Feng shui aerial photography in Jianhe County, Guizhou Province
Dong
The Dong population is about 2.9 million.
General situation of nationalities
Dong people in China are mainly distributed in Liping, Congjiang, Rongjiang, Tianzhu, Jinping, Sansui, Zhenyuan, Jianhe and Yuping in Guizhou, Xinhuang, Jingxian and Tongdao in Hunan, Sanjiang, Longsheng and Rongshui in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Enshi, Xuanen and Xianfeng in Hubei. According to the statistics of the fifth national census in 2000, the Dong population was 2,960,293. Dong language is used, which belongs to the Dong Shui language branch of Zhuang Dong language family of Sino-Tibetan language family, and is divided into two dialects: South and North. Originally, there were no words, but Chinese was used. 1958, Establishment of Dong Language Scheme for Latin Alphabet.
During the Qin and Han Dynasties, many tribes lived in today's Guangdong and Guangxi regions, collectively known as Luoyue (a branch of Baiyue). After Wei and Jin Dynasties, these tribes were also called "Liao". In "Red Cliff" written by Kuang Lu in Ming Dynasty, it is said that the Dong people are also a part of "Liao". At present, the distribution of Dong people is adjacent to the residence of Zhuang, Shui, Maonan and other ethnic groups belonging to the Baiyue family, and their languages belong to the Zhuang-Dong language family, so their customs and habits have many similarities. Dong people may have developed from a branch of Luoyue. After the development stage of primitive society, the Dong people realized the direct transition from primitive society to feudal society in the Tang Dynasty. Some people think that after the development stage of slave society. From the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, the central dynasty established the system of Jimizhou and Tusi in Dong areas, and the society was in the early stage of feudal society. In the early Qing Dynasty, "returning farmland to streams" was implemented. The Dong people were directly ruled by the Qing Dynasty, and the land was increasingly concentrated, entering the stage of feudal landlord economic development. However, the remnants of some clan organizations in Dong society, such as "River width" with the nature of tribal alliance linked by region, still exist widely. Each clan or village is presided over by "elders" or "village elders" and maintains social order with customary law. "Combination payment" is divided into sizes. "Small width" consists of several adjacent villages; "Big money" is a combination of several "small money". "Xiaofeng" was recommended by the village, and "gale" was agreed by Xiaofeng. * * * The agreed "agreement" must be observed, and the people's congress is the highest authority, and all adult men must participate to discuss the matters in the agreement. This organization has been preserved until the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China.
socioeconomics
1840 After the Opium War, with the invasion of foreign capitalist forces, the Dong area gradually became a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. Under the cruel exploitation of imperialism, honest officials, feudal landlords and usurers, the life of the Dong people is extremely poor. Until the Dong nationality area before liberation, the feudal landlord economy still dominated. In some places, the average land occupied by landlords is more than 20 times that of poor and middle peasants, and the landlord class exploits farmers through land rent. The exploitation of farmers by commercial capital and usury capital is also extremely serious. During the period of Kuomintang rule, the reactionary Kuomintang government implemented the reactionary Baojia system in the Dong area, used some feudal elites as pseudo-squires and defenders, made an ill will for the tigers, and practiced fascist rule over the working people in a way of "even protecting and sitting together", which plunged the Dong people into the abyss of infinite pain.
After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), the Dong nationality, Zhuang nationality, Yao nationality and Miao nationality in Longsheng County of Guangxi established Longsheng Autonomous County on August/0/95 19. 1952 65438+On February 3rd, Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County was established in Guangxi. On May 7th, 1954, Tongdao Dong Autonomous County in Hunan Province was established. 1956 On July 23rd, Guizhou Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture was established. In the same year, on February 5, 65438, xinhuang dong autonomous county was founded. 1984165438+1October 7, Yuping county was established. The implementation of the policy of regional ethnic autonomy has realized the desire of the Dong people to be masters of their own affairs. These autonomous regions successively completed democratic reforms in the early 1950s. From 65438 to 0954, Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County carried out land reform through democratic consultation. Then, these autonomous areas respectively completed the socialist transformation of private ownership of the means of production and carried out socialist construction, especially after the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Party, which changed the face of Dong areas. These places have adopted new agricultural production techniques, and the grain output has increased year by year. Agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and by-products have also developed in an all-round way. With the great development of local industries, small and medium-sized local industries such as machinery, fertilizer, cement and paper making have been established in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture. Most villages in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County have used electricity. The development of hydropower has greatly promoted the development of agricultural mechanization. Before the founding of New China, there were only less than 500 kilometers of roads in southeastern Guizhou; Now the Hunan-Guizhou railway runs through the southeast of Guizhou, and there are highways in counties and towns, and cars in villages and towns. Before liberation, there were only L middle schools and no more than 3 primary schools in each county. Now, middle schools are all over the districts, primary schools are all over the teams, and a large number of young people enter middle schools and even universities for further study. Schools of all levels and types have trained a large number of Dong cadres, teachers, technicians, engineers, experts and scholars. Some Dong villages have set up their own amateur night schools. Dong people used to seek witchcraft and believe in ghosts and gods when they were sick, but now they extend medical treatment. Malignant infectious diseases such as smallpox, malaria, cholera and dysentery have basically disappeared, effectively safeguarding people's health and promoting production development. People's lives are booming, and many people have sewing machines, bicycles, radios and televisions.
Culture and art
Dong people's culture and art are rich and colorful, and they have the reputation of "hometown of poetry and ocean of songs". Dong people's poems are rigorous in rhythm, wide in subject matter, healthy and clear in artistic conception and vivid in metaphor. Among them, lyric poetry is delicate, sincere and enthusiastic. ; Narrative poems are euphemistic and tortuous, with profound implications, and are extremely precious cultural heritage of Dong folk literature. Poetry lyrics are mostly based on human origin, national migration and customary law, which has historical value. Zhu Lang Niang Die, mang years old, saburo and five sisters are the most popular. There are many beautiful music tunes. A multi-part chorus "big song" has a loud voice, great momentum and free rhythm. Pipa music, named after the accompaniment of pipa or Geyiqin (Dong language ki2 12, commonly known as Niubatui), has a cheerful and smooth tune and is unique to Dong people. Folk stories and legends have a wide range of themes, various forms, strange twists and turns, fascinating and romantic expressions, which reflect the rich imagination and good wishes of the Dong people to pursue light and overcome evil. Dong Opera developed from the initial narrative rap, which began in the early 9th century/KLOC-0. According to legend, it was created by Wu Wencai (about 1798 ~ 1845), a Dong nationality in Liping. The catwalk is simple, the movements are simple and the tunes are changeable. When singing, it is accompanied by "Geyiqin", gongs and drums are loud, wearing Dong costumes, not painting faces, and full of national colors. Dong folk dances include "Duoye", Lusheng, dragon dance and lion dance. "Duoye" is a kind of mass collective song and dance, where men and women form a circle hand in hand and sing while walking. Lusheng dance is a group dance in which dancers play Lusheng while dancing. In addition to the above musical instruments, there are Dong flute, suona and so on. Handicrafts include flower picking, embroidery, painting, carving, paper cutting, paper carving, rattan weaving and bamboo weaving. Embroidery is a skill that Dong women are good at. They embroidered various patterns, figures, animals, flowers and insects on their costumes, with vivid images and rich and harmonious colors. Silver ornaments include collars, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, silver hair clips and silver flowers. Textiles include Dong Brocade, Dong Pa and Dong Cloth. First dyed with indigo, and then painted with protein's "egg cloth", which is bright in color and is the inherent material of Dong people.
Dong people are good at stone and wood architecture. Drum tower and bridge are the crystallization of their architectural art. Drum tower is a wooden structure, connected by tenons without nails. There are three, five or even fifteen floors, and water is poured on four sides or six sides and eight sides, and the height is 4 ~ 5 feet. Climbing over the eaves, like a pagoda, it is a symbol of a family or a village, and also a place for people to gather. Yufeng Bridge is a wooden bridge with stone piers, long corridor and bridge pavilion, which is magnificent. Chengyang Bridge in Sanjiang County is the most famous and has been listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit.
Social customs and habits
Most Dong people wear self-spun, self-woven and self-dyed Dong cloth. They like blue, purple, white and blue. Men's clothing is the same as that of the Han nationality near the town, but slightly different in remote mountainous areas. They are wearing collarless jackets, trousers and a handkerchief worn by their right hands. Some have hairs on their heads. Women's clothing varies from place to place, such as trousers, clothes with shoulder pads, silver beads and braids; Those who wear knee-length clothes, hem cuffs and trousers with piping or lace, and hold up their hair; Wearing a big coat, a big trouser leg, a Cambodian belt, a Baotou handkerchief and a bun; There are double-breasted clothes, chest linings, pleated skirts, waist-binding, foot-binding or leggings, and a bun inserted into the silver spine; Wide sleeves, big breasts, embroidered dragon and phoenix flowers, long skirts over the knees, combing hair; And Hanfu. Generally like to wear silver ornaments.
Dong people's diet is mainly rice, Pingba area is mainly japonica rice, and mountainous areas eat more glutinous rice. Generally like to eat Chili and sour. Self-processed "fermented fish" and "fermented meat" will not go bad after being stored for more than ten years. It is the hospitality habit of Dong people to entertain guests with camellia oleifera. The villages of the Dong nationality are surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the southern region is the most distinctive. There are many ancient trees at the end of the village, and the stream crosses the "wind and rain bridge". There are four fish ponds in the village. According to the surname, the Drum Tower stands among them. Live in a "dry fence" house, live upstairs, raise livestock, and pile up debris downstairs.
"Mid-Autumn Festival" is a social activity. People go from one village to another to play lusheng or sing and sing operas. Off-season bullfighting is one of the collective entertainment activities. At that time, young and old will gather together, with a sea of people, cheers and thunder, gongs and drums, and iron cannons shaking the valley. If guests from other villages pass by this village, they will stop at the edge of the village and answer with a song called "Zhazhai Gate". "Singing and sitting on the moon", also known as "singing and sitting at night", is the general term for young men and women to socialize and fall in love. The Dong nationality area in the north is called "mountain play", where young men and women meet in groups of three and five to sing love songs on the hillside after work. In the southern Dong area, it is called "Walking Village" or "Walking Girl". In the evening, the girls work together in the house, and the boys in Kezhai bring musical instruments to accompany them and talk about their love. When making out, men and women exchange notes (give gifts) and make promises to each other, which is a matter between husband and wife. Dong people in Fulu and other places in Sanjiang County often gather in Guangping on March 3 or February 2 in the summer calendar to punch an iron ring with a special fire bag. When landing, everyone will grab it, and the winner will get a generous reward. This is the so-called "fireworks grab".
The marriage of Dong people is monogamous. Cousins are more popular, and aunts, cousins and people of different generations can't get married. After marriage, women have the custom of "sitting at home" (that is, "staying at home"). Before liberation, the basic social unit of Dong nationality was patriarchal clan system with feudal patriarchal system. Women's status in society and family is lower than that of men, and women are forbidden to touch bronze drums; Men or elders are downstairs and are not allowed to go upstairs. Dong girls can only enjoy the "private houses" accumulated by their parents and themselves and a small amount of "girl fields" and "girl fields" after marriage. Men inherit the family business, and those who have no heirs can adopt adopted sons.
Funerals are generally buried like the Han nationality. In some areas, there is also the custom of stopping burial. After someone died in a funeral, they parked their coffins in the suburbs and buried them together after their own and their contemporaries died.
Religious beliefs and important festivals
Believing in polytheism and worshiping natural objects, ancient trees, boulders, wells and bridges are all objects of worship. Taking the female surname "Sa Sui" (meaning the mother who founded the village) as the supreme god, every village has established a "Sa Sui Temple". Use chicken, grass, egg, snail, rice and rice to determine good or bad luck.
The Dong people's festival is the Spring Festival, where they worship the ox god (the eighth day of April or the sixth day of June in the lunar calendar) and eat Chinese New Year's goods (the seventh month in the lunar calendar). In some areas, people celebrate the Year of Dong in 10 or 1 1 month. Due to the inter-ethnic communication, Dong people also have Tomb-Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Double Ninth Festival.