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The Naxi nationality has a population of 281,000,
most of whom live in compact communities in Lijinag Naxi
Autonomous County, Ninlglang County, Yongsheng County and Weixi ,Zhongdian
and Deqin counties in Diqing. The Naxi nationality
has a long history. Their ancestors were a nomadic tribe from
northern China called "Qing". In upper reaches of the Jinsha River
during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and were called "Moshayi", "Moxoeyi"
and "Mosuo". They called themselves "Na", "Naxi" means people who
worship black or a nation. therefore "Naxi" means people who
worship black or a great nationality. The Naxi
people have a splendid culture, of which the most important one is
the Dongba language which consists of the only surviving
hieroglyphic characters in the world, The Naxi people have their
own language, which belongs to the Tibet-Burmese Branch of the
Sino-Tibetan language Family (Yi Branch). The Naxi
people believe in Mahayana Buddhism, Taism and Lamaism. The famous
Lijiang Murals well reveal their attitudes of broad-mindedness and
their assimilation of diverse cultures. The costumes
of the Naxi men are not very different from those of the Han
people. The Naxi women usually wear coats with loose sleeves and
buttons on the right, vests, long trousers and pleated aprons.
They also wear a goat-felt cape in the shoulders with the pattern
of seven embroidered circles symbolizing diligence and hard
working. The Mosuo people , a branch of the Naxi
nationality, still keep the unique Axia marital custom, and the
trace of a matrilineal system can still be seen in this group.
Therefore they are called the "Living Fossil" for a study of the
development of human family and marriage. The main
fes5ivals of the Naxi people are the Bangbanghui festival on
January 15th on the lunar calendar, the Sanduo Festival in
February 8th and the live Stock Exchange Fair in March and June. |
