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Chinese Name: 普米族
English Name: The Pumi people
Languages: Pumi language 普米语, Chinese 汉语
Total population: 4.3*104 (China mainland 2022)
Distribution: Lanping Bai and Pumi Autonomous County, Ninglang Yi Autonomous County, Lijiang city, Yulong Naxi Autonomous County,etc.
Brief introduction
The Pumi people 普米族 are one of the 56 ethnic groups 56个民族 officially recognized by China. Communities are mainly distributed in Lanping Bai and Pumi Autonomous County 兰坪白族普米族自治县, Ninglang Yi Autonomous County 宁蒗彝族自治县, Lijiang city 丽江市, Yulong Naxi Autonomous County 玉龙纳西族自治县, etc.
The history of the Pumi people
Judging from the Chinese historical records and the national legends and ethnological materials, the Pumi nationality originated from the Diqiang (an ancient nomadic nation in China) ethnic group 氐羌族. According to the legends of the Pumis, their ancestors were originally nomadic people living in the Tibetan Plateau 青藏高原, and then gradually migrated to the warm and lush areas, and moved south to the Dadu River 大渡河 west of the Qionglai Mountains 邛崃山 in Sichuan 四川.
The religion of the Pumi people
The religious beliefs of the Pumis are mainly primitive religions, and a few Pumi people also believe in Taoism or Tibetan Buddhism 藏传佛教. The mountain god offering is one of the most solemn sacrificial activities of the Pumi nationality. The public sacrifice to the mountain god is held once a year, and a cow or sheep is required to be sacrificed. When the festival is held, the whole village or the whole clan attends the festival.
The Cultures of the Pumi people
The architecture of the Pumi people 普米族建筑
Except for a few Han-style tile-covered buildings, most of the houses of the Pumi nationality are buildings with a plank hut and earth-wall structure or wood-walled buildings. The “wood-walled building” is a pure wood structure, with a wooden plank roof, and four walls stacked with wood. The skulls of cattle, sheep and wild animals are usually hung outside the gate to ward off evil spirits and wish the livestock to be prosperous. Hanging pig bones in the room symbolizes wealth, and hanging pig urine bubbles is believed to have an effect on fire prevention.
The diet of the Pumi people 普米族饮食
The diet of the Pumis is mainly corn, and they also eat rice, wheat, and highland barley. Tsampa 糌粑 noodles are the traditional food of the Pumis. The noodles are rich in nutrients and high in calories, which is very suitable for satisfying hunger and keeping warm. The practice is to wash the highland barley, dry, fry and grind it into flour to make noodles. After the founding of New China, the food culture and customs of the Pumi nationality were mainly those of the Han Chinese 汉族.
Pumis like to drink butter tea. The way to make it is to put a piece of butter or lard in a tea bucket first, add a small amount of salt and melon seeds, pour boiling water into the bucket, and stir well until the oil and water are integrated and ready to drink.
The costumes of the Pumi people 普米族服饰
According to the records of the Ming 明 and Qing 清 dynasties, in the history of the Pumi nationality, the men in the costumes braided their hair and wore a Tibetan hat, a sabre, a felt, and earrings, a sleeve on the left hand and bare feet. The woman wears braided hair on her shoulders, has a lot of jewellery, and wears a skirt, barefoot.
After the founding of New China, the Pumi people, together with other ethnic groups, were more influenced by the clothing culture of the Han nationality in their clothing, and their clothing tended to be simple.
Women’s headwear generally only uses floral handkerchiefs, wears long coats with collars and cuffs trimmed, coats with red, black and green collars, black or white square waistbands with colourful trims, and some simple accessories. Except for ceremonies and festivals, most men in various places wear daily clothes.
The festivals of the Pumi people 普米族节日
The Pumi people have their own festivals, mainly including New Year’s Day, the Great Fifteenth Festival 大十五节, the Rock Cave 绕岩洞, etc. The Chinese New Year is the most solemn festival of the Pumi people, which usually lasts from three days to half a month.
During the Spring Festival, the Pumi people living in Lanping 兰坪县 area have the custom of slaughtering pigs for Chinese New Year. No matter how many guests come, they will give each person a lump of barbecued meat and a bowl of bone soup to show their closeness as flesh and blood.
People from the same clan of the Pumi people invite collectives to go up to the mountains to graze their cattle, have a meal together, and bring sumptuous dishes to each family. Young men and women will hold various recreational activities such as horse racing, target shooting, running, and wrestling.
