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Chinese Name: 傈僳族
English Name: The Lisu people
Languages: Lisu language 傈僳语, Chinese 汉语
Total population: 7.03*105 (China mainland 2022)
Distribution: Mainly distributed in the border areas of Yunnan, China, Tibet and Kachin, Myanmar
Brief introduction
The Lisu people 傈僳族 mainly live in the Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture 怒江傈僳族自治州 in the northwest of Yunnan Province. The Lisu people belong to the South Asian type of Mongolian ethnicity, and the national language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan languages 汉藏语系.
The history of the Lisu people
The Lisu people originate from the ancient Di-Qiang ethnic group (ancient Chinese ethnic groups) and belong to the South Asian type of the Mongolian race, which is closely related to the Yi people 彝族. They originally belonged to the same ethnic origin, but after a long historical development, they gradually differentiated into different ethnic groups.
The religion of the Lisu people
The Lisu nationality generally believes in primitive religion, which takes nature worship and the concept of the soul as its basic content, and takes the sacrificial activities of killing animals in the event of diseases and disasters as its main form, which exists in the Lisu areas. Since modern times, Christianity and Catholicism have been introduced into the Nujiang area, and some Lisu people have turned to Christianity, and a small number of them have also believed in Catholicism.
The Cultures of the Lisu people
The costumes of the Lisu people 傈僳族服饰
Before the founding of New China, most of the Lisu men and women in the Nujiang region wore linen clothes made by themselves, and only a few wealthy households and upper-class people wore cotton clothes. There are two styles of clothing for Lisu women. One is a short shirt on top and a skirt on the bottom, the skirt is ankle-length, and the skirt is folded a lot. The other type wears a short shirt and trousers, with a small apron on the outside of the trousers.
Lisu men’s clothing is all linen long or short shirts, and the trousers are knee-length. All adult men like to wear a machete on the left waist and a quiver which is mostly made of bear skin and monkey skin on the right waist.
The architecture of the Lisu people 傈僳族建筑
Bronze drums have a history of more than 2,000 years. At present, there are more than 600 pieces unearthed and collected in Guangxi, and more than 1,400 pieces have been collected and registered by the people. There are many types and sizes of bronze drums, with the largest diameter reaching 1.63 meters. The smallest weight is twenty or thirty kilograms, and the large one is nearly 500 kilograms.
The use of bronze drums has always been different. There are military music, folk music, sacrificial music, and a symbol of power and wealth. The bronze drum is not only a practical tool but also a beautiful work of art. It has both embossed patterns and three-dimensional sculptures. It is a combination of sculpture art and vertical sculpture and is a comprehensive artwork that reflects the superb casting technology and artistic level of Zhuang craftsmen.
The dance of the Lisu people 傈僳族舞蹈
The dance of the Lisu nationality reflects the daily labour life of the Lisu people, the process of fighting against nature, and the open-minded spiritual outlook. Such as monkey boxing dance, pigeon drinking water dance, bird king dance, etc. that imitate animal movements and habits.
The dances of the Lisu nationality are mostly collective dances. The dances of the Lisu nationality are mostly group dances. Men and women form a circle. The dance steps are performed in a circle, and the accompaniment is in the middle. Because the dance of the Lisu nationality mostly adopts the rhythm of 2 beats or a mixed rhythm of 2 beats and 3 beats, the dance is enthusiastic and full of passion, showing the distinctive national characteristics of the Lisu dance.
The festival of the Lisu people 傈僳族节日
During the period from the fifth day of the 12th lunar month to the 10th day of the first lunar month of the following year, the Lisu people usher in the annual festival. During the festival, people usually pound rice cakes 年糕 and glutinous corn cakes and brew mellow water wine.
On the first day of the annual festival, young men and women from all over the country have to dress up and gather in public places in their villages to participate in colourful activities. This is a great time for young men and women to reveal their love to each other and to befriend and make friends.
Young men often win the love of girls with their superb archery skills, and some young men and women express their love with beautiful dancing and melodious singing. Once there is love for each other, they will give each other gifts. It is through this activity that many young men and women set their lives.
