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The Dulong (Drung) Nationality
The Dulong nationality has a population of over
5,000 people, mainly found in the Gongshan Dulong Autonomous County
of the Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province. They have
their own spoken language, which belongs to the TibetoBurman group
of the SinoTibetan language family, but no written form. They are chiefly
involved in agriculture, but retain their fishing tradition too. They
attach great importance to their standing in the community and keeping
their words is a moral imperative. To this day they have maintained
their local custom of "locking no doors and taking no lost items."
The Dulong Gorge is a magical place to people
outside. Straight fir and dense pine trees cover both banks of the winding
river. Here in the shade, various rare birds, animals and valuable raw
materials for drugs are found. However, as soon as the Moliwang pass
of the Gaoligong Mountain is blocked by heavy snow every October, the
whole gorge is locked in winter stillness, awaiting the early return
of spring.
The Dulong River starts in Cayu County in snow-covered Tibet and runs
to the west of the Gaoligong Mountain in Yunnan Province. There it rushes
and roars down the high mountain ridges and forms the spectacular Dulong
Gorge along part of the Sino-Burman border. People living on both sides
of the Dulong River believe that they are sustained by its water, so
they name themselves the Dulongs after it.
The Dulongs living by the river have built their lives round the gorge.
Villages of all sizes are on the steep mountain slopes and along the
river. Their houses are often twostoried wooden buildings with a ladder
to go up and down. People live on the second story and their livestock
is kept downstairs. Each hearth in the house symbolizes one little family
unit - married sons and daughters don't separate from their parents;
they just set up a new hearth in the house.
The Dulongs have a varied diet. Different grains provide the staple,
and they also enjoy all sorts of wild game of the mountain. They are
good at catching fish in the rushing current of the Dulong River, too.
Dulong tapestries can be seen everywhere as house decorations. They
are woven by hand with colorful threads spun from cotton and flax,
and are soft and well designed. Cloaks made of these beautiful tapestries
have become their unique traditional costume. Dulong men like to carry
hunting tools such as a cross-bow, quiver and chopper because hunting
has always supplemented their income in the past. The women like to
wear longsleeved upper clothes and long skirts. They sometimes tie
a flower-patterned linen apron around the waist. Their leg wrappings
are also made of linen cut in strips.
In the past, girls aged 12 or 13 were tattooed in the face to show that
they had come of age. It was said that the tattoo design of a beautiful
butterfly was chosen because the souls of the deceased turned into butterflies.
Whilst these beautiful insects hovered over the gorge, the Dulong girls
pierced their faces with indelible butterflies using bamboo needles
and indigo ink.
Their relatively closed natural environment has enabled the Dulongs
to maintain their old simple folkways through the centuries. "Respecting
the old and protecting the young" and "living in harmony"
is not at all empty talk for the Dulongs. Wild game caught must be divided
equally and it is shameful for one person to enjoy it alone. If one
family is in difficulty, all their neighbors will come to help without
being asked.
The Dulongs are known for being as good as their word. They never lock
their doors when they go out. They store the harvested grain on slopes
far away from home. In order to lighten the burden when they trudge
over long distances, they usually hang their haversacks for the return
journey from the branch of a tree. No one will touch others' belongings.
"Everything has a owner, and never pick up someone else's lost
property on the road" are admirable traditions the Dulongs have
kept.
The Dulongs love singing and dancing. Perhaps because the hunters in
the depth of the mountains used to feel lonely, or maybe because their
young wives in the wooden buildings missed them too much, the Dulongs
got used to expressing their innermost feelings through a string instrument
called the "Mangguo." This can be played solo or in unison,
and the music is soft and sweet. There is also a special dance to go
with it.
Their annual traditional holiday is called "Kacuiwa." It is
held on a lucky day chosen from the last month of the year by elders
in the villages. After worshipping the mountain gods comes the festive
joyful "bullrobbing banquet." As the gongs and drums resound
to the skies, everyone starts to sing and dance. Kacuiwa used to be
a rite performed to celebrate victory, but now it has become a festival
when the whole valley is caught up in joy and fun.
The Dulong Gorge is steep and cruel, but it is also beautiful and gentle.
Now when groups of their young people travel beyond its rough mountain
paths, when butterfly tattoos have disappeared from the Dulong girls'
faces, their ancient gorge too is quietly undergoing changes. Once so
faraway, the Dulong Gorge and stories of the hard life there are coming
closer to us day by day.
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