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The
Hezhes are one of the smallest ethnic minority groups in China.
In fact, poverty and oppression had reduced their numbers to a
mere 300 at the time of the founding of the People's Republic
of China in 1949. Since then, however, they have made speedy advances
in their economic life and health care, so that by 1990 the population
had grown to 4,300.
They are a nomadic
people who live mainly by hunting and fishing in the plain formed
by the Heilong, Songhua and Wusuli rivers in Tongjiang, Fuyuan
and Raohe counties in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.
Their language, which belongs to the Manchu-Tungusic group of
the Altaic family, has no written form. For communication with
outsiders they use the spoken and written Chinese language.
In winter they
travel by sled and hunt on skis. They are also skilled at carpentry,
tanning and iron smelting; but these are still cottage industries.
Customs and Culture
Traditional Hezhe clothing is made of fish
skins and deer hides. The decorations of the clothes consist
of buttons made of catfish bones and collars and cuffs dyed
in cloud-shaped patterns. Women wear fish-skin and deer-hide
dresses decorated with shells and colored strips of dyed deer
hide in cloud, plant and animal designs. Bear skins and birch
bark are also used to make thick boots which everyone wears
in winter.
Unmarried girls used to tie their hair in
one braid, while married women wore two. Bracelets were common
ornaments for all women, but only old women wore earrings.
Since the mid-20th century, these styles
have fallen out of fashion to a great extent, along with the
primitive shamanism which used to be the Hezhes' religion.
Monogamy is
the normal practice, but polygamy was sometimes indulged in
by the wealthier members of the tribe. Marriage partners had
to be selected from among members of other clans, and early
marriage, arranged by the parents, was normal. Though remarriage
for widows was sanctioned, no marriage ceremony was performed.
The dead were
buried in the wilderness, in log-lined pits covered with a mound.
Dead infants were bundled in birch bark and suspended from the
limbs of trees, in the hope that their souls would be freed
into the air and promote the prosperity of the parents.
Story telling
and ballad singing are favorite pastimes among the Hezhe people,
who have a wealth of folktales. Some of the longer epics and
ballads can last for days on end, as tales of ancient heroes
are narrated in speech alternating with songs.
Short and lively
shuohuli songs used to be sung by the elders to initiate the
younger members of the tribe into the tribal lore. The Hezhes
also sing songs with extempore words; typical are "jialingkuo"
and "henina." Embroidery is a highly developed art
among the Hezhes -- probably perfected over the centuries of
long winter nights. Geometrical and floral patterns decorate
clothing, shoes and tobacco pouches.
They are also
noted for their carved wooden furniture, birch bark boxes and
utensils, which sport images of Buddha, plants and animals.
Historical Background
The Hezhes trace
their lineage back to the nomadic Nuzhens, a race of Tartar
horsemen who ravaged the northern borders of several Chinese
dynasties. The Hezhes of different regions call themselves by
various names, prominent among which are Nanai, Nabei and Naniao
-- all meaning "natives" or "aborigines."
They first came under Chinese sway during the Tang Dynasty (618-907)
when the Heilong Military Region was set up to rule the area.
In the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) the Hezhes were incorporated
into the military "eight banner" system of the Manchu
rulers.
The Qing government
adopted divide-and-rule tactics by giving titles and administrative
power to the local tribal chiefs, who then used their privileges
to exploit the poorer Hezhes, thus creating a feudal hierarchy.
But it was when they fell under
the rule of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo during Japanese
occupation of China's northeast that the Hezhes reached
the depths of misery. A policy of genocide was practiced, under
which the Hezhes were herded into concentration camps. Their
diet was inadequate, as they could no longer hunt and fish freely,
and opium addiction was rife. The death toll under these conditions
was high and the Hezhes dwindled rapidly in numbers, reaching
the point of extinction as a separate ethnic group just before
China's national liberation in 1949.
With the end
of the World War II, the Hezhes returned
to their old hunting grounds and rebuilt their homes with help
from the central government. Loans and relief funds enabled
them to resume their traditional way of life. Farming was encouraged
and many of the Hezhes went in for it, as others formed production
teams to pursue hunting and fishing. With their initiative brought
into full play, the Hezhes began to have a thriving economy.
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