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The
Jinuo People
The Jinuo were first recognized
as a distinct nationality in June of 1979. They are also known as the Youles-the
name coming from the Youle Mountains where they live. They are located
in Xishuangbanna, in Yunnan province, where the terrain is mountainous
with the Pani and Small Black rivers running through it. The climate is
subtropical with a rainy season from May to September.
Jinuo have three legends concerning their origin. In one
legend, a brother and sister survived a great flood and married. From the
god who guided them they received ten calabash seeds. One seed sprouted
and produced 100 calabashes. One calabash opened and out walked four different
people-the Jinuo, Han, Dai and Hani.
The second legend says that sometime between 220-280 BC
a group of soldiers fell asleep and did not wake up at the bugle call.
The commander of their army punished them by making them stay and settle
where they had fallen asleep. According to this story, these soldiers are
the ancestors of the Jinuo.
The third legend recounts that at one point in their history
the Jinuos were a matriarchal tribe. The legend says that the first settler
in the Jinuo area was a widow who had seven boys and seven girls. The children
married one another. As this clan grew, they divided into matriarchal and
patriarchal villages. This gave birth to the Jinuo people. Today, the Jinuo
are patriarchal.
Most Jinuo farm by the slash and burn method using knives,
hoes, shovels and sickles. They grow millet, maize, pu'er tea, wet rice
and corn. In their area, cotton has also been grown, as well as papayas
and bananas. Elephants, wild oxen and monkeys roam these lands while hornbills
and other birds can be seen. Thus, the Jinuo hunt, in groups, using a crossbow
and poisoned arrows. Both men and women hunt, the women flushing out the
animals. During some hunting trips, some will carry the spoils while others
sing and beat on bamboo sections cut on the way. The different rhythms
they beat out tell how much game they have killed. When the hunters return
to the village, the villagers join in the song and the food is shared equally.
At the age of 14 or 15, a boy undergoes an initiation
ceremony. The entire village gathers in an open field where they will sacrifice
an ox; however, the boy does not know about the ceremony at the time. He
is caught by others and led by the village mother and father to a table
where there are two packages of meat wrapped in banana leaves. The boy
bows and kowtows to the table several times. The village mother and father
chant prayers over him; then, once these rituals are completed, the ox
is sacrificed. From that day forth, the boy is a man.
While the Jinuo practice monogamy, prospective brides
and grooms are allowed to have sex before marriage. Divorce is rare.
In the past, villages were headed by two old, wise men.
These men officiated at the spring sowing ceremony, decided when the new
year would begin and inspected the borders of the village each year. Wooden
swords and spears were used to mark off each village and, at the inspection
time, old village markers were replaced with new ones.
One government publication says that economic life for
the Jinuo has improved due to China's policy of national unity and equality.
According to this source, their progress has been due to having their eyes
opened to the necessity of education. Most Jinuo villages now have primary
schools. Many Jinuo have become local government officials, doctors or
technicians. They have received technological aid to improve farming techniques
and per capita income has increased. They now have more modern tools and
gadgets. Jinuo are animists and practice ancestor worship. Their Shamans
cure diseases with herbal medicines. Upon death, the dead are placed in
a coffin carved out of log and buried in a communal cemetery. They have
many gods and spirits and frequently hold sacrificial ceremonies.
Links:
http://www.orientaltravel.com/people/Jino.htm
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