Population and Distribution
The Bouyei (also Buyi) people, with a population of 2,545,059, are
mainly scattered in the Bouyei and Miao autonomous prefectures in
south Guizhou and Anshun. Some live in the Miao and Dong autonomous
prefecture in southeastern Guizhou and around Guiyang while there
is also a sparse distribution in the Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi and
other provinces.
History
The Bouyei people were the aboriginal dwellers on the south-east
Yunnan-Guizhiou Plateau. They evolved from the ancient "Luoyue"
and "Liao" people. They have been variously known as the
Dujunman (Dunjun barbarian) during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms
and subsequently as "Zhongmiao", "Zhongjia",
"Bafan" during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Throughout
these periods they always referred to themselves as "Buyi"
or Burao". With the founding of the PRC in 1949, following
consultation with the ethnic group it was decided to agree upon
the official name of Bouyei ethnic group.
Language
The Bouyei people have their own language, which belongs to the
Zhuang-Dai branch of the Zhuang-Dong group of the Chinese-Tibetan
family. This language has no traditional written form and Han characters
are widely used, although a written system based upon the Latin
alphabet was created with government assistance after 1949.
Religion
Practice is polytheistic and animistic and traditional worship
of the heavens, the earth, ancestors, spirits of both the mountains
and the soil, the Emperor of the waters and the forests prevail.
In addition, there is also a fairly strong Catholic Christian following.
Economy
Agriculture predominates with an emphasis upon rice production.
The regions they inhabit are blessed with fertile land and a mild
climate, providing the right conditions for growing paddy rice,
wheat, maize, dry rice, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, potatoes and
beans. Other profitable cash crops include cotton, ramie, tobacco,
sugar cane, tung oil, tea and oil-tea camellia. These main crops
are supplemented by the production of raw silk and the cultivation
of hemp, bamboo shoots and bananas.
In a region endowed with verdant mountains and plentiful water,
the Bouyei lands abound with a great variety of resources. This
is the chosen habitat of many rare and threatened species of animals
and birds such as tigers, leopards, bears, musk deer, foxes, golden
pheasants and others that have settled here. Medicinal herbs are
abundant in the woods, and the area is also rich in mineral resources,
such as coal, iron, zinc, antimony, copper, petroleum, asbestos
and mercury.
The enchanting scenery has meant the area has become very popular
with tourists. Among the best known are the Dragon's Palace Cave
Scenic Area, Huangguoshu Scenic Area, and the Zhaodi Dyke Scenic
Area which are all located here. Thousands of tourists visit these
spots every year and tourism has become a major source of income.
Handcraft
Handcrafts of the Bouyei people are highly developed. The Bouyei
are particularly well known for cloth weaving and their process
of batik dyeing, often referred to as 'Wax Painting Art.'
In order to create a batik design, cloth is first immersed in wax
onto which a pattern is drawn. Sections of wax are then removed
to allow dyes to colour the fabric. Once the dyeing process is completed,
the remaining wax is removed in hot water thus revealing the undyed
portions. After a further washing the cloth will be left in the
shade to dry.
Residence
Typically, the Bouyei build their villages near the mountains and
water. As a rule, a village will consist of no more than 100 houses
or families. A banyan or camphor tree is usually to be found at
the entrance to a village, as these are considered to be sacred,
providing protection and good fortune to the village and its inhabitants.
Houses can be either bungalows with separate outbuildings or two
storied stone dwellings with upper floor for family accommodation
and living space for the livestock below. Traditionally, roofs were
of thatch, although new homes now tend to be constructed of brick
with tiled roofs.
Diet
Rice (including sticky rice and dry rice) is the staple Bouyei
food. This is complemented with various vegetables, pork, fish or
chicken. Their food is tart and spicy. They have a saying that "if
a man eats no tart dishes, he can't walk." They also drink
home produced rice wine. Each year, following the autumn harvest,
all families will brew a large quantity of wine for consumption
over the next year.
Fashion
The typical costume of Bouyei men comprises a long sleeved short
shirt with the buttons down the front worn with long trousers. Young
men like to wrap their heads with scarves of black or lattice cloth.
Compared with the men's clothes, those of the women are more varied
and complex depending upon the area in which they live.
In Guizhou Province, women's dress comes in four different styles,
namely: the Northwest, Southwest, Central, and Eastern style.
The women living in the northwest favour a short black jacket,
secured with a band tied on the left rather than buttons. The jacket
will have a batik pattern on the cuffs and front. It is worn with
a pleated skirt made of batik cloth, a turban, silver ornaments,
and an apron. Unmarried women wear a plain apron, while those who
are married wear an apron with an embroidered floral pattern. The
Central style, which can be found in Huishui and Changshun includes
long green trousers, silver ornaments (hairpins, neck bands, earrings,
and silver bracelets), and an apron. Women living in the southwest
often wear either trousers with a long sleeved blue jacket buttoned
on the right or an embroidered coat with a long pleated batik skirt.
The sleeve fronts and shoulders of the coat are usually decorated
with either batik or embroidery. The Eastern style includes a dress
and trousers trimmed in lace, and a turban. Following long term
contact with the Han people, the Eastern dress differs little from
that of the Han.
Social Life
The Bouyei ethnic group has a rich folk literary heritage, which
includes fairy tales, fables, folk songs, proverbs and poems. The
content extends to all aspects of their lives. Some will relate
the tribal origins, some tell of historical events and heroic figures.
Others are expressions of sentiment or will narrate events. Singing
is very popular among the Bouyei people. Entertainment during festivals
will often include singing competitions. Dozens of singers of both
sexes sing musical dialogues in antiphonal style. They can sing
day and night for up to a week without repeating the words of their
ballads. Popular musical instruments include lusheng, a horn called
the suona, xiao (a kind of vertical flute), yueqin, etc. Various
forms of drama are performed, including their own Bouyei Drama,
Dixi Drama and Huadeng Drama. The Bouyei Drama combines music, dance
and costume. They also perform and enjoy traditional Han Drama.
Festivals
The Bouyei people have many festivals. Most of these are gatherings
for forming new and renewing old friendships. Held on the hills
or in the forest, these include singing and dancing, games and courtship
activities. The Chabai Singing Festival is an example.
The festival is held in the Xingyi area of Guizhou province between
June 21 and 23 of Chinese Lunar calendar. During the event, tens
of thousands of people of different nationalities from neighbouring
villages, counties, even neighbouring provinces, will participate.
The main activity is the singing contests. During the day, the competition
will be held in an arena but in the evening it will be performed
in the courtyards and houses of the local residents.
As with other ethnic groups, the Bouyei people also have some religious
festivals. These include the March 3rd Festival, June 6th Festival
and Ox King Festival. The March 3rd Festival celebrates the worship
of the god of the mountain and community. The June 6th Festival
commemorates the leader of an ancient uprising. The Ox King Festival
comes on the first day of spring plowing. During this festival,
each family steams glutinous rice that has been dyed in five different
colours. After sacrificing to their ancestors, they feed half of
the rice to their oxen which are then allowed to rest for remainder
of the day.
Funeral Rites
Burial is customary with the Bouyei people. The day of the funeral
will be chosen by the priest who conducts an "opening the way"
ceremony during which a bull is slaughtered. The priest then leads
the procession to the grave site accompanied by the sounds of horns
and drums. Paper money and incense are burned. Three years after
the burial the remains are disinterred and the bones are placed
in a clay jar for reburial.
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