The Dulong nationality, with a population of 6,000
is the smallest ethnic group in Yunnan Province. They live mainly
in the Dulong River Valley of Gonshan Dulong and Nu Autonomous
County, Nujiang Prefecture. A few live in Fugong and Weixi
counties. In the past they were called "Qiao", "Qiao Ren" and "Qu
Ren" by others and "Dulong" by themselves. In 1952, they were
named the Dulong nationality. They have their own oral language
but no writing system. The Dulong people living in
the Dulong Rive Valley are divided into dozens of clans. Each clan
consists of several patriarchal families with several big families
in each. The members of each big family share the means of
production. They eat together, cultivate the fields together, and
share the harvest, which is a good reflection of the early
patriarchal family system. The clothes of the Dulong
people are quite simple. Both men and women wear black-and -white
linen cloth woven by themselves. they make a knot in the front.
the same piece of cloth is used as clothes in the daytime, and as
quilt at night. both men and women wear loose hair and copper
earring, and are bare-footed In the old days, the women tattooed
their faces. But now their customs are greatly changed. they now
wear coats, trousers and tight skirts. The women like to wear
colorful plastic beads on their heads. The majority
of the Dulong people believe in their own primitive religion, but
some believe in Christianity. The only festival is called "kaquewa",
which is actually the New Year festival. It falls in December or
January on the lunar calendar. |