Nu customs and habits

Nu people are one of the ethnic groups with a small population and many languages in China. The Nu people are also ancient residents on both sides of the Nujiang River and Lancang River. According to different sources, the Nu people can be roughly divided into two branches. One group calls itself "Ah Nu" and "Ah Long". After the founding of the People's Republic of China, they were collectively referred to as the "Nuzu." The Nu people use Nu language, which belongs to the Tibetan-Burmese language group of the Sino-Tibetan family.

The Nu people in China are mainly distributed in Lushui (formerly Bijiang County), Fugong, Gongshan Dulong and Nu Autonomous County, Lanping Bai and Pumi Autonomous County in Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, Weixi County in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Chayu County in Tibet Autonomous Region, and live intermingled with Lisu, Dulong, Tibetan, Bai, Han, Naxi and other ethnic groups. The Nu people are also a cross-border ethnic group. They also live in the Gaoligong Mountains in northern Kachin State and the upper reaches of the Nmekai River in neighboring Myanmar, with an estimated number of more than 30,000.

Mountains overlap and rivers converge in the Nu area. From the perspective of tourism, the countless and endless strange peaks and rocks, flying spring waterfalls, rapids and dangerous beaches, ancient trees and dragons here are indeed dizzying and lingering. However, from the perspective of life, the poor land and blocked transportation here have caused many difficulties in the production and life of the Nu people, resulting in a considerable delay in their social development. Until before the founding of New China, many ancient human life scenes, such as the withered flowers and trees as the timing sequence, the knotting of ropes and carving of wood to convey information, and the slash-and-burn farming method, can still be reflected here from time to time. Despite this, for thousands of years, the hardworking and brave Nu people have never stopped fighting and fighting against nature. They have used their wisdom and hands to constantly change history and write a new chapter in the times.

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is "Nu lives on the top of the mountain" and "covered with bamboo to form a house, woven with bamboo to form a wall." This is the ancients 'description of the living and life of the Nu people.

The houses of the Nu people are Ganlan style, most of which are built against the mountains. It is mainly divided into two types: wooden plank houses and bamboo strip houses. Most Nu people in Gongshan area live in wooden houses or half-earth-wall and half-wooden houses. This kind of house is relatively large, usually with wooden walls and thin slate roofs. The stone slab is about one foot square and is paved from the eaves. The first piece is laid flat, the second piece presses on the top of the first piece, and the third piece presses on the top of the second piece... all the way to the ridge. All the Fugong Nu people live in bamboo strips houses. This kind of house is relatively short, and most of them use bamboo strips to make external walls and partitions, and cover the roof with wooden boards or stone slabs. These two types of houses are generally two-story, the upper floor is divided into two rooms, and the outside is for guests and has a fire pond. Iron tripods or stone tripods are placed on the fire pond for cooking and drinking. The inner room is a bedroom and storage room. Store farm tools, sundries or lock livestock downstairs. The floor slab is made of wooden boards or bamboo strips mats and can be laid on many wooden piles mounted on the sloping ground. These wooden piles and house pillars, like thousands of feet, support the entire house. Therefore, people often call this kind of house a "house with thousands of feet falling to the ground."

This thousand-foot bamboo and wood house of the Nu people has a simple structure, is easy to build and demolish, and is suitable for the rainy and foggy characteristics of mountainous areas. According to traditional customs, one family builds a house and the whole village comes to help. The house can be built in one day. Today, with the rapid social and economic development of Nu areas, the housing forms of Nu people are also developing in a diversified and modern direction.

Most of the clothing of Nu men and women is linen. Women generally wear linen gowns with open plumes and wide chests and ankle-length linen. A red trim cloth is decorated at the front and back joints of the clothes. Young girls like to put an apron on the outside of their linen robes and embroider various lace on the edges of their clothes. Men generally wear a linen robe with an open front and a wide chest and a knee-length robe. A cloth belt or rope is tied around the waist. The front jacket above the waist is folded up for easy loading. Men and women of the Nu people pay attention to decoration. Women wear beautiful headdresses and breasts with corals, agates, beads, shells, silver coins, etc., and wear them on their heads and chests. Wear earrings such as coral on your ears and like to use blue cloth or flower turbans to wrap them. The man has long hair, wears a blue cloth head, wraps his legs in linen, likes to wear a machete at his waist, and carries a crossbow and arrow pack on his shoulders.

The staple food of the Nu people is corn, adopted children, etc. The Nu people in the northern part of Gongshan also learned from the Tibetans to grow highland barley, oats, and eat highland barley noodles. A small number of Nu people are influenced by the Tibetan lifestyle and sometimes eat butter tsamba. In addition to chicken, fish, pigs, sheep, and beef, non-staple foods are also hunted game. Nu people generally like to eat thick rice porridge made of rice cooked together. Wild game is cooked in it, which is delicious and delicious. Both men and women of the Nu people like to drink alcohol and like to drink heavily. Nu houses are divided into two types: wooden plank houses and bamboo strip houses. They are built by laying wooden boards or bamboo strip mats on wooden piles. Generally there are two rooms, with an exterior for guests and a fire pond on which an iron tripod or stone tripod is placed for cooking. The inner room is the master's bedroom and stores food, and outsiders are not allowed to enter.

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, marriage among the Nu people was mainly monogamy, and a few leaders and wealthy households also had polygamy. The transfer system is more popular in various places. After marriage, the man built a new house near his parents 'house, separated from his parents, and was allocated a small amount of property. However, the small family still maintains the obligation to work together and assist each other with its parents and the entire family in production and life. The young son lives with his parents. After the death of his parents, the land, livestock, and houses left behind will mainly be inherited by the young son. Genealogy is calculated according to patrilineal line. The father-son joint name system implemented by the Bijiang Nu people is an important symbol for calculating descent and property. The Nu people in Gongshan have the custom of heavy mourning; the ancestors of the Nu people in Fugong and Bijiang were cremated and had clan cemeteries. Current burial.