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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 lowlying. 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 icebound and snowcovered, 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 middle 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
elderly 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. Yimakan 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 selfsufficient in grain
nowadays, their lives have been considerably improved.
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