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Chinese Name: 哈尼族
English Name: The Hani people
Languages: Hani language 哈尼语, Chinese 汉语
Total population: 1.66*106 (China mainland 2022)
Distribution: Mainly distributed in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture
Brief introduction
The Hani people 哈尼族 are mainly distributed between Yuanjiang River and Lancang River in Yunnan, China, and inhabited Honghe County 红河县, Jiangcheng County 江城县. In 1957, the party and the government helped the Hani people to create a script based on the Latin alphabet 拉丁字母, which was tested and implemented in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture 红河哈尼族彝族自治州, and it is still in use today.
The history of the Hani people
Hani ethnic group originated from the ancient Qiang people. The ancient Qiang people were nomadic on the Tibetan Plateau 青藏高原. From 384 BC to 362 BC, the Qin Dynasty 秦朝 expanded rapidly, and the nomadic groups of the ancient Qiang people living in the Tibetan Plateau were attacked and dispersed. After the Hani people settled on the Dadu River 大渡河 for farming, they were forced to leave their farming settlements due to wars and other reasons and migrated again to Yunnan.
The religion of the Hani people
The religious beliefs of the Hani nationality are mainly polytheistic worship and ancestor worship. They believe that there are gods of the earth, and gods of villages and families, and they must be sacrificed regularly to pray for blessings. At the beginning of the 20th century, Christianity was introduced into some areas of the Hani ethnic group, and Buddhism was also spread in some areas. But they are not quite popular among the Hanni community and had little influence.
The Cultures of the Hani people
The costumes of the Hani people 哈尼族服饰
Hani nationality like to make clothes with navy blue cloth. The Hani men wear black or white head wrap, and the elderly wear melon caps, double-breasted jackets and trousers. On New Year’s Day or on a date with a girl, the boys put beautiful feathers or flowers on their heads.
Women’s clothing varies from place to place. In the Honghe area, they wear a right-sided cardigan without a collar, buttons made of silver coins, and long trousers. There are several coloured lace borders on the shoulder support, a big placket, cuffs and trouser legs of the clothes, and the waistcoat is bordered by cross-stitching.
When Hani men and women become adults, men should take off their hats and use a cloth to wrap their heads, while women should pat their hair with lard, comb it into a single drooping braid, tie a collar, and wear silver ornaments. In addition, both men and women need to dye their teeth red as a sign of adulthood during the bar mitzvah.
The architecture of the Hani people 哈尼族建筑
The Hani people choose to live in the middle of the mountain. The Hani nationality all have penthouses, and the buildings with double penthouses form quadrangle courtyards. The penthouse building has a flat roof. The roof is paved with thick wood, then cross-paved with fine wood and straw, and rammed with soil as a sun deck. Drying grains, drying clothes, enjoying the shade, children’s games, and women’s weaving are often carried out on the drying platform.
The daily etiquette of the Hani people 哈尼族日常礼仪
The Hani ethnic group have always been warm and hospitable. As long as there are guests, they will treat each other with wine. After the guests are seated, the host will first toast a bowl of rice wine, and three pieces of meat. When guests leave, some even send a package of cured meat wrapped in banana leaves.
The diet etiquette of the Hani people 哈尼族饮食
The Hani people eat two meals a day, mainly rice, supplemented by corn. The Hani nationality loves to eat meat. Pigs, cows, sheep, chickens and ducks are eaten in large pieces. Drinking in a big bowl is a gift for the host to entertain guests. Some people in the village kill pigs and slaughter chickens or make some delicious food. The elders of each household are invited to eat together, and the most tender and delicious parts such as liver are given to the elderly to enjoy.
Long Street Banquet is one of the special foods of the Hani people. The “Long Street Banquet” was held during the Hani New Year in October of the lunar calendar and lasted for 3 days. The peasant households in the whole village are divided into three groups and take turns being the host. Each family has a table of exquisite wine and food, and together with the table and chairs, they are carried out to the centre of the street, and they are arranged into a feast of more than 100 meters in the centre of the street. In addition, the whole village of Hui publicly recommended a highly respected old man to preside over the dragon sacrificial ceremony.
