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The Dai Nationality
The Dai nationality, with a current population
of over 1，02 million, live mainly in the Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous
prefecture, the Dehong Dai and Jingpo autonomous prefecture and the
Gengma, Menglian, Yuanjiang, Xinping autonomous counties in Yunnan province.
The Dai language belongs to the Zhuang-Dai branch of the Zhuang-Dong
group of the SinoTibetan language family. Traditionally, the Dais have
four forms of written language, but now they use only the standardised
characters of the Xishuangbanna and Dehong scripts. The Dais are mainly
involved in agriculture. Based on the Shangzuobu form of Buddhism, they
have a unique traditional culture.
The Dais live in distinctive houses entirely made
of bamboo and wood. The house has two stories. The people live on the
upper story where they can escape humidity, insects and wild animals.
Warm in winter and cool in summer, it is a very effective and practical
home. Set off by the bamboo groves, these randomly scattered bamboo
houses of the Dais look elegant and peaceful. Their lives seem to be
in harmony with nature.
Pagodas are everywhere in Dai communities. They take many shapes, but
most commonly, several towers are built on a single base. Inside, there
is a tower-temple and a shrine where the image of Buhhda is worshiped.
On top of the main tower there is a copper "heavenly flute,"
and on the tops of the minor towers there are copper bells. The white
pagodas shine brightly in the sun. When a breeze blows through it, the
heavenly flute plays sweetly and the bells chime a rhythm. Like music
from heaven, they make people forget their worldly cares.
The Dai men often wear a short collarless narrowsleeved jacket with
buttons on the right together with trousers made of white or black cloth.
They also use a piece of white or black cloth, about 3 meters long to
wrap around their heads. They like to tattoo their bodies. The women
wear a short garment with buttons up the front and a closefitting long
or short skirt. Their skirts are made of white, red, green or other
bright colored cloth. They like to wear gold or silver jewels, and their
head ornaments are exquisite. Young girls usually coil their plaits
round their heads, and cover them with a colored towel. With flowers
tucked in to their hairpins, they look very graceful and charming.
The Dais live on rice, and enjoy drinking rice wine. They usually have
raw cucumbers, tomatoes and other cold food to go with the wine. At
meal time, the whole family sits around the mat to eat. Their most characteristic
food is bamboo rice. It is made by stuffing rice into a fresh bamboo
tube with plenty of water and then roasting it on a fire. The bamboo
rice is sweet and delicious with a taste of its own.
About 1,000 years ago, Shangzuobu Buddhism spread to the Dais' communities
from southeastern Asia. Their culture gradually evolved based on Shangzuobu
Buddhism. Using the basis of the Buddhist calendar and absorbing much
content of the summer calendar, they created the Dai calendar which
is still in use today. The Dai script has developed from the Bali writing
system of south India. Because of the local availability, they cut scriptures
on the leaves of the pattra tree, so they are known as "Beiye (pattra
leaves) scriptures." From old times, large volumes of the Dais'
Buddhist scriptures, as well as special works on history, geography,
astronomy, calendar, medicine, and mathematics have been preserved in
the form of "Beiye scriptures or documents."A relaxed life-style
and such beautiful surroundings have fostered the Dai people's love
of singing and dancing. Peacocks are often seen around their houses
and fields, spreading their tails and dancing gracefully. The peacock
dance, a very typical dance of the Dais, is formed by imitating the
dance of the peacocks. Almost every Dai village has its own professional
singers "Zanha." They are often invited to sing after a
new house has been built or for occasions like weddings and holidays.
Hulusheng is the Dais main musical instrument. It makes sweet melodious
music. Young men often play it while walking through the villages, trying
to attract their sweethearts.
The elephant-foot drum is a percussion instrument unique to the Dais.
The drum got its name from its shape. Beaten alternatively with the
palms, fingers and feet, it makes stirring lively music. As the saying
goes, "When the elephant-foot sounds, our feet want to dance,"
the Dais have a special affection for this drum.
The Dais worship water. They believe it is because of water that everything
grows in the world. So, water is their god of life. The Dais love water,
and regard it as the symbol of beauty, purity and happiness. Their New
Year is marked by the famous Water-Splashing Festival. This festival
usually lasts three days. In the first two days, they hold dragon-boat
competitions to send away the old year; on the last day, they carry
out the "lucky" activities which bring in the new year.
During the cheerful singing, old people splash water on each other with
twigs, which is meant to wash off the dust and wish them well in the
new year. Young people also splash the old people to show their good
will and respect. In the end, young men and women all tease one another
by pouring water over each other. Spray flies everywhere, and everyone
is shouting for fun. The water brings good luck and happy cheers to
all the villages around.
The beautiful scenery of Xishuangbanna and elegant Dai bamboo houses
used to be an impossible dream for most people. Times are changing fast
however, and the Dais have seen rapid developments. Today, their mountain
villages are in the front line to open the country to Southeast Asia.
There are three first-class and one second-class national port in the
area. The LancangMeigong river route has become an important oceangoing
channel in southwest China. A rich and rare natural ecology and the
traditional culture of the Dai communities are unique tourist resources,
which are attracting more and more visitors from China and abroad.
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