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The Hezhe (Hezhen) Nationality |
The Hezhe nationality has currently a population of 4, 200. They live in Raohe and Fuyuan, two counties in Helongjiang Province. This is the only northern nationality that makes a living by fishing and uses dog-drawn sledges. They speak a language which belongs to the Manchu-Tongusi group of the Altaic language family, but have no written system. Based on a fishing economy, they have created a culture with strong characteristics of its own.
In Heilongjiang Province in the far north of China, three rivers, namely the Heilong River, the Wusuli River and the Songhua River converge. Here the land is fertile and the water plentiful. The Wanda Mountain next to the Wusuli River is covered with dense forests sheltering many kinds of wild animals. There is a saying to describe its rich hunting and fishing grounds:"you can hunt deer with clubs and catch fish with dippers; the pheasants even fly into the cooking pot themselves!" This is where the Hezhes have fished and hunted for generations and where they have made their homes.
For centuries, the Hezhes have made clothes from fish skins and hunted with the help of dogs. In the past, they were called the "fish skin tribe" or the "dog using tribe." Their name "Hezhe" means people living in the east or along the lower reaches of rivers.
The valley where the three rivers meet is low-lying. The waters are vast, spreading out in a network of streams and marshes. There are rich stores of plankton in the waters, which are good for fish to live and multiply.
The Hezhes who make their living by fishing build their homes beside the rivers. Their houses often have earthen walls and thatched roofs. Very old houses made of birch bark can be occasionally seen too.
In the past, their clothes were made of fish skin or deer skin, but now they are mostly cotton. In winter, however, fur caps made of dog or deerskin are essential.
Fishing and hunting are the two sources of income the Hezhes rely on. Through long time experience, they have gained a great store of knowledge and superb skills. They use many different methods and pieces of equipment, which can be broadly classified into forks, hooks and nets. They know a great deal about the habits and characteristics of different fishes, so much so that they can tell exactly which kind of fish is swimming under the water by the waves it makes. Their fork-fishing skill is even more amazing. They throw the fork so steadily and accurately that they rarely miss a fish.
In seasons when the rivers are ice-bound and snow-covered, they have found special ways to catch fish under the ice. Fishing with nets, hooks or forks are some of these. The net, five meters wide and ten meters long, can sometimes catch more than 5,000 kg of fish at one time.
The Hezhes keep their fish in a fish tower. Almost every household has one built in the middie of the courtyard. When not being used to store sliced and dried fish, it is used for storing their fishing tackle and other bits of equipment.
Various kinds of fish naturally become the main food on the Hezhes' table. They have many different ways of eating it. Raw fish in particular is part of their traditional diet. They often eat it fresh, and entertain their guests this way to show their respect. "Raw fish with cold sauce, ' is the most common traditional dish and is both delicious and nutritious.
The Hezhes pay special attention to the etiquette of eating fish. Good wine and food is prepared to entertain any guests coming to visit, and fish is always part of the meal. Usually the guest is treated to a big fish head. If there is no visitor, the fish head must be given to the el- derly before others start to eat. The fish should be laid on the table with its head pointing to the guest. People should start eating from the head; or else, remove it before eating the rest. If the guests understand this and follow the custom, the host will be very happy and treat them with great hospitality.
The Hezhes are good fishermen in the river, and good hunters in the mountain too. Their tools include spears, bows, arrows, traps and nets. "Qiaerqike," is their own form of ski, very similar to modern ones. They fasten a skin on the fur-digned bottom to increase their speed. It is a very important piece of equipment for chasing game.
"Wurigong" is a new holiday created in 1985. It means "fun day or sports meeting." It is held once a year, usually for three days in lunar May or June. There are various festive or competitive activities such as swimming, boating, net-casting, tug-of-war, forking straw fish and shooting at a straw target. Forking the straw fish, an on-land training for fork fishing, is the most characteristic of all. The game can be played in two ways: forking it from a set distance or forking while it is halfway in the air. The one who hits the target wins.
Besides sports competitions, the Wurigong Festival is extremely noisy and busy with banqueting and drinking on a mass scale.
At night, the people make piles of bonfires by the river and dance together hand in hand. Their tuneful folksongs carry far in the evening air.
"Yimakan" is a form of folk song, a chant, very popular at the Wurigong Festival. Yi makan retells long poems handed down orally among the people. There are over 50 of these chants, considered to be a "living fossil" of this ancient linguistic art from Northern Asia. They are mainly about tribal wars, the rise and fall of the nation and stories of the heroes who defended their territory and national honor. They also sing praises of their beautiful fertile land, and tell of their longing for freedom, happy lives and true love. Some of the songs explain their religion and customs.
"The Wusuli River runs long long away with blue blue waves. Casting nets day after day, our songs fill the river while fishes fill our baskets--' This popular song shows a true picture of their new life. Besides fishing, they have also learned to grow crops. More than self-sufficient in grain nowadays, their lives have been considerably improved. |
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