 |
The Lahu Nationality
The Lahus have a population of 400,000, the majority
of whom live in the Lancang Lahu Autonomous County and some of its neighboring
counties like Menglian, Shuangjiang, and Simao in Yunnan Province. The
Lahu language, which has no writtenform of its own, is of the Yi branch
in the Tibeto-Burman family of the Sino-Tibetan system. A new alphabetical
script for the language has been recently created. The Lahus mainly
live on arable farming. They also grow rice, tea trees, sisal hemp and
other economic crops. Several world famous religions such as Buddhism
and Christianity canfind their followers among the Lahu people.
After roaming down the Hengduan mountain areas
in Yunnan province, carried along with snow and ice from its place of
origin, the Lancang River slows down to reveal its tenderness when it
flows to the Lincang and Simao districts in Yunnan The Lahus, cuddling
along the nurturing river, have been living in the fertile mountain
valleys since an undatable point of time in the past.
The Lahus usually live in a storied wooden building which has an entrance
on its right side and a balcony outside the door. A flight of stairs
cut out of thick tree trunks leads to the door for people to get in
and out of the house. The wooden boards used in building the house are
either square or oval. Animals are kept in the shed downstairs. A thin
board partitions off the room upstairs into two parts; the one in the
front serves as a living room while the one at the back as bedroom.
The fire in the center of the front room plays an important role in
the Lahus' daily lives. After entering the front room, guests and family
members often sit together around the fire. Most of the Lahu's houses
are bamboo-wood structures with sloping roofs built in Ganlan(split-level)
style. It is a traditional custom for all of his fellow villagers to
come to help whenever a Lahu is going to build a new house. At the completion
of the new house, a ceremony in name of "tying the rope of good
luck" is held when the whole village is involved in happy celebrations.
Black is the Lahu's favorite color. Their costumes best reflect the
taste. Men wear black headbands, black collarless long jackets buttoned
on the right side, and baggy trousers. Style of women's clothes depends
on the different clans they belong to. Women of the Laguna clan wrap
around their heads a scarf of over three meters long, and wear long
gowns edged with cloth of different colors, whereas women of Lagusi
clan prefer short jackets and tube-shaped skirts with red patterns on
the black background.
Rice and maize are the Lahus' staple food. Their daily diet also includes
buckwheat, wheat, various beans, and different kinds of fruits. Nevertheless,
roast meat and preserved food are their favorite. One remarkable eating
habit of the Lahu people is that they like to roast the food they eat
and even drink "roast tea." This special tea is made by roasting
the tea put in a tea-pot on a fire until it turns brown or burnt, and
then steeping it in boiling water. To guests who come a long way to
visit, the host must present to them several cups of "roast tea"
in order to show respect and hospitality. Affected by the sincerity,
hospitality along with the aromatic flavor of the roast tea, the guests
can't help admiring the long history of Lahu's tea culture.
There are four most important occasions the Lahu celebrate each year,
namely, the Bigger Festival, the Lesser Festival, the GodsWorshipping
Festival and the New-rice Eating Festival. They are closely related
with the Lahu people's daily work and lives, and thus bear features
unique to the nationality. Spring Festival of Han nationality is also
celebrated by the Lahus but in name of the Bigger and Lesser festivals.
The Bigger Festival spans four days, from the first to the fourth of
the lunar New Year. The Lesser Festival, known as Lahu men's festival,
lasts three days, beginning the first day of the lunar New Year. The
Spring Festival is thus divided because, according to Lahu's legends,
in ancient times men went out hunting during the Spring Festival. When
they were home, the New Year's day had already passed. Therefore, they
wanted to make up for it with a delayed celebration.
The two occasions are the Lahu's most joyful time. To celebrate them,
people dress up in their best and dance amongst the music of gongs and
elephant-feet-shaped drums. Lusheng (a wind instrument with a reed)
Dance is also popular among the Lahus. In the performance, the dancers
imitate the most familiar motions of people at work. Almost every Lahu
knows how to perform it.
The winding Lancang River flows far into eternity, nurturing as ever
the brave, hardworking people of the Lahu nationality and their fertile
native land. As the "open-door" policy takes effect in the
area, the Lahus come to realize that their weatherbeaten land does
not only has the nation's history written on it, but also holds promise
for a prosperous future. The Lahus are ready to embrace the bright future
and make a heroic new era.
|
 |