ownership exists as the remnant of the original public ownership, and the proportion is very small. In the decades before the founding of New China, with the continuous infiltration of feudal landlord economic factors and the instability of small-scale peasant economy, land was gradually concentrated. Some families, village heads and rich households gradually occupied more and better land, while some poor peasants lost their land, and the relationship between tenancy and employment gradually developed.
In the Lisu society of Nujiang, there is also a common "co-farming system", which is a kind of original cooperative form of land ownership and farming methods transitioning from public to private. Usually, several members of the same family jointly occupy and cultivate part of the farmland owned by the family, or reclaim the wasteland owned by the family, and share the labor and seeds, and the products are equally distributed according to the household. There is also a co-tillage relationship in which participants collaborate on co-tillage on private land. The land, labor and seeds are usually produced jointly by the common farmers, and the products are equally distributed by the households. However, wealthier farmers and village heads often produce more seeds and less labor, exploiting the labor of poor households, and then forming leaders, rich households out of land, seeds, and poor farmers out of labor. The relationship is actually transitioning to a tenancy relationship.
In addition, there is a simple primitive collaboration, commonly known as "tile brush". During the busy farming season, the master invites family and village members to assist in the labor, and after the work is completed, the master only hosts a meal of water wine and corn porridge without paying any remuneration. It was an ancient friendship, not an exploitative one. However, as productivity increases and the surplus products provided by individuals increase, this simple collaboration gradually becomes a form of exploitation. Wealthy farmers and leaders often employ up to 150 to 300 workers a year in disguise, and pay only 12 to 15 percent of the compensation for food and drinks.
The Lisu nationality, living in Yunnan Province
Before the founding of New China, there were no written laws in Lisu society. But in the long process of development, the unwritten customary law has been formed. With the establishment of the socialist system, the old customary law norms which did not conform to modern legal norms were gradually replaced. Now, villagers can follow the civil mediation procedure, invite the village committee, relatives and friends to participate in the mediation decision. Under the premise of complying with national laws and regulations, the village rules and conventions formulated by each village play an important role.
Historically, Lisu people living in different areas, affected by the natural geographical environment and other ethnic groups, social and economic development is very unbalanced, can be roughly divided into three types:
Living in Lijiang, Yongsheng, Huaping and other inland Lisu people, in the 1820s after the "return to the land", has entered the feudal landlord economy, agricultural production occupies the main position; In politics, there appeared feudal leaders who served the feudal rule, such as gang leaders, Lu leaders, front-row leaders, and directors.
The Lisu people living around Liangshan, due to the influence of slavery and feudalism of Yi people, there have been some small and medium-sized slave owners.
The Lisu people living in the Nujiang area were still in the stage of parental slavery until the early 20th century, and were managed by the heads appointed by the Naxi, Tibetan and Bai ethnic chieftainers. Economically, the main way is to swim farming and hunting, "happy to live in the top of the hanging rock, cultivate the mountain and seed, the land is barren, migration is not often." The harvest is more wine, day and night, a few nights to finish, the grain of food, then the crossbow medicine hunting, climbing the peak of the stone wall, quick walk like the crafty rabbit, the woman from it. ... Do not respect Buddha and believe in ghosts, borrow money, carve wood as a covenant, and break the covenant, then extend the sorcery." Until the 1940s, the Lisu people in this area still maintained this state of production and living
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In August 1954, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Region was established, including Lushui, Bijiang, Fugong, Gongshan and other counties. In January 1957, it was changed into an autonomous prefecture, and Lanping County was incorporated into the government. In September 1986, with the approval of The State Council, the establishment of Bijiang County was abolished and divided into two parts to Lushui County and Fugong County. At the same time, in order to fully protect the political life rights of the Lisu people, the people's government also set up Lisu townships in some places such as Lijiang, Dali and Diqing
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In addition, there are also a lot of Lisu scattered in Sichuan Province, about 40,000 people.
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According to 2010
The sixth national census
Statistics show that the total population of Lisu in China is 1,261,311 people
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According to the
China Statistical Yearbook -2021
According to statistics, the population of Lisu in China is 762,996 people.
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Lisu people generally believe in primitive religion, which takes nature worship and soul concept as its basic content, and killing animal sacrifice in case of disease and disaster as its main form. Since modern times, Christianity and Catholicism have been introduced into Nujiang area, some of the Lisu people have turned to Christianity, and a small part of them believe in Catholicism.
Animistic nature worship prevails among Lisu people. In their concept, mountains, rivers, the sun and moon, stars, animals and plants are dominated by "gods" or "ghosts". Therefore, mountains have mountain spirits, trees have tree ghosts, water has water gods, and almost all natural phenomena have become the objects of their belief and worship. They divided the ghosts into several categories, the main ghosts have courtyard dam ghost (" Usani "), home ghost (" Haikuani "), mountain ghost (" Misni "), water ghost (" Edusni "), dream ghost (" Migani "), blood ghost (" Chani "), road ghost (" Jiaguni "), devil (" Nippamuni ") and tiger clan ghost (" Wu Douni ") more than 30 kinds.
The concept of ghosts and spirits of Lisu people is simple, but unique. On the one hand, they believe that all things in the world have spirits, and believe that all things in the universe are dominated and left and right by the gods (Mis) and spirits (Ni), so they Revere Mis and the "Ni" and perform sacrifices to them; On the other hand, in the process of offering sacrifices, it also showed an attitude of contempt for ghosts and gods, such as harshly criticizing "Ni" with words. Such as drought first worship dragon pray for rain, if the drought is held to curse the dragon ceremony; When someone is sick, he first prays for all "Ni", and if he does not heal, he scolds "Ni" and drives "Ni" to cure diseases.
Yunnan Lisu clan totem, there are tiger, bear, monkey, sheep, snake, bird, fish, bee, buckwheat, sesame, tea, bamboo, teak, frost, fire and more than 20 kinds. Lisu people also worship fire and frost as totems. Some clans are named after plants and animals, but do not worship them. For example, the fish Clan is named because the members of this clan are good at fishing; The buckwheat and hemp clans are famous for their cultivation of buckwheat and hemp. After entering class society, totemism gradually weakened, or only retained some symbolic residual forms.
In the early 20th century, Christianity and Catholicism were introduced to the Lisu area of Nujiang by British and French missionaries. Because it has a unified classic and a relatively complete ritual form, some precepts advocated by it are consistent with the traditional moral norms of Lisu people, so it gradually spread among the Lisu people in Nujiang. After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the people's government advocated freedom of religious belief under the premise of "three-self patriotism", and Christianity was greatly spread. Christianity has now become a popular religion among most Lisu people in Nujiang area
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Before the founding of New China, most of the Lisu men and women in the Nujiang area wore self-made linen clothes, and only a few wealthy families and upper class people wore cotton clothes. Weaving tools are very simple, weaving frame is only two horizontal two straight four wooden sticks, some with 4 wooden posts inserted into the ground, the top with two wooden sticks, that is, "textile machine". A skilled woman can weave about 5 inches of linen 6 feet a day.
Before the founding of New China, all over the Lisu men's clothing is linen long shirt or short shirt, trousers length to the knee, some with green cloth wrapped head, some with braids wrapped in the back of the head. The man of the head or individual wealthy family wears a string of large red coral in his left ear to show his social status. All adult men like to wear a machete on the left waist and an arrow bag on the right waist, which is mostly made of bear skin and monkey skin. A Lisu man in Dechang leaves a small bundle of hair on his head, which is unlucky for others to touch. The clothing was made of linen and trousers. After the founding of New China, especially since the reform and opening up, the raw materials of Lisu clothing have undergone fundamental changes, and linen has almost disappeared
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Lisu scattered in Lanping, Weixi area, mostly like to live in wooden houses. The shape of the house is like a large wooden box, with wooden bars about 5 meters long and 20 centimeters wide on all sides. The method: the two ends of the logs of equal length are broken into convex and convex shapes, and then overlapping and growing square walls are used as walls, and the four walls are supported by housing beams and fixed with crossbars. The whole house can be built without an inch of iron nails, without leaving a gap, which can be described as a natural work. The larger house is divided into two rooms and the smaller one is only one room. Often in the side of the door, the middle of the fire, the family is lying around the fire. The roof was covered with boards, which were pressed down with stones to prevent slipping.
The Lisu people in the mainland, influenced by Han, Bai, Naxi and other ethnic groups, mostly adopt more durable earthen wall houses. It is made of wood columns and surrounded by earth walls, usually with a small window, and the roof is covered with grass or wood planks. The four walls of the earth wall house are made of red soil mixed with straw, which can be used for decades because of its strong firmness under impulse extrusion. The planks and tiles on the roofs of some houses have long been damaged, but the earth walls are still hard as iron
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In history, the Lisu people did not create a written language, which can only be passed down by mouth and carved wood. In the early 20th century, Wang Renbo, a young man of Lisu nationality in Weixi County, created a pictograph with a total of 1030 characters, which was the first kind of writing in the history of Lisu nationality. In the early 1920s, Fourier, an Englishman, and Badong, a young man of Karen nationality, created a second language based on the English alphabet, that is, the Lisu language. In 1913, a British missionary, Wang Huiren, based on the language of Lisu [Li su] people in Wuding and Luquan counties in Yunnan Province, and based on the dialect of Taogu village in Wuding County, Lisu [Li phoj], which he called Lisu [Li su] people, developed a "frame" phonetic language. The fourth language is the Lisu language, which was created in the 1950s by the Central Institute for Nationalities and the Institute of Linguistics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences based on the pinyin alphabet and approved by The State Council. At present, Lisu language and Lisu language are common among all ethnic groups in Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture
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Individual family is the basic unit of Lisu society.
According to the Lisu custom, the youngest and only children do not separate from their parents, and enjoy the final property inheritance rights of their parents, so the eldest son and the second son must be separated from their parents, in order to create prerequisites for the property inheritance of the younger son.
Elderly couples without children can adopt children, and priority is generally given to recruiting close relatives, and individuals are also allowed to recruit other clans. The adopted son may enjoy the right to inherit property; If there are no children after old age, the property belongs to the closest member of the family; Daughters do not have the right to inherit property, and if there is any superfluity, the son-in-law may inherit property with the consent of the clan. If the daughter marries, she can only get a string of hanging beads and some decorations from her mother
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The Lisu also created many works of folk literature, mainly oral literature, passed down from mouth to mouth in the form of singing and telling.
Works related to myths and historical legends, such as Chuangji, Our Ancestors, Legends of Hengduan Mountains, and Stories of the Beginning of the World, reproduce the face of Lisu ancient society from different aspects, and recount various interpretations and opinions of Lisu people on all things in the universe and human society in their childhood. At the same time, it also praises the heroic spirit and indomitable dedication of the Lisu ancestors in the struggle with nature.
Long narrative poems are rich in subject matter and content, usually with complete plot and distinct characters. For example, "Rough Muda" (" Reunion ") has more than 1,500 lines, it uses realistic techniques and vivid language to make a profound disclosure and powerful indictment of feudal marriage. Popular folk riddles, proverbs, allegories and children's songs are also part of Lisu folk literature. Because it usually has the function of teaching production and life experience and educating people to deal with things, it is loved by the Lisu people and passed down from generation to generation
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The Lisu natural calendar is rich in ethnic and regional characteristics.
They rely on changes in natural phenomena such as the opening of mountain flowers, the singing of mountain birds, and the snowfall as phenology to judge the production season. Lisu people divide a year into wet and dry seasons. The dry season is generally from the end of the rainy season in November of the first year of the Gregorian calendar to the arrival of the rainy season in February of the next year, and the wet season is from March to October of the Gregorian calendar, which is the period of rising temperature and high rainfall humidity. The year is divided into 10 seasons: the month of blooming (March), the month of calling birds (April), the month of burning volcanoes (May), the month of Hunger (June), the month of gathering (July and August), the month of harvesting (September and October), the month of cooking wine (November), the month of hunting (December), the month of New Year (January), and the month of building houses (February)
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Folk song
Folk songs are the favorite artistic activities of Lisu people. In Lisu's own words, it is "not eating salt, not singing." Folk songs have almost become the "second language" of the Lisu people. No matter in various production activities, or at weddings and funerals, Lisu people sing songs. Even litigate lawsuits or mediate disputes, they often sing songs to solve them.
Lisu folk songs have their own style in singing. When singing short notes, they often use a lot of vibrato, while when singing long notes, they sing straight and simple, and the timbre is thick and deep, which makes people feel that they have a deep inner power.
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Musical instrument
Lisu more popular Musical Instruments are mainly pipa, mouth string and so on.
The mouth string is also a traditional musical instrument of Lisu nationality, which is loved by every young man and woman. The string body is made of bamboo pieces about 3 inches long and half an inch wide into a groove, and a spring is carved in the middle. The performer aims at the mouth to gently blow and play, so that the sound of the shrapnel resonates in the mouth, and then the tone becomes soft and melodious with the adjustment of the breath. Although the volume of the mouth string is small, it is very beautiful, especially when playing in the dead of night, and then accompanied by softly chanting or chanting, it is more beautiful
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Lisu Dance, painted by Chen Yuxian
Lisu dance forms are mostly group dance, such as production dance, heel dance, men and women in a circle, dance steps in a circle to carry out, accompaniment in the middle (accompanist also with the dance). Sometimes two people jump opposite, but the movement is the same, only one step forward and back. Wedding dance, millet dance steps are slightly different, men and women stand in a row apart, marching not to the circle as the standard, men and women in two rows sometimes march in parallel, cross, sometimes a step forward and back, echoing each other. Lisu dance is inseparable from these two forms. The dance movements of Lisu people are vigorous, lively and changeable. All kinds of dance accompaniment are combined with dance content and adopt a strong rhythm of 2 beats or a mixed rhythm of 2 beats and 3 beats, so it is enthusiastic and bold, and rich in fiery and rough passion, showing the distinctive national characteristics of Lisu dance
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Lisu people call the annual festival "Kuanshi". Before the founding of New China, the Lisu people in Nujiang area decided the time of the New Year mainly by observing the phenology, so there was no unified and fixed date, but it was generally in the period from the fifth day of December to the tenth day of the first month of the following year, that is, the cherry blossom season. During the festival, it is customary to make indica rice and glutinous corn rice and make mellow water wine. In order to pray for good weather and a good harvest in the coming year, each family will put a few indica rice cakes made from the first millet on peach, pear and other fruit trees; Some places put a small bowl for dogs to eat before eating, which is said to be a return for dogs bringing grain to the world. On the first day of the New Year Festival, young men and women all over the country should dress up and gather in the public place of the village - the playground, holding crossbow, dancing, singing and other activities, which is a good opportunity for young men and women to reveal their love to each other and make a marriage. Young men often win the love of girls with their superb archery skills, and some young men and women express their love with beautiful dancing and melodious singing. Once each other has the feeling of love, each other to give gifts. It is through this activity that many young men and women are settled for life.
During the Spring Festival, the Lisu people in Nujiang Valley also have the custom of "spring bathing". Where there are hot springs on both sides of the river, it is a place for people to gather and bathe. People who go to the "spring bath" have to take their food and luggage to set up bamboo shed not far from the hot spring, or find a cave to rest. Generally, they have to live in hot springs for three or five days, and some bathe five or six times a day, believing that in this way they can eliminate diseases, enhance immunity, and have sufficient energy to put into labor and production in the New Year. In the hot spring area near Liuku, as early as one hundred years ago, the mass "Tangquan Poetry Competition" was formed. At that time, singers in the nearby dozen or dozens of miles will gather here to contest poems and songs. People sang and sang together, and tasted the wine and food they brought. "Broad Season" is now a national festival celebrated by the Lisu people in Nujiang Prefecture on December 20 of the Gregorian calendar every year. During the festival, there are singing competitions, crossbow competitions, cross-skating competitions, performances on the mountain and on the sea of fire, and the annual "Bathhouse Party".
Dehong, Tengchong Lisu people every year lunar February 17 "knife rod Festival". Divided into two days of activities, the first day "under the fire", burning a lot of charcoal with chestnut wood, the show began, five people jump out barefoot around the charcoal, and then "fire roll", that is, roll on the charcoal; "Wash the fire face", that is, wash the face with the fire charcoal; Finally, the iron chain burned in the hot coals was passed around in his hand, called "pull the fire chain", and the crowd danced together after the performance. The next day, "on the knife mountain", the 32 sharpened long knives were tied horizontally on two thick chestnut poles 4 zhangs high into a ladder shape, with red flags and firecrackers on the top, and the performance began in the sound of drums and gongs of firecrackers.
The Harvest Festival is also an important festival for Lisu people. Every year from the ninth lunar month to October, when the new grain and corn began to harvest, every family cooked wine to taste the new. Men, women and children gather in the village square, high fever bonfires, the old people play pipa, moon harp, singing and dancing, telling the ancient history; Young men and women are in a circle to dance group dance, dancing while drinking wine, singing and dancing Dadan, all happy and scattered.
Some of the Lisu people, who are Christian believers, celebrate Easter in April, Thanksgiving in October, and Christmas in December. Due to the influence of other ethnic groups around, the festival of Lisu in the inner region is similar to that of Han, Yi, Bai, Naxi and other ethnic groups nearby. In the New Year of the first month of the lunar calendar, people first feed salt to the cattle to show respect for the hard work of the cattle for a year. The Torch Festival is celebrated in June and the Mid-Autumn Festival in August
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The basic form of marriage and family in Lisu is monogamy.
In the form and process has a more unique characteristics. Young men and women enjoy greater social freedom before marriage, and in villages with a larger population, it is customary to use newly built empty houses or build shelters to provide convenience for social activities of young men and women. Young men and women can freely go to such rooms at night to play strings and sing tunes, and until late at night everyone lies around the fire. Sometimes, this kind of social activity can also take place in the hut where the crops are kept. Girls at the age of 13 or 14 have to perform the "dress ceremony", and after wearing the dress ceremony, they can participate in this social activity.
In the past, men and women were usually engaged by their parents when they were young, and some even married by their stomach. The betrothal gifts are very heavy. Preferential marriage rights of uncles are also prevalent. Lisu people have a saying: "The biggest tree is fir tree, the biggest person is uncle." Therefore, the habit of "asking uncle first" is formed. Today, Lisu young men and women are free to marry and love, and marriage and family are based on free love
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After the death of the old man, the whole village stopped working for two to three days, and the village residents and family members brought wine, meat and food to the deceased's home to mourn, and helped to wash the deceased's face, comb his hair and change his clothes. The body of the deceased lay at home for a day or two, up to seven days. During the parking period, it is necessary to offer three times a day, each time 3 bowls of rice, meat and cold water. Before the burial, the people of the village go to the home of the deceased to perform a funeral dance (" Shibeden ") for the deceased.
Burial dates are generally chosen on the days of the rat, rabbit, snake, monkey, chicken and pig. At the funeral, the body is carried by four people, and the body is placed on the trunk of the chestnut tree, nine men and seven women. Two young people in front of the knife to open the road, the family mourned until halfway back. Villages and families have public cemeteries, choose a flat plot in the public cemetery, dig a grave pit, place wooden boards around, the body is placed among them, the head is high, lying on the side facing the sun, fill with soil, no burial mound, some areas are affected by other ethnic groups, there are beginning to build graves.
The tombs are arranged in order, men on the left, women on the right, from right to left by generation, and the deceased are also arranged backward by age. Tomb shape is a high and wide, a low and narrow long way, the size of the tomb depends on the age of the deceased. If the deceased is a man, at the time of burial, the machete, crossbow, arrow bag, cigarette bag, etc. used in life must be hung on the grave head as grave objects; If it is a woman, the linen weaving tools, linen hanging bag, needle and thread, and cooking utensils used in life will be hung at the head of the tomb
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The Lisu area formed many customs taboos before the founding of New China.
For example, Lisu women can't burn wood with bifurcated branches after pregnancy, or the baby will grow cleft lip; Back wood can not be combined with pig grass back, otherwise the child will be water; Can not eat cucumber seeds, otherwise the child will grow colorful spots; You can't step over the rope, or the baby won't be born, and so on. Because the Lisu people do not count the birth date of their babies, many children are born in the fields and near the fields. In the case of a home birth, the mother of the woman usually delivers; in the case of an elderly or deceased mother, the mother in law; in the absence of the mother in law, the man or the woman's sister. If the sister does not have, only in the relatives to find a suitable old man to deliver. A baby's placenta is considered the dirtiest and is immediately buried up to a mile away.
With the progress of society and the improvement of medical and health conditions, these taboos have gradually lost their influence
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