The Naxi People in Yunnan Province

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As a branch of ancient Qiang, the Naxi people migrated many times until they eventually settleddown in present-day Naxi Autonomous County in Yunnan Province. Some can be found in other counties, some even in Sichuan. Their population is about 300,000.

In matrimonial and family life, the Naxi people still preserve the customs from the matriarchal society. For this reason, their homeland is called”the last land of women”on earth. The Naxi people in Yongning County of Yunnan, claiming to be”Mosuo,”are most typical. In a Mosuo family,a female, the woman of the eldest generation, dominates. She is in charge of everything in the family: production, life, food and clothing. She also leads a family worshipping ceremony. Generations are counted only on the maternal side by the blood lineage of female generations, so the family’s heritage is only available for female members. Following these principles, they have a marriage form called “azhu.”

Azhu means”friend”or”mate.”An azhu relationship does not involve a wedding ceremony. Any young man outside the bloodline can select a date from that family. So long as both are happy, and after exchanging simple tokens such as bracelets or belts, they can live together at night but separate during the day. This is called azhu relationship. Such a relationship is very flexible, separate of concerns of family background, age and social status. It is a relationship not bound by law. When young people reach the age of 18, they can have an azhu partner. After meeting at work or on other occasions, they arrange a time and a secret signal for dating. The boy leaves his shoes at the girl’s doorway to indicate that the girl is taken. If the two get along well, after a period of time, the two make their relationship known to others. As they live in different families, the young man only meets the girl at night and hurriedly leaves before dawn. Such a relationship may last for several years, or even longer. Some short relations may last just a year or several months. Most people have azhu experiences when they are young. As they grow older, they may have a stable relationship with just one.A girl may have more than one azhu, taking one as long-term while others are temporary. So does a young man. Children born from such a relationship has the girl’s family name and is taken care of by the girl’s family. Herbrothers, in the father’s capacity, shoulder the responsibility of education. In an azhu relationship, themale has no duties for raising or educating the children so such a relationship does not have economic ties. Their”divorce”is quite simple. So long as the girl refuses the boy’s entry, it is finished. All she has to do is to move his belongings out. At this gesture, the young man leaves without ill feelings. Disputes or grudges seldom occur.

Meanwhile, the Naxi people attach great importance to the ceremony for adulthood, which involves an interesting ritual.

This ceremony is held when a child is 13 years old and is called “skirt-wearing ceremony”for a girl or”pants-wearing ceremony”for a boy. Before the children reach this age, they wear only hemp robes. The ceremony is held inside the mother’s room. Inside each family’s house, the mother’s room is the main room in which two poles are placed-the left one is for a boy and the right one,a girl. The two poles are cut from the same tree. The ceremony for a girl is very grand, attended by all the family members.

After blessing words are said, the mother helps the girl to change out of her old hemp robe into a new, beautiful and pleated flower-patterned skirt. Then,a sorcerer prays to ancestors on the girl’s behalf before he hangs a wool necklace around her neck. After the ceremony, the rope is placed on a wooden pole above the family shrine. In doing so, Naxi people say, the child will be tied to the family and live a long life. As the rope is wool, it is meant for her to remember forever the ancestors who reared livestock.

The ceremony for a boy is equally exciting. However, different from the one for a girl, the boy holds a knife and coinage in his hand, meaning from that day, he will have sufficient food and clothing. The ceremony is usually led by his uncle on his mother’s side. After he changes into pants that symbolize adulthood, elder generations and relatives give him presents. The boy pays his respects to the ancestors’ shrine, listens to sutra reading by a sorcerer and sings a song with other people.

All ceremonies have a sorcerer present. The Naxi people believe in a thousand-year-old local religion, called Dongba. This religion records almost every major events in history like an encyclopedia, covering local geography, history, medical practice, rearing livestock, food, habits and local customs.

The Dongba language is pictographic, each character resembling a meaningful picture. Even though someone may be able to read these characters，he may not understand the sutras.For this reason，the Dongba sorcerers who are able to read sutras and are knowledgeable in other fields，are important messengers of the Naxi culture.