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The
Daurs live mainly in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and
Heilongjiang Province. About several thousand of them are found
in the Tacheng area in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in
northwest China. They are descendents of Daurs who moved to China's
western region in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The Daurs
speak a language related to Mongolian and used Manchu during the
Qing Dynasty as their written language. Since the 1911 Revolution,
mandarin Chinese has replaced Manchu.
The biggest Daur community is in the Morin
Dawa Daur Autonomous Banner, which was set up on August 15,
1958 on the left bank of the Nenjiang River in Heilongjiang
Province. This 11,943 sq. km.-area has lush pasture and farmland.
The main crops are maize, sorghum, wheat, soybeans and rice.
In the mountains which border the Daur community on the north
are stands of valuable timber -- such as oak, birch and elm
-- and medicinal herbs. Wildlife, including bears, deer, lynx
and otters are found in the forests. Mineral deposits in the
area include gold, mica, iron and coal.
History
The Daur people are thought to be descended,
along with the Ewenkis and Oroqens, from the Khitan nomads,
who founded the Liao Dynasty (916-1125). They originally inhabited
the lower reaches of the Heilong River.
In the early
Qing Dynasty, the Daurs had a diversified economy which comprised
fishing, hunting, farming and stock raising. They traded hides
for metal implements, cloth and other articles from the more
economically advanced Hans.
During the reign
of Emperor Shun Zhi (1644-1662), the Daurs moved south and settled
on the banks of the Nenjiang River, from where they were constantly
conscripted to serve in the armies of the Qing emperors and
in garrisons all over the Chinese empire. The Daurs helped to
repel Cossack invaders from Tsarist Russia in 1643 and 1651.
Traditional Economy and Customs
Before the founding of the People's
Republic of China in 1949, the Daurs had a well developed agriculture,
with per-hectare yield of grain reaching 350 kg. They raised
horses and oxen. Those living in the mountainous north of the
area were also engaged in hunting, charcoal burning, edible
plants gathering, tanning, and the manufacture of carts and
wooden pipes. Distribution of land and animals was very uneven,
with the big landlords exploiting the majority of the people.
Monogamy was the general rule, and marriages
were arranged by the parents. A man from a different clan would
go to live with his wife's family, but had no claim of their
property. Closest ties are those between
brothers-in-law. All important celebrations require the presence
of the brothers-in-law and their families, who send gifts to
new-born children.
The religion of the Daurs was shamanism,
while a few were followers of Lamaism. The biggest festival
of the year was held in May, when pigs and oxen would be sacrificed
to the gods to ensure prosperity for the coming year. At the
Spring Festival, sacrifices were made to the ancestors and firecrackers
set off in the evening. Everyone joined in a round of visits
to their neighbors to partake of steamed New Year cakes and
give presents of various delicacies.
Pipes are passed to visitors, men and women
alike, as a sign of respect. Girls make elaborate tobacco pouches
and slip them into the pockets of young men who take their fancy.
Wrestling, horse racing and archery are popular
sports among the Daurs. They also play a kind of football with
a ball made of ox hair.
Daur villages
are neat, usually built on mountain slopes and facing streams,
and the houses have courtyards surrounded by wickerwork fences.
The women have
always been renowned for their needlework, decorating their
clothing with fine patterns. Men wear straw hats in summer or
simply tie a piece of white cloth around their foreheads. In
winter they wear leather caps with ear flaps. Women wear white
cloth socks and patterned shoes in summer, donning leather boots
and long gowns in winter.
Typical of the
daily diet of the Daurs is millet or buckwheat noodles mixed
with milk, buckwheat cakes and oat porridge cooked with soybeans.
Game figures high on the list of Daur delicacies, especially
deer meat, pheasant and duck. They cultivate a variety of vegetables.
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