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The Dongxiang Nationality
The Dongxiang nationality has a population of
over 370,000. They believe in Islam, and have a language without a written
form. Their ancestors used to live in central Asia. In the early 13th
century, Kublai Khan conquered central Asia and brought back some of
the Semu people to live in the Hezhou district of Gansu. These people
mixed with the local Mongolians, Tibetans and Hans to become today's
Dongxiang. They mainly work in agriculture, but are good at business
too. They have a rich variety of folk arts. Almost everyone can make
up and sing Hua'er songs. Many narrative poems and stories have been
handed down among the people. The long poem "Meiladuohei and Miss
Ma Chenglong" is one example.
The transparent waters of the Yellow River flow
slowly from the Qingzang Plateau into the Jishi Valley, where they run
wild to the Dongxiang Autonomous County in Gansu Province. This is where
the Dongxiang nationality lives.
The Dongxiangs often build their houses on flat areas in the mountains.
Each has a separate entrance and courtyard, and is made of wood and
brick. Set off by the fruit trees and flowers planted in front, the
whole residence looks neat and attractive.
The Dongxiangs enjoy "tea served in covered bowls." They have
tea at almost every meal. They take particular care about the tea served
to guests. They put first-grade raisins, red jujubes, longan, crystal
sugar and high quality sweet-scented tea leaves into the bowls and slowly
make the tea with boiling water so as to bring out its fragrance. It
leaves the drinker very refreshed.
The Dongxiangs are very hospitable. Treating their guests to chicken
is traditional good manners. They usually divide the chicken into 13
equal portions, and eat different parts according to their position
in the family hierarchy. Of all the 13 parts, the chicken tail is the
most special, and only the chief guest or the elder at the banquet is
entitled to it.
During the slack season, the Dongxiangs often get together to kill a
sheep, cook and share the meat between themselves. They chat while they
eat, and seem to enjoy themselves very much. This is said to be a custom
handed down from their ancestors who ate the meat in equal portions
early in their hunting life.
The costumes of the Dongxiangs vary with sex, age and season. The women
usually wear head covers reaching to the waist. Their hair is completely
covered, leaving only the face exposed to the outside world. In the
past, they liked to wear colorful skirts and embroidered shoes with
wooden soles. They insert silver ornaments into their cloth caps, and
wear jabots on their bosom.
"Hua'er" is a kind of folksong widespread in Gansu Province.
The Dongxiangs call it "duan" or "duandoula." It
holds an important place in their lives. There is a song which expresses
how they feel about it: "Hua'er springs from deep in my heart,
and my love for it will never stop; unless you cut off my head and I'm
dead, or I'll always sing it wherever I get." They have created
up to 70 tunes: the First and Second Hezhou Tune and the Shuihonghua
Tune are only a few examples. The music often changes with the words,
and many tunes have more than one set of words. They sing the praises
of love and youth or express their resentment against separation and
arranged marriages, all in song. The songs have a wide range of pitches,
often very high because both a falsetto and a "true" voice
are used, which makes them especially fascinating.
The Dongxiang wedding ceremony is strongly influenced by Islam. On the
wedding day, the groom and his bride-greeting group come to meet the
bride at her home. When she arrives at the groom's house, their relatives
and friends sing "Hali" to congratulate them. The words are
improvised by the guests and are often compliments such as "the
groom is handsome and the bride is beautiful," or "they will
love each other and never part." At the climax of the wedding,
people will also playfully smear soot on the faces of the groom's father
or uncle, or tie their hands and feet in a symbolic way. This is called
"teasing father-in-law."
The young people on the groom's side lead the newlyweds into their
bridal chamber with singing and dancing. The young men then start throwing
pillows at the veiled bride as she sits in one corner of the bed. It
is said to be a way for the groom's relatives to inspect the bride's
dowry and her skilled workmanship. The bride's girl friends, however,
form a line of defence to protect the bride andthrow the pillows back
at the boys. The scene is really exciting. Finally, the bride is unveiled
and shows her face before every one. Her cases are also opened to display
her valuable dowry.
The Dongxiangs sing special songs while they ram down the soil. There
are more than ten different types, and they are usually sung with one
person leading and the crowd following in chorus. They can be lyrical
or narrative. Work songs like these stop people from feeling tired and
keep their spirits up.
Bibi is an ancient folk instrument. For centuries it played sad music,
but now, a new lighthearted melody has quietly slipped in. Fresh and
open, this new music has overcome the harshness of the country life
of the past. It is bringing people new expectations with its unrestrained
exciting melodies.
The Dongxiangs live mostly on dry and hilly lands 2,000 meters above
sea level. Over the past hundred thousand years, their environment has
been damaged by natural and human forces. For a long time, people have
become short of water, and the soil has been seriously eroded. In recent
years, however, with the continual development of the rural economics,
the Dongxiangs are pressing ahead with forestry, stock raising, and
other sideline activities while making efforts to increase agricultural
production. They are integrating colorful social and economic ways in
the search for modern-day prosperity.
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