What's the story behind Yi silver jewelry culture?

In Butuo County, Liangshan Prefecture, the Yi people enjoy the reputation of "the hometown of silver ornaments". Silver ornaments made by Yi people are not only beautiful in appearance and diverse in style, but also can be made by every household. This custom of the Yi people has been passed down to this day, and it is one of the most beautiful cultures of the Yi people.

It is fashionable for Yi people to dress up and wear gold and silver, especially the complex of worshipping silver is the most prominent, and this custom has been passed down to this day. These traditional folk customs not only make silverware popular in the vast Yi areas, but also create a large number of skilled craftsmen. After the accumulation of craftsmen in past dynasties, the craftsmanship of Yi folk silver ornaments is becoming more and more exquisite. At present, this craft has been selected into the intangible cultural heritage list of Sichuan Province.

It is reported that silver ingots were used as currency in the Yi area a long time ago, and silver is a symbol of identity, status and wealth. According to archaeological discoveries, the Yi nationality was one of the earliest nationalities to smelt and cast silverware. Most Yi silverware is ingenious and peculiar in conception, vivid and beautiful in shape and delicate in lines. These silverware are thick, light, heavy or simple, dazzling and beautiful.

be numerous in variety

There are many kinds of silverware of Yi people in Liangshan, including silverware tableware, wine utensils, saddles, knives, religious utensils and ornaments. Some are also covered with a layer of silver skin or inlaid with silver pieces to increase the beauty and value of lacquerware.

Yi silverware is mostly ornaments. There are exquisite headdresses decorated with bubbles, carved necklaces with unique shapes, exquisite and chic earrings, finely crafted chest ornaments and back ornaments, strange bracelets and bracelets, and rings with rich national styles ... They complement each other with colorful national costumes and are wonderful.

The early silverware ornamentation of Yi people is the same as that of lacquerware, which is characterized by honesty and simplicity. Later, from the initial totem decorative pattern to the overall decorative pattern of animals and plants, and then sublimated to the geometric pattern composed of points, lines and circles. Nowadays, patterns are mostly composed of sun, moon, stars, flowers, birds, grass carp, mountains and trees. Most of these patterns are beautifully carved, with strong contrast between light and shade, alternating straight lines and arcs, with endless changes in patterns, static and dense movements, simplicity in complexity and appropriate shades.

Of course, the complexity and density of the pattern depend on different instruments. The ornamentation of silverware adopts concave carving, hollowing out and inlaying, which has made great progress compared with lacquerware. The beauty embodied in these exquisite silverware is the essence of Yi handicraft industry.