What are the customs and culture of the Qiang people?

1, "Sheep" culture: The Qiang people's beliefs and life are closely related to sheep, and the national symbol is "sheep". The Qiang people worship the gods of heaven with sheep, and sheep are their lucky charm; they can't live without sheep in their food, clothing, and other things.

2. "White Stone" Culture: The Qiang people are fond of white stones, which are considered "sacred and auspicious". One of the reasons for this is the traditional worship of the color white; the other is that historically, the white stone has helped them defeat their enemies and be able to end their long-distance migration and persecution and finally settle down in their present-day residence (Minjiang and Fuling River Basins in Sichuan).

3. Shibi Culture: In the Qiang's national religious beliefs, the ancestral clergy are called "Shibi" (pronounced "Rebbi"), and they are the Qiang's religious leaders, priests, and sorcerers, acting as intermediaries between gods and humans, and between humans and ghosts. They are the most authoritative culture bearers and knowledge collectors among the Qiang.

4, Traditional natural stone houses, high towers, walls: the construction of high towers is the Qiang people's unique traditional skills, but also usually natural stone masonry, but very strong. The Qiang walls are also quite distinctive.

5. Sword, Pottery Jar and Wine Culture: The making of distinctive pottery jars, especially the amphorae with ripples, is the specialty of the Qiang people, especially the "Board" Qiang. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, almost all Qiang men wore swords.

This has to do with the fact that they had many wars, but also with the fact that it was convenient for them to use it in their daily lives, such as cutting meat and firewood. "Smack wine" is grain wine made from barley or wheat, and is drunk collectively; "drunkenness" is a major feature of the Qiang. The Qiang people, both men and women, take "drunkenness" as their honor, and often get drunk at parties.

6. Folk Dance: The Circle Dance Salang Dance, which is performed by all the people, is the same as the Tibetan Potlatch. No matter men and women, young and old, the Qiang people like to dance together in a circle. This dance in a circle, said the whole villagers unity of mind to honor God, collective harmony with the meaning of joy. The Qiang culture emphasizes "yin and yang", and sometimes the dance is divided into men and women on both sides of the circle. Sometimes a man and a woman will dance together holding hands.

7, special ceremonial wedding customs: more rituals, masked head. Legend has it that the masked head was passed down from the Qiang people to the Han people.

History

The Qiang people are divided into the "First Ancient Qiang" (the ancient Qiang people before the Qin Dynasty) and the "Later Ancient Qiang" (the Western Qiang after the Qin Dynasty). After the Qin Dynasty, the "Huyi" people were also called the Qiang. After the unification of the Qin Dynasty, the Pre-Qiang merged with the eastern populations to form the embryo of the Han race.

Some scholars believe that countries including Xia, Zhou and Qin may have been associated with the ancient Qiang. The custom of sacrificing Qiang people to gods during the Yin and Shang dynasties is thought to have come from war captives, a symbol of frequent contact and friction.

The latter Ancient Qiang have been pouring in from the northwest since the Qin Dynasty, and have developed and evolved into some of today's Han, Qiang, and various Southwest Tibetan-Burmese-speaking linguistic minorities, including: the Tibetans, the Yi, the Bai, the Naxi, the Pumi, the Lisu, the Lahu, the Jinuo, the Achang, the Jingpo, the Dulong, the Nu, and the Tujia, among others.

The Qiang, as they are called today, are only one of the ancient Western Qiang tribes. Today's Qiang people and the descendants of the ancient Xiqiang people have experienced many migrations. Today's ancient Qiang tribes "Qiang" in today's Minjiang River, Fuling River Basin area, before living, called themselves "ZiLa tribe".